Any members familiar with Fortis watches?

[Headshrinker]

A friend is interested in a Fortis Cosmonaut watch, but I was not too familiar with the brand; do any members have experience or knowledge of the watch and its quality. From reading, it looks intriguing as a watch that has spent so much time in space and sports a 7750 which is a pretty fair movement.

[tavv160]

True toolwatches. I quite like them as they are no fuss real toolwatches built for a purpose, not purely aesthetics.

[arcadelt]

I've had two: a Flieger chrono and a B-42 Pilot Professional chrono. They are solid pieces with quite a bit of heft (especially on the bracelet) and have very legible dials. I never warmed to the earlier Flieger, but the Pilot Professional was a great watch and in my collection for many years, including over a couple of stints on deployment.

[vukotab]

Very good Swiss Made watches, known for its tool-ish no-nonsense design paired with reliable ETA movements. Strong connection with space programs, they used to provide watches for Russian Federal Space Agency back in the nineties and early 2000s...
Fortis watches also presents pretty solid bang for buck proposition.
Highly recommended from my side!

[Dan Pierce]

Agree with what's been said above. Love the legibility.
dP

[Headshrinker]

Thank you, gentlemen. Dan, that is a good looking watch; I have always admired your eclectic collection of timepieces.

[Dan Pierce]

Originally Posted by Headshrinker

Thank you, gentlemen. Dan, that is a good looking watch; I have always admired your eclectic collection of timepieces.

Thanks for the kind words, sir!

Because I often work [and travel] in low light situations legibility has become a valued feature on recent purchases.
dP

[Doood]

I have a Fortis B42 watch that I bought 10 years ago. Keeps good time with ETA movement.

Fortis used to have some pretty nice designs... and I always felt they executed their pilot style watches better than brands like IWC. They appeared more functional and less like jewelry. I am not too crazy about their latest offerings as they look more like fashion than tool, IMHO. I would buy one again, but I am not aware of any local AD's.

[Spartacus]

I have a B-42 GMT Cosmonaut since 2011. It is a great looking tool watch. I'm always surprised by how well known it is outside of the US.

The brand has a ton of history but not enough sales, marketing or retailers in the US.

[Headshrinker]

Once we find a nearby AD, I may have to look at them as well, thank you all for the advice. It appears to be a fine watch at a reasonable price point.

[Psmith]

I've had a few over the years - good value, probably on a par with Oris and Sinn.
There's a pretty active forum over on WUS if you need more info and pics.

[Dr.Brian]

From what I understand they've just changed direction here and closed their ADs. They now have one direct reseller for North America and have lowered prices to reflect that.
Might be a good time to pick one up, though I'm not sure how much cheaper they are now.

[Maxfli]

My understanding is that Watch Buys is now the exclusive North American rep for Fortis.