# My first Fortis! Professional Pilot 595.18.158



## Jax

I recently won a Fortis watch on eBay and was wondering if you guys could help me learn more about it. The model on the back of the case is 595.18.158 and I have been told it is referred to as the "Professional Pilot". Can anybody confirm what movement it has in it? Is it an ETA 2836? What about the Lume? Is it Tritium or something else?

Are there any other interesting facts about this watch that I should know?


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## Jax

I thought I would include a photo.


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## MHe225

Congrats, Jax, great pick-up. You're going to enjoy this one. I have the exact same watch, purchased new in '98. 
Movement is indeed ETA 2836-2 and it is my understanding that the T's to the left of _Swiss_ and to the right of _Made_ at the bottom of the dial indicate Tritium lume. 
The reference number is confusing: the display case-back on mine sports the very same reference number (595.18.158) yet the Fortis catalog that I have shows 595.18.41. Maybe .158 refers to this display case-back?

Mine shows a few battle scars and the PVD coating is wearing thin / not as black as it used to be. But then, the watch has seen more than 10 years cumulative wrist time, has been on 5 continents and logged more than 500,000 air-miles.


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## Jax

Thanks for the info MHe225. Yours looks great with the red stitching.


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## coggs

Great looking watch - love the wrist shot. :-!
I have also just purchased a Professional Pilot on Ebay (My first Fortis too) and am eagerly awaiting its arrival! Will post some pictures ASAP! Description and pics on the bay showed a ref. no. of 595.22.158.1 - it has a s.steel finish with a solid back.


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## Jax

Awesome coggs, let us know how it looks when it arrives!


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## coggs

Arrived today! Looks great and just the right size. Winds smooth and seems to be keeping time although the lume is non existent! Will take some pics and post tomorrow.


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## Jax

My lume isn't so hot either. Looks good at first but fades pretty fast. Isn't tritium supposed to last a long time?


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## coggs

Some photos as promised. Kept great time overnight. Ref. the lume Jax, AFAIK Tritium does not charge up in light, it's lume is there all the time but will be only half as bright after 12 years as this is the half-life of Tritium. Going to speak to my local watch maker today to see about re-luming.


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## Jax

Looks great! Mine came with the same strap. How is the crystal on yours? Mine is pretty good but there are a few micro scratches that you can't really see unless you look for them but still it bugs me a little. I wonder how much it would cost to put sapphire on it.


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## coggs

Funny you should ask! Mine has micro scratches and a deep graze on the edge of the glass so I have just left it with my watch maker to give me a price for new sapphire, authentication and the price for a service although I dont think it needs this. will let you know what he says.


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## Jax

Yes please do, I'd love to know at least a ballpark estimate. Also I noticed my lume seems to charge up with light - so it would seem that it has possibly been re lumed? Does yours get brighter if you put it under a lamp prior to going into the dark?


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## coggs

Short answer is no, light has no effect so I think you're right - yours has probably been re-lumed. Apparently Tritium is very hard to get hold of - so my choice is either re-lume with super-luminova or leave it original - undecided but think I will stay original!


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## Jax

Interesting. Does your tritium still glow at all?

My crystal scratches are so tiny you really have to try to see them but is consider getting sapphire since I see myself having this one for a very long time. So I'm still interested in what you find out.

By the way I found a sweet looking strap for it. http://shop.wornandwound.com/collections/straps/products/model-1-horween-rye

I am thinking of ordering one if they have a Black Friday promotion.


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## coggs

No, can't discern any glow at all. As you say, sweet strap, but expensive to me! Or am I out of touch? Hope you can pick it up for less on Friday.
Hopefully get back tomorrow with some info.


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## Jax

I agree it's a bit pricy but I think it'll be worth it. They probably have 15 or 20% off on Friday. I hate having this watch on a strap that doesn't feel good!

I happened to pass by a local watch maker on the way home and he quoted me $125 for sapphire glass installation. That's a bit less than I was expecting.


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## coggs

Heard back from watchmaker at last. Good news is movement does not need a service and he can fit a new crystal and re-seal for £30 or approx. $45 which I think is pretty reasonable so very pleased with my first Fortis! Did you manage to get the strap Jan?


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## Jax

Wow sounds very cheap. I was told on the forum to expect $200 to $300 for sapphire crystal so I thought my $125 quote was good. I left it with the watchmaker while on a business trip and I told him to go ahead with it. Strap will be in when I return and watch should be ready.


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## Jax

Coggs, I just heard back from my watchmaker. He says sapphire is not available from any of the three or four suppliers he deals with so he has to go with mineral glass. The upside is mineral only costs $50 so I'm going to just go ahead with it. I figure it's not s terrible price and if I do find sapphire somehow I could always go with that once it gets scratched again


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## coggs

Apparently the gen crystals are virtually impossible to source as you have also found (according to my watch guy) so I am sure mine will also be mineral generic, I guess, which makes the price very similar. Currently waiting very impatiently to hear mine is ready for collection.


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## Jax

Mine is already ready (they had the glass in stock) however I'm on the other side of the continent and won't be getting it until Friday.


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## coggs

Guessing you'll beat me to it as it's now Thurs night


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## Jax

I'll post mine when I get it tomorrow (Friday) afternoon.


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## Jax

So I got my watch back with the new crystal. They did a pressure text to ensure that it was still waterproof which is nice, but the crystal stick up out of the watch above the bezel about 1 mm. I don't remember if it was like this before but I don't believe so. Was your watch like that when you got it? It seems like it is even more likely that I will damage the crystal now than the old crystal. I wonder how tricky it would be to contact Fortis about getting the official sapphire crystal upgrade if it exists...


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## Jax

Here are some photos.


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## coggs

Watch is looking good Jax! My crystal was exactly like that so no problem with yours as far as I can see. Still waiting for mine!


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## Jax

Here are some pics where you can see the strap better.


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## coggs

Love the strap, black piping contrasts really well with pvd. Good choice!


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## coggs

Well, got mine back today. Crystal changed, thorough check, re-seal and pressure tested and I do believe a polish too so well worth the wait and the £30! :-!
One thing I have noticed though, is that the new crystal is flush with the case! :-s Confused now as not sure what is correct - should be much better protected though.


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## Jax

Interesting. I'm pretty sure my crystal was flush before they changed it. I think I like it better like that. :/


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## MHe225

Jax said:


> ... but the crystal stick up out of the watch above the bezel about 1 mm. I don't remember if it was like this before but I don't believe so. Was your watch like that when you got it? ...


I checked my watch and the (still) original crystal is not flush with the case; but it sticks out less than yours, probably 0.1 - 0.2 mm. Hard to see in pics, but here you go (pics taken yesterday):
















As you can see, the (mineral) glass on mine shows a few battle scars accumulated in probably some 10+ years of cumulative wrist time - not bad enough that I feel the need to replace the crystal.


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## Jax

Interesting. I kinda prefer it not sticking out but I guess I'll probably leave it like this until I find someone who can get sapphire in there for me. :/


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## coggs

Took a few more pics to show the crystal edge more clearly. Thought I'd try a steel bracelet on it as well - what do you think? |> or


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## coggs

Apologies for the size of the pics. Can't work out what happened there :-s


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## Jax

Looks great!! I have the original crystal for my watch still so if I continue my search for replacement sapphire, perhaps it will be easier. I can just take the crystal in to a different watchmaker and see if they can get the identical size and thickness in sapphire without having to leave my watch for a week.


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## coggs

Just had a thought, still have my original crystal which, if I remember correctly, was sitting like yours is now! Checked the thickness and it is 1.7mm! Don't know the thickness of the new one fitted to mine but perhaps you could measure your old flush fitting crystal?


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## Jax

Sadly I do t have calipers or a great ruler but it seems between 1,5 and 2 mm. I need to get it measured. What is the diameter?


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## coggs

Seems an odd size but I measure it at 36.35mm - doesn't translate to an easy imperial measurement either.


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## Gopher

I have the Pilot Pro with original sapphire crystal, which is nearly flush with the case similar to MHe225 and Coggs. Jax's crystal protrudes more than I have seen on a Pilot Pro, but maybe mineral versions are different (need to be thicker?). The sapphire version should be essentially flush.


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## Jax

Cool I didn't know it had an original sapphire crystal version. I had the original mineral crystal version and it was flush, then I had the crystal replaced because it was scratched and the new crystal is thicker.


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## Gopher

Jax said:


> Cool I didn't know it had an original sapphire crystal version. I had the original mineral crystal version and it was flush, then I had the crystal replaced because it was scratched and the new crystal is thicker.


The Pilot Pro (and Flieger) used to come standard with mineral but it was changed to sapphire maybe 8-10 years ago (when they also jumped in price significantly). I bought mine (new) six years ago. This was also about the time Fortis changed the case from the bead-blasted matte finish to brushed steel. My crystal still looks new with no scratches (but I rotate it with three other watches -- Fortis Flieger Chrono, Fortis Marinemaster, and Omega Seamaster). The Pilot and Seamaster are most comfortable for my thin wrist.


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## Jax

Good info, thanks gopher.


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## Mike 777

Jax said:


> Also I noticed my lume seems to charge up with light - so it would seem that it has possibly been re lumed?


Even tritium lume will get brighter soon after exposure to light because the luminous material absorbs the light energy. The tritium provides the luminous compound with energy to glow--the tritium itself isn't what you see glowing.


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## Jax

Makes sense why I'd have a glow though even though it needs exposure to light... Thanks!


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## painterspal

I love this watch. I picked up a used like new example last summer and it has had a lot of wrist time since. Mine is the black PVD version with the tritium lume, so the glow is now pretty faint - I was told it's about thirteen years old.

I had it serviced and it's a great time keeper, typically around +5 sec a day. I think these make great daily wears, and I use mine for casual and sometimes for the office. It has a really nice bomb-proof feel that really inspires confidence and it's really sad that Fortis no longer makes them - seems like the perfect modern pilot-style watch to me.


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