![](https://cdn.accentuate.io/41294282227778/2742991323202/Fortis_Novonaut_F20400012_01-v1716410831517.jpg?2000x1333&transform=resize=2000)
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.
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.
- Case: Stainless Steel
- Dial: Black
- Movement: Fortis Werk 17 Automatic Column Wheel Chronograph
- Complications: Chronograph, Day, Date
- Lens: Sapphire Crystal
- Strap: Stainless Steel Block Bracelet
- Water Res.: 200 Meters
- Diameter: 42 mm
- Length: 51 mm
- Thickness: 15 mm
- Lug Width: 21 mm
- Warranty: 60 months
- Dial: Black
- Movement: Fortis Werk 17 Automatic Column Wheel Chronograph
- Complications: Chronograph, Day, Date
- Lens: Sapphire Crystal
- Strap: Hybrid Strap
- Water Res.: 200 Meters
- Diameter: 42 mm
- Length: 51 mm
- Thickness: 15 mm
- Lug Width: 21 mm
- Warranty: 60 months
- Case: Stainless Steel
- Dial: Black
- Movement: Fortis Werk 17 Automatic Column Wheel Chronograph
- Complications: Chronograph, Day, Date
- Lens: Sapphire Crystal
- Strap: Stainless Steel Block Bracelet and Orange Strap
- Water Res.: 200 Meters
- Diameter: 42 mm
- Length: 51 mm
- Thickness: 15 mm
- Lug Width: 21 mm
- Warranty: 60 months
- Case: Stainless Steel
- Dial: Cobalt
- Movement: Fortis Werk 17 Automatic Column Wheel Chronograph
- Complications: Chronograph, Day, Date
- Lens: Sapphire Crystal
- Strap: Stainless Steel Block Bracelet
- Water Res.: 200 Meters
- Diameter: 42 mm
- Length: 51 mm
- Thickness: 15 mm
- Lug Width: 21 mm
- Warranty: 60 months
- Case: Stainless Steel
- Dial: Cobalt
- Movement: Fortis Werk 17 Automatic Column Wheel Chronograph
- Complications: Chronograph, Day, Date
- Lens: Sapphire Crystal
- Strap: Hybrid Strap
- Water Res.: 200 Meters
- Diameter: 42 mm
- Length: 51 mm
- Thickness: 15 mm
- Lug Width: 21 mm
- Warranty: 60 months
Founded by Walter Vogt in 1912, Fortis has been a trailblazer in the watch industry ever since. From the first ever mass-produced automatic wristwatch - the Harwood - presented in 1926 to some of the world’s first “waterproof” watches with the Fortissimo of 1940, this brand has helped to shape the landscape of the modern watch industry. Though not amongst the list of firsts for Fortis, it’s also one of only a handful of brands that can truly be said to be “space worthy” as the official watch of Russian Cosmonauts. Much like its founder, the brand’s current design ethos is as innovative and bold as ever. For sea, land, air and space Fortis has you covered.