Fortis (Swiss watchmaker)

Last updated
Fortis
Company type Privately held company
IndustryLuxury Watches
Founded1912
FounderWalter Vogt
Headquarters
Grenchen
,
Switzerland
Area served
Worldwide
Key people
Owner and CEO - Jupp Philipp
ProductsLuxury Watches.
Number of employees
40
Website www.fortis-swiss.com

FORTIS Watches AG (formerly FORTIS Uhren AG), located in Grenchen is a luxury Swiss watches manufacturer that was founded by Walter Vogt in 1912. The brand is particularly known for robust, highly precise, automatic tool watches. The owner and CEO of Fortis is Jupp Philipp. [1] [2] [3] [4]

Contents

History

Fortis was founded by Walter Vogt in 1912. Twelve years after its establishment, Vogt set up production with John Harwood, inventor of the automatic wristwatch. In 1926, Fortis released the patented Harwood Automatic, the first self-winding wristwatch, at Baselworld. In 1937, Fortis commemorated the company's 25th anniversary by manufacturing and marketing its first chronographs, including the Rolls and the Autorist. The Autorist was also designed by John Harwood and used the movement of the strap to power the watch. By 1943,

Fortis introduced some of the world's first waterproof watches with the Fortissimo models. [5]

Official Cosmonauts Chronograph Automatic photo. Lemania 5100 movt. Fortis Official Cosmonauts Chronograph Automatic photo. Lemania 5100.fortis 5100 cosmo.jpg
Official Cosmonauts Chronograph Automatic photo. Lemania 5100 movt.
Fortis B-42 Marinemaster, Official Cosmonauts 20 ATM , PVD Titanium coated , carbon fiber dial, Powered by Automatic ETA-2836-2 FORTIS WATCH ALFOWZAN.jpg
Fortis B-42 Marinemaster, Official Cosmonauts 20 ATM , PVD Titanium coated , carbon fiber dial, Powered by Automatic ETA-2836-2

In 1962 the Spacematic automatic was constructed to hold up in extreme conditions and temperature changes. The watch was tested by the seven members of a US space mission. [6] In 1994 Fortis introduced strict endurance tests. This same year the Star City Training Center chose the Fortis Official Cosmonauts Chronograph as part of its issued equipment. Fortis automatic wristwatches have proven their space capability inside and outside of the protection of the space station. Since 1994 Fortis has been the exclusive supplier of crewed space missions authorized by the Russian Federal Space Agency. [7] In 1997 the same watch, the Fortis Official Cosmonauts Chronograph, became the official watch of the German-Russian space mission MIR 97. [8]

During Fortis' 75th anniversary year, it introduced a new edition of the Flieger automatic collection.

In 2004, the Flieger Chronograph was awarded the inaugural trophy of the European Aviation Watch of the Year. [9]

Fortis has supplied unique watches to many military squadrons worldwide, including: [10]

In 1994, Fortis became the equipment supplier of the Juri-Gagarin-Kosmonautentrainingszentrums, which is a cosmonaut training centre in Russia. During a docking manoeuvre of the U.S. Space Shuttle Atlantis in September 1994, the model "Official Cosmonauts Chronograph" was worn on the space station Mir by the cosmonauts during the mission Sojus TM-19.

In 1998, FORTIS launched the development of the world's automatic chronograph with mechanical alarm function, which was patented with the patent number EP 0806712. The construction of this watch was done by Zurich watch engineer Paul Gerber. [11]

In 2017, FORTIS experienced some financial difficulties. The company filed for definitive debt restructuring moratorium. [12] Soon afterwards, the company brand and location was taken over by a private investor and FORTIS fan, Mr. Jupp Philipp. This led to the renaming of FORTIS Uhren AG into FORTIS Watches AG. [13]

Under the new management, FORTIS is redefining the collections. Design and functionality are the main focus points. A new collaboration with Kenissi has been established.

Awards

Literature

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Watch</span> Personal timepiece

A watch is a portable timepiece intended to be carried or worn by a person. It is designed to keep a consistent movement despite the motions caused by the person's activities. A wristwatch is designed to be worn around the wrist, attached by a watch strap or other type of bracelet, including metal bands, leather straps, or any other kind of bracelet. A pocket watch is designed for a person to carry in a pocket, often attached to a chain.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">IWC Schaffhausen</span> Luxury Swiss watch manufacturer

IWC International Watch Co. AG, founded International Watch Company, better known as IWC Schaffhausen, is a Swiss luxury watch manufacturer located in Schaffhausen, Switzerland. Originally founded in Switzerland by American watchmaker Florentine Ariosto Jones in 1868, the company was transferred to the Rauschenbach family in 1880 after bankruptcy and has been a subsidiary of the Swiss Richemont Group since 2000.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Seiko</span> Japanese manufacturing company

Seiko Group Corporation, commonly known as Seiko, is a Japanese maker of watches, clocks, electronic devices, semiconductors, jewelry, and optical products. Founded in 1881 by Kintarō Hattori in Tokyo, Seiko introduced the world's first commercial quartz wristwatch in 1969.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Breitling SA</span> Swiss luxury watchmaker

Breitling SA is a Swiss luxury watchmaker founded in 1884 in Saint-Imier, Switzerland, by Léon Breitling. The company is known for its precision-made chronometers designed for aviators and is based in Grenchen, Switzerland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Omega SA</span> Swiss watchmaker

Omega SA is a Swiss luxury watchmaker based in Biel/Bienne, Switzerland. Founded by Louis Brandt in La Chaux-de-Fonds in 1848, the company formerly operated as La Generale Watch Co. until incorporating the name Omega in 1903, becoming Louis Brandt et Frère-Omega Watch & Co. In 1984, the company officially changed its name to Omega SA and opened its museum in Biel/Bienne to the public. Omega is a subsidiary of The Swatch Group.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">TAG Heuer</span> Swiss luxury watchmaker

TAG Heuer S.A., founded Heuer AG is a Swiss luxury watchmaker. Founded in 1860 by Edouard Heuer in St-Imier, Switzerland, it was acquired by Techniques d'Avant Garde in 1985, which purchased a majority stake in the company, forming TAG Heuer. In 1999, French luxury goods conglomerate LVMH bought nearly 100 percent of the Swiss company.The name TAG Heuer combines the initials of "Techniques d'Avant Garde" and the founder's surname.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chronograph</span> Type of watch

A chronograph is a specific type of watch that is used as a stopwatch combined with a display watch. A basic chronograph has an independent sweep second hand and a minute sub-dial; it can be started, stopped, and returned to zero by successive pressure on the stem. More complex chronographs use additional complications and can have multiple sub-dials to measure seconds, minutes, hours and even fractions of a second. In addition, many modern chronographs use moveable bezels as tachymeters for rapid calculations of speed or distance. Louis Moinet invented the chronograph in 1816 for use in tracking astronomical objects. Chronographs were also used heavily in artillery fire in the mid to late 1800s. More modern uses of chronographs involve aircraft piloting, auto racing, diving and submarine maneuvering.

A. Lange & Söhne is a trademark of Lange Uhren GmbH, a German manufacturer of luxury and prestige watches. The company was originally founded by Ferdinand Adolph Lange in Glashütte, Kingdom of Saxony in 1845. The original A. Lange & Söhne was nationalized and ceased to exist in 1948, following the occupation by the Soviet Union after World War II. The current A. Lange & Söhne trademark was re-registered when Lange Uhren GmbH was founded in 1990 by Walter Lange, the great-grandson of Ferdinand Adolph Lange.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oris</span> Swiss manufacturer of mechanical watches

Oris SA is a Swiss luxury manufacturer of mechanical watches. The company was founded in 1904 and is based in Hölstein in the canton of Basel-Landschaft.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zenith (watchmaker)</span> Swiss luxury watchmaker

Zenith SA is a Swiss luxury watchmaker. The company was started in 1865 by Georges Favre-Jacot in Le Locle in the canton of Neuchâtel and is one of the oldest continuously operating watchmakers. Favre-Jacot invented the concept of "in house movements", believing that only through control of the entire watchmaking process could the highest quality be achieved. Zenith was purchased by LVMH in November 1999, becoming one of several brands in its watch and jewelry division, which includes TAG Heuer and Hublot. Benoit de Clerck is president and CEO.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Complication (horology)</span> Any feature of a timepiece beyond the display of hours, minutes and seconds

In horology, a complication is any feature of a timepiece beyond the display of hours, minutes and seconds. A timepiece indicating only hours, minutes and seconds is known as a simple movement. Common complications include date or day-of-the-week indicators, alarms, chronographs (stopwatches), and automatic winding mechanisms. Complications may be found in any clock, but they are most notable in mechanical watches where the small size makes them difficult to design and assemble. A typical date-display chronograph may have up to 250 parts, while a particularly complex watch may have a thousand or more parts. Watches with several complications are referred to as grandes complications.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Poljot</span>

Poljot, is a brand of Soviet/Russian wristwatches, produced since 1964 by the First Moscow Watch Factory. The flagship brand of the USSR's watch industry, Poljot produced numerous historical watches used in many important space missions, including the world's first space watch worn by Yuri Gagarin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Junghans</span> German watch manufacturer

Junghans Uhren GmbH is a German watch and clock manufacturer. The company is located in the district of Rottweil, in the town of Schramberg, Baden-Württemberg, southwest Germany.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sinn (watchmaker)</span> German wristwatch manufacturer

Sinn is a German manufacturer of mechanical and quartz wristwatches based in Frankfurt am Main. The company was founded in 1961 by flight instructor and pilot Helmut Sinn (1916–2018) under the name ‘Helmut Sinn Spezialuhren’.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ollech & Wajs</span>

Ollech & Wajs(O&W) is a watch company based in Zurich, Switzerland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gallet & Company</span>

Gallet (ˈgæl.eɪ) is a historic Swiss manufacturer of high-end timepieces for professional, military, sports, racing, and aviation use. Gallet is the world's oldest clock making house with history dating back to Humbertus Gallet, a clock maker who became a citizen of Geneva in 1466. The Gallet & Cie name was officially registered by Julien Gallet (1806–1849) in 1826, who moved the family business from Geneva to La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland. Prior to this date, operations commenced under the name of each of the Gallet family patriarchs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stowa</span> Watch manufacturer in Engelsbrand, Baden-Württemberg, Germany

STOWA is a German luxury watchmaker founded by Walter Storz in 1927, and is based in Engelsbrand, Germany. The name is a portmanteau of the founder's name, Storz Walter. From 1996 until 2021, STOWA was by Jörg Schauer, who also owns the Schauer watch brand and the DUROWE watch movement brand. July 1, 2021, Stowa became part of Tempus Arte GmbH & Co. KG, which also owns Uhrenmanufaktur Lang & Heyne Dresden, UhrenWerke-Dresden (UWD), as well as the Munich-based company Leinfelder Uhren München.

The Flying Officer chronograph wristwatch (1939–present), designed and manufactured in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland by Gallet & Co., was commissioned by Senator Harry S. Truman from Missouri in 1939 for pilots and navigators of the United States Army Air Forces.

John Harwood (1893–1964) was a British watchmaker who invented a self-winding wristwatch.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Laco Uhrenmanufaktur</span> German watchmaker

Laco Uhrenmanufaktur GmbH is a German watch manufacturer, founded in 1925 in Pforzheim by Frieda Lacher and Ludwig Hummel under the name Lacher & Co.

References

  1. ↑ "Fortis mit neuem Gesicht und klarer Vision". www.bielertagblatt.ch (in German). Retrieved 2018-11-09.
  2. ↑ WatchBuys Named Fortis North American Distributor wornandwound.com May 16, 2016
  3. ↑ "Horlogerie – la manufacture Fortis sur le point de fermer". 24 Heures.
  4. ↑ Haworth-Maden, Clare (1998-06-01). Watches. Grange Books. ISBN   9781840131260.
  5. ↑ Horological Journal. Brant Wright Associates Limited. 1969.
  6. ↑ "A guide to astronaut watches". www.spacekids.co.uk. Retrieved 2018-11-08.
  7. ↑ Mawaqaa. "FORTIS". www.behbehaniwatchworld.com. Archived from the original on 2018-11-09. Retrieved 2018-11-08.
  8. ↑ "Fortis: 100 years in the making - WatchPro". www.watchpro.com. 27 April 2012. Retrieved 2018-11-08.
  9. ↑ "European Aviation Watch of the Year". www.europastar.com. Retrieved 2016-02-02.
  10. ↑ Strandberg, Keith W. "From Switzerland to space – Fortis's journey". www.europastar.com. Retrieved 2018-11-08.
  11. ↑ "Paul Gerber". Luxury Insider. 2011-01-10. Archived from the original on 2018-10-31. Retrieved 2018-11-09.
  12. ↑ "Grenchner Uhrenfirma Fortis ist am Ende". Tages-Anzeiger, Tages-Anzeiger (in German). 2017-11-27. ISSN   1422-9994 . Retrieved 2018-11-09.
  13. ↑ "Deutscher Geschäftsmann hat Uhrenmarke Fortis gekauft". az Grenchner Tagblatt (in Swiss High German). Retrieved 2018-11-09.
  14. ↑ "Fortis Watches - First Class Watches Blog". First Class Watches Blog. 2017-05-03. Retrieved 2018-11-09.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.