Fortis age determination and history by models

Brief overview of Fortis

• Founded in 1912 by Walter Vogt in Grenchen (Switzerland).
• Early pioneering brand for automatic wristwatches, founded in 1930 together with John Harwood.
• Particularly well-known:
  • 1930 → first mass-produced automatic watch in the world (Harwood system)
  • 1960s → Pilot and Marine Watches
  • 1990s → “Official Cosmonauts Chronograph”
• Works: mainly A. Schild (AS) , ETA , Lemania , later Valjoux , Sellita .

Serial number and its meaning

The movement number (sometimes called serial number) is engraved on the movement or the case back and depends on the respective era.
Fortis almost always used movements from other manufacturers → the production year of the installed movement is the key.

Typical serial numbers and time ranges

 

Further information on age determination

Serial and case numbers

• Serial number : engraved on the circuit board or under the rotor (for automatic movements).
• Case number : outside or inside the bottom cover – often “Ref. ### .###”.
• From the 1980s onwards, the reference number often contains the model year in coded form:
  Example “597.10.141” → “597” = B-42 Chronograph series.

Typical examples from practice

In 1912, the Swiss village of Grenchen became home to FORTIS, founded by Walter Vogt, and remains so today. Mr. Vogt was a great innovator and pioneer: his original philosophy still forms the basis of the company's policy: "...the production of high-quality Swiss watches in innovative designs at affordable prices..."

1924 was a pivotal year in FORTIS's history, when Walter Vogt met John Harwood, the British inventor of the automatic wristwatch. Harwood had already spent two years searching for an industrial partner in Switzerland to mass-produce his invention. In the founder of FORTIS, he found a brilliant advocate for the concept of the automatic wristwatch. Walter Vogt supported the project and provided substantial financial resources for production.

In 1926, the world's first mass-produced automatic wristwatch, the "Harwood Automatic", was presented at the Basel Fair and attracted great interest.

In the 1930s, FORTIS produced two more classic automatic watches that became famous: First, the "Rolls," a wristwatch that would become legendary thanks to a winding system developed by Léon Hatot from Paris. The watch's name was derived from the movement of the clockwork mechanism inside the case that wound it.

In 1931, FORTIS produced the Autorist, which also used an automatic mechanism invented by John Harwood. The watch was powered by the movements of the strap, which was attached to the watch via its fastening mechanism.

In 1937, to mark its 25th anniversary, FORTIS produced its first chronographs, which are still valued for their precision today. "Wandfluh," the name of the Jura massif near Grenchen, became the name of the FORTIS Chronograph, known worldwide.

In 1943, FORTIS means "strong", and with the presentation of the first waterproof watches from Switzerland and the most successful model "Fortissimo", FORTIS once again meets market demand.

1947 Several decades after its market launch, the alarm clock wristwatch enjoys renewed popularity thanks to the efforts of FORTIS.

In 1954, FORTIS began production of the alarm clock and was thus closely linked to the worldwide distribution of the most reliable clock of all time.

In 1956, FORTIS won the most important chronometer awards from the Swiss Institute for Official Watch Testing for its waterproof alarm clocks of the "Manager" series. Every single "FORTIS Manager" alarm clock tested received the award for "particularly good results".

On November 26, 1957, 600 watchmakers celebrated "FORTIS Day" in Tokyo's Yamaha Hall. The company invited Japanese watchmakers to promote FORTIS' new "BEP" electric control system, thereby strengthening its good relations with members of the Japanese Watchmakers' Association.

1962 The name FORTIS – a worldwide synonym for reliable automatic watches from Switzerland – lives on with the anniversary watch “Stratoliner” for the company’s 50th anniversary and the “Spacematic”, an absolutely waterproof anchor watch with a high-precision automatic movement and date display, tested up to 25 atmospheres, which was selected in the same year by the members of the American astronaut team.

In 1965, with the advent of quartz watches from Japan, FORTIS, like all other Swiss brands, faced market competition that many could not withstand. FORTIS's response to this challenge, based on the company's experience with waterproof diving watches, was the development of the "Flipper" watch. For the American market: the "FORTIS Cobra," a highly distinctive design that was a real hit and an enormous success in those turbulent times.

In 1975, FORTIS set new standards in watchmaking with the "Flipper Quartz Leader" model, achieving great success in over 40 countries in the following years. This watch series featured the original FORTIS container system, which allowed for the movement and strap to be changed in seconds.

In 1982, the "Flipper Quartz Leader" offered not only steel and 18-karat gold bracelets, but also a wide selection of colorful straps, making this FORTIS design a hit in the early 1980s. It was worn by, for example, the Rolling Stones, Roman Polanski, Leonard Bernstein, and others. V. Philibert, the "aristocrat of plastic watches," was named Europa Star.

In 1987, on the occasion of the company's 75th anniversary, FORTIS set a trend with the relaunch of the automatic wristwatches that had been synonymous with the brand in its glorious past.

In addition to the original FORTIS Container System with the successful "FORTIS Logo Swiss" collection and the Harwood, the world's first mass-produced automatic wristwatch, FORTIS relaunched its legendary pilot's watches this year, featuring clear functions and easily readable dials in typical FORTIS design, thus marking the renaissance of mechanical watches, a trend that many Swiss

Source: brittons-watches.co.uk