# New member: small Fortis collection



## Mike 777

Hello all,

I've enjoyed being a lurker for awhile, but I just recently bought a Fortis Spacematic GMT, and that pushed me over the edge and I signed up. Since serving in the US Marines, I came to appreciate military gear and its simple, purely functional, and reliable designs. I've always been a bit of a watch "nut," and when I saw my first military watch, a GI Hamilton with an OD nylon strap, on my platoon sergeant's wrist, it was unlike any watch I had ever seen--purely form following function--and it was beautiful in its simplicity.

I first became aware of Fortis on Timezone; before that, I had no idea that such cool, military-inspired watches existed. I think Fortis watches execute the military design better than any other brand, including Sinn; although Sinn may make "tougher" watches, Fortis watches look better and are tough enough. Someone posted pictures of his new 24-hr Flieger, and I knew I had to have it, so I ordered one online:



















It's on a black USGI nylon strap. This watch was purchased in the previous century, and its tritium lume is approaching its half-life, but it is still readable at night. It originally came with a glass crystal, but I had it replaced with a sapphire crystal with double-sided AR coating. It took me about two years to be able to read this quickly at night (because of formerly being used to 12-hour dials), and, _a fortiori,_ during the day.

My next Fortis was this 34 mm Flieger:



















It's on a USGI OD nylon strap. I wanted a small, unobtrusive Fortis as a beater, and this one has served me well in that capacity. It, too, has tritium lume, and its original glass crystal was replaced with a sapphire crystal.

Next, I wanted a diver-type watch, so I got this Cosmonauts Day-Date:










This already came with a sapphire crystal. The original luminous bezel ring triangle fell off--apparently a common problem with these watches--but I managed to retrieve the triangle and I glued it back in with epoxy. It didn't look very good, but it was functional. That, too, eventually fell out, so I got some "Europium UltraGlow" paint from United Nuclear at http://www.unitednuclear.com/glow.htm, put a drop into the triangular depression in the bezel ring, and I found that it had better luminous properties (brighter and longer-lasting) than the ooriginal triangle. Also, it adheres much better; it has not yet fallen out.

But there was one watch that I could call my grail Fortis that I lusted for over a period of years: the Spacematic GMT. Its design is unique among GMT watches, and it's the best-looking GMT watch I've ever seen. It maintains a functional look, yet does it with style; it is not purely functional like, say, a Flieger. Although I thought that I had waited too long, since Fortis has discontinued this model, happily I found what might be the last remaining source of these watches online: http://www.2000watches.com/. They recently delivered a new Spacematic GMT four days after I placed my order:










I replaced the nice, thick leather straps with an old Eurostrap (I do not like leather or metal bracelets). Unfortunately, only Spacematics with glass crystals remain available on that site, but I'll eventually replace the crystal with sapphire at Providence Watch Hospital. This watch is currently running at +1 sec./day--fantastic! Here are some more shots:



























































































Thanks for having this great forum, and for allowing me to share my enthusiasm for these fine watches with like-minded people (it seems like there aren't too many of us out there). We are the few and the proud.


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## whifferdill

What a great Fortis collection you have there! I really like the 24 hour Flieger and the spacematic GMT especially; an unusual and forward thinking design.

I'm a big fan of Fortis generally, though I only have the one and I agree that looks wise, for me, they're preferable over Sinn and as you say, tough enough. I also think that they are far more legible while still being attractive.

Thanks for sharing your wonderful watches with us - a great post|>


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## Dimitris

Welcome Mike!
Great collection. You are one of the few who prefer small size watches. These are more comfortable under sleeve and low profile.
I have never seen a serial number between lugs in Official Cosmonauts. Mine has it on caseback.

Regards
Dimitris


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## Gopher

Welcome, Mike! That is a nice (and very functional) collection.

I share your enthusiasm for Fortis for the same reasons. The design/style/utility is the best in the pilot/military market (some nice divers, too) and quality is good.

I didn't realize until viewing your fine photos that the 34mm Flieger has a different hour hand than the 40mm.

I love the 24-hr Flieger (although I am unaccustomed to reading them as well); wish I had one, but they are tough to find now after being discontinued. Hang on to that one, especially since it has the upgraded crystal.


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## sjaakb

very nice! gr8 photography as well. Thanks for sharing


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## apnk

Nice!


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## althaur

Nice looking collection there.


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## Mike 777

*Thanks for the welcome*

Thanks to all for the kind compliments and the hearty welcome!

Dimitris, that Cosmonauts case was replaced by PWH because the original one, which also had a serial no. engraved between the lugs, had a scratch. I had sent the watch in for regular maintenance, and they replaced the case for me without my asking and without charging me for it! I called them to tell them that they basically gave me a new case by mistake, and they just said, essentially, to forget about it! Say what some people will about PWH, they are a class act, and they are a far sight better than the former US Fortis service center, Helvetia Time in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania.

Helvetia Time once had my 24-hr Flieger in for servicing, and they returned someone else's Cosmonauts Chronograph to me by mistake. It was a beautiful watch with a metal bracelet, worth a lot more than my Flieger. That was the worst of many problems I had experienced with them. (Yes, I was very tempted to keep it and keep my mouth shut.) I posted about it to Timezone in the hopes that the real owner would read it and rest assured that he would get his watch back (it was all straightened out eventually).

Whifferdill, thank you, and you really need to get more Fortis watches. One is not enough, you know. 

Gopher, the hour hand on the 34 mm Flieger is indeed less substantial than that on the 40 mm version, as you observantly pointed out, and that's a good way to tell them apart when looking at photographs of them online.

You might have noticed that the second hand on the 24-hr Flieger is a bit faded. That's from several years' worth of wearing it on my left wrist while driving with short sleeves (steering wheel on the left in US cars) with the sun shining on it. There's also a small ding on the dial near the edge next to the 0200 position. That happened after slamming the watch accidentally on a hard surface right on the crystal (don't ask). The watch was still running after that, but it was an excuse for me to get the broken glass crystal (which appeared to be 2 mm thick) replaced with sapphire. I kept the dinged dial because the ding is barely noticeable, and it provides my watch with a unique identifying mark.

By the way, I've used Bostik Mariners Choice anti-seize compound on the threads of the screwdown-crown tubes on the Fliegers to good effect for several years now. The crowns are easy to turn, the compound does not migrate, and I think it affords extra water resistance in the crown area, which I believe is the weakest link in the water-resistance chain, as it were.

As for the photos, I used a Nikon Coolpix P5100 on Close Up mode.


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## V8

Welcome, nice collection and nice pics.


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## Gopher

*Re: Thanks for the welcome*

Mike 777: I had not noticed the ding at 0200 until you mentioned it, but now see it. It just adds character to a character-filled design.


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## cuckoo4watches

great collection and thanks for sharing your pics with us.
Fortis legibility is of the best I have seen and I think thats what
really draws people to them once discovered.
welcome to the group, even though its been a long time coming. ;-)


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## J.D.

Enjoyed your post very much, those are some really nice Fortis. Your feelings about their design is echoed among many here, myself included. That Spacematic GMT was a great find!


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## jle123

Thank you for such a wonderful post. It felt like I was living vicariously through you !! Wonderful stories behind each amazing photo.

Love that Spacematic. So futuristic, yet classy.


I've always wanted a Fortis, came across an older Comosnaut Chrono on sale at an AD this year, but it was Titanium and for whatever reason, I think Titanium and my skin doesn't jive very well (as I found out from my Tit T-Touch). So haven't bought that one yet, but I keep staring at it each time I pass by that shop.

Keep the stories and pics coming !! Thanks


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## Jesus G

I like much 24 H`s modell.Congrats for your collection .Merry Christmas from Spain


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## AngrymanXL

The Spacematic looks pretty nice on the leather. |>
After viewing your pictures I decided to swap the band on my spacematic and it looks better than I thought it would.


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## Mike 777

Thanks, AngrymanXL, but the strap is rubber with faux stitching. It's called a "Eurostrap," and I bought it off of someone on Timezone who must have been a Eurostrap dealer back in the late '90s. I can't find them anymore. It just didn't look right on my Fortis Fliegers, so it has been sitting in my drawer for almost a decade until I recently found out why I bought it. As you said, it does look good on the Spacematic. On the other hand, the USGI nylon straps that I love don't look very good on the Spacematic; they are a lot more comfortable than a rubber strap, so I may stick the Eurostrap in the drawer again in a few months.


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## Mike 777

Yeah, I think that's the best 24-hr dial execution of all. It's very legible and relatively easy to read. Compare it to something like a Glycine Airman, and you'll see what I mean (although I like the Glycine Airman). Too bad the watch has been discontinued, except for the comparatively expensive limited-edition PVD model. And to think that the 24-hr model used to be available in the 34-mm size, as well as in 40 mm.

Merry Christmas to you!


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## ema

Mike,

You said they only come in the Glass Crystal..

Whats the disadvantage? Does it scratch easier?

Also where did you come by the 24 hr?


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## Mike 777

Ema, the online seller I used has Spacematics only with glass crystals; the ones with sapphire crystals must have sold out. They can be retrofitted with sapphire crystals at Fortis service centers. 

There are two disadvantages that I can see with glass crystals: they do scratch much more easily than sapphire, and they have no antireflective coating. All Fortis watches with sapphire crystals have antireflective coatings (similar to those used on binocular lenses) on both sides, but those with glass crystals do not. If you hold one of each side-by-side, the difference is immediately apparent; the antireflective coating makes the crystal almost invisible. Once you've been spoiled by a sapphire crystal, you never want to go back to glass (or "mineral," as the watch industry euphemistically calls it).

The disadvantage to a sapphire crystal is that it's so hard that it's brittle, although I've never had any of mine shatter. (It's not like they're going to shatter under a little tap.) Also, the antireflective coating on the outside is relatively easy to scratch, and if that happens you'll see a little line in the crystal which has no effect on the sapphire underneath. They're inevitable, but not very noticeable unless a lot of those little lines accumulate.

I'm not a little embarrassed to admit that I bought my 24-hr Flieger about 10 years ago from the infamous online seller, Ess Kay Doubleyou (substitute the letters for the phonetic rendering; a lot of watch forums automatically filter out this seller). This was back when the jury was still out on this company. They had an outstanding price, and apparently they had a good supply on hand because I got the watch promptly. It is the genuine article. I was fortunate, unlike many others who have since had dealings with that company. I've never heard of them selling counterfeit watches, but I've heard of many a long wait for people to receive their watches.

A few months ago I noticed some 24-hr Fliegers were available at 2000watches.com, but they're gone now, unfortunately. I can find no other outlets that have this watch; the only alternative now is Ebay, I'm afraid.


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