The Fortis Stratoliner S-41 Blasts Off in New Colours

With companies like Elon Musk’s SpaceX and Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin, space tourism is no longer the stuff of sci-fi novels. While Omega’s Speedmaster Moonwatch has dominated the space story, others, like Fortis, have produced robust tool watches for astronauts, cosmonauts and “novonauts” alike. Boasting space-tested calibres, Fortis releases a fresh batch of four Stratoliner S-41 Chronograph models, including one that’s fairly surprising.

Unlike many watches that have endured gruelling trials on Earth before embarking on an extraterrestrial mission, Fortis decided to put the cart before the horse and test its Werk 17 movement in the stratosphere before fitting it inside its Stratoliner collection in 2022. Taking it to the next level, in 2022, Fortis blasted 13 Stratoliner watches on board a Swedish research rocket into suborbital space (260km), exposing the chronographs to colossal g-forces, stresses and landing impacts.

Marking phase two of the Stratoliner’s voyage, the new lineup of chronographs sticks to the brand’s tool-watch spirit with a 41mm rock-solid case with a thickness of 15mm, a lug-to-lug of 51mm and a 200m water-resistance rating. Don’t pull out the loupe to admire the fancy finishings; the case is deliberately industrial, with a brushed finish, utilitarian screwed lugs and piston pushers, and a flat bezel. Made of recycled stainless steel, DLC-coated steel, or a limited-edition steel model with a gold bezel, the ultra-robust case features a screw-down crown with a triple gasket system and a rubber/gold gasket between the bezel and the case middle.

Although the models feature different colour schemes and dial textures, they all share the split personality of the Stratoliner, which might take some time to get used to. The tri-compax layout – running seconds at 9, 30-minute counter at noon and 12-hour totaliser at 6 o’clock – is classic, but the two chronograph counters feature a blue or gold highlighted area on the right matching the 180° degree section of the minutes track, all treated with blue or green Super-LumiNova. Last but not least, the day-and-date aperture is positioned at 3 o’clock.

Stratoliner Reentry Edition

The eye-catching dial of the steel Stratonliner Reentry Edition is inspired by the moment a spacecraft re-enters the Earth’s atmosphere, slamming into dense air layers at speeds of over 25,000km/h and temperatures exceeding 1,600°C. Crafted individually by hand, the titanium dial is compressed under high pressure and exposed to an open flame to achieve a unique range of copper and metallic violet colours and the occasional scorch mark. The Reentry Edition is paired with the brand’s robust steel Block bracelet with a folding clasp and a micro-adjustment system.

Stratoliner Gravity Black

The darker dial of the Stratoliner Gravity Black echoes its dark DLC-coated case, increasing surface hardness to 4,500 Vickers (20x that of standard steel). The gritty texture of the dark grey stardust dial contrasts with the white indications and the light blue Super-LumiNova accents on the right half of the dial. This model comes with a black hybrid FKM rubber and textile strap.

Stratoliner Supernova

Limited editions of 13 pieces each, the two Stratoliner Supernova Cool Gray and Cosmic Gray models come with a steel case with an 18k gold ring on the bezel and golden accents on the dial. Both share stardust-textured dials with dark grey or light grey backgrounds, gold-plated hour and minute hands and green emission Super-LumiNova. Like the Reentry Edition, these models come with the brand’s Block bracelet.

The caseback reveals the Werk 17 calibre, an automatic column-wheel chronograph developed and upgraded by La Joux-Perret. Based on the 7750 architecture, LJP has redesigned and reinforced the bridges and added tangential micro-screw regulation to enhance robustness. The small porthole on the sapphire crystal frames the column wheel. Tested by the Swedish Space Corporation in the stratosphere and then in suborbital space, the movement will keep ticking for 60 hours.

Prices vary from EUR 5,150 for the Gravity Black to EUR 5,500 for the Reentry Edition and up to EUR 8,450 for the Supernova Cosmic Gray and Cool Gray limited editions. More information at fortis-swiss.com.