# Fortis Question



## dave993cars (Aug 12, 2005)

Hi people

I have been looking for a nice Fortis and have come across a few of these at cheap money, question is why are they inexpensive? are they unreliable, built in large numbers just not very well liked, IMHO I would buy one but would like some feedback first. (vendor photo)



























Dave S


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## jasonm (Nov 22, 2003)

I cant say Im familier with that one....

Looks a bit odd to me, the hour hand doesnt seem to 'fit' the dial, it is way too big for the hour chapter ring...

And the 'Fortis Quartz' looks very strange at the top of the dial..









Im assuming its a genuine model ?


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## dave993cars (Aug 12, 2005)

jasonm said:


> I cant say I'm familier with that one....
> 
> Looks a bit odd to me, the hour hand doesnt seem to 'fit' the dial, it is way too big for the hour chapter ring...
> 
> ...


Jasonm

I believe they were made for extreme sports such as parachuting, sailing, skiing. As far as I know they are genuine Fortis Watches


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## rhaythorne (Jan 12, 2004)

I share Jason's suspicions. I've never seen or heard of them before and I couldn't see them in the Fortis catalogue which I've just had a quick scan through.


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## Roy (Feb 23, 2003)

It does not seem right to me either, there are others exactly same floating about with Zeno on the dial instead of Fortis.


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## dave993cars (Aug 12, 2005)

I did a quick search after rhaythorne's post and have came up with the name Guebelin linked to these watches but can't find any reason why they are not genuine, could they be a copy of an other Fortis.


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## rhaythorne (Jan 12, 2004)

It's similar to the Fortis Pilot and Flieger models. The design is also commonly used by Poljot/Aviator. However, the original design goes back at least to the 1930's when several prestigious manufacturers produced such watches for the Luftwaffe.

In the original design, the hour hand should fit within the inner circle marking the hours.


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## pauluspaolo (Feb 24, 2003)

potz said:


> *FAKE!*


Likewise - it looks like a FAKE to me too.

Fortis are very well made watches & that doesn't look like a very well made watch to me - also I thought that Fortis pilots watches had screw down crowns & automatic movements







?


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## mach 0.0013137 (Jan 10, 2005)

For comparison....










Photo by Mike, I hope you don`t mind


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## rhaythorne (Jan 12, 2004)

Ah, thanks Mac and Mike; good comparison.

When Fortis do it, they do it properly


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## limey (Aug 24, 2006)

dave993cars said:


> parachuting


I used to wear my Omega Seamaster Pro. That was one of the reasons I bought a watch with a diver's bezel. The thinking was if something bad happened you could set the bezel and then you had an exact time reference.

Or I wore this,










it needs a battery now, but still functions. It'll be on the sales corner at some point.


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## rhaythorne (Jan 12, 2004)

Avocet Vertech Alpine - nice watch







The only watch I've used in the mountains where I didn't have to keep taking my gloves off in order to operate the buttons!!

Perhaps like the original design for the navigator's watch discussed above, it's a good design that focuses on the requirements of the job the wearer needs to accomplish rather than any compromises for the sake of fashion, for example. Re-fitting the gasket between the case and back after a battery change is a bit tricky though.

Here's mine, with Suunto X-Lander for comparison


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## quoll (Apr 20, 2006)

I think it's real. Fortis made the Sky Watch in large numbers (in the 80s I think) and in many styles and colours - pink, lime green, you name it. That dial configuration was one of the more subdued ones. They were cheap n cheerful, along the early Swatch lines. They made them with 40 mm metal cases and 55 mm plastic cases. Her's a nice pink one:


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## rhaythorne (Jan 12, 2004)

Are all the ones floating around on eBay 20 years old / NOS then do you think? And what about the Zeno one?

The ones with skeleton hands make slightly more sense as at least you can then see the hour markings printed on the dial through the hands. Still, I wouldn't buy one.

Now, the one in Mike's photo, that's a different matter


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## jasonm (Nov 22, 2003)

Even if they are genuine Fortis, Im thinking that they wont be the best examples of the brand, if your looking to get a quality watch then the 'other' Fortis will serve you much better...

They are probably cheap to buy for a reason.....


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## quoll (Apr 20, 2006)

Absolutely. These were 'pile 'em high sell 'em cheap' models at a difficult time for Fortis. They will be nowhere near the quality of the modern automatic watches Fortis sells today.


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## dave993cars (Aug 12, 2005)

Hi People

They seem to go for around Â£50.00 would you say this is expensive for a piece of Fortis history?

Dave S


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## rhaythorne (Jan 12, 2004)

Very expensive. The starting price on eBay is often less than Â£1. I would imagine that they're a piece of Fortis' history that they're less than proud of and that they would probably rather forget.

Still, buy one if you like and find one at a good price







If you do, I'd be interested to hear what you think of it when you've had a chance to look at it up close.


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