Just A Minute With The
Fortis Novonaut Chronograph
Blake Malin
Windup Watch Shop | August 23, 2024
Lets take just a minute and look at the Fortis Novonaut Chronograph in cobalt blue on its bracelet.
Fortis is perhaps best known for making dependable and high-quality space watches. As partners of NASA’s Gemini program in the 1960s, Fortis created the Spacematic. But the watch that really put Fortis on the map was the B-42 Cosmonaut, and the new Novonaut is the modern iteration of what Fortis considers its greatest hit.
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The new Fortis Novonaut can be configured in a variety of ways. You can pick between black or blue dials and between the stainless steel bracelet or what Fortis calls a “hybrid strap”. The Novonaut is a three-register (6, 9, 12 o’clock) chronograph with day and date function at 3. Its 42mm case is 51mm lug to lug and fashioned from recycled stainless steel. The watch’s bidirectional bezel is made of ceramic and is filled with SuperlumiNova X1 lume, which can also be found on the dial and hands. A triple gasket design ensures 200 meters of water resistance. The caseback is solid and features an etching of a rocket to celebrate the timepiece’s role in space travel and exploration. The “First Edition” Novonaut features extra orange accents, a special label, and both strap and bracelet options.
The Novonaut’s movement is the Fortis Werk 17, an automatically-winding column-wheel chronograph that beats at 4Hz and boasts a power reserve of 60 hours. It is operated by start/stop and reset pushers and is tested by the Swedish space corporation for accuracy.
