The Fortis Flieger F-43 Bicompax Fratello Capsule Edition

Fratello is at it again with a special edition of a legitimate pilot’s instrument watch, the Fortis Flieger F-43 Bicompax. Introduced in 2020, it was part of the collective overhaul of Fortis’ Flieger collection, including an F41 and F-39 time-and-date model and the F-43 Triple GMT. Our friends give the F-43 a personal touch with a black and brown colour scheme for the dial and a strap to match. Surprisingly, Fratello and Fortis present it as a capsule edition, available exclusively in the Fratello shop. Let’s get into the details!

Although Fortis revamped its emblematic Flieger chronograph a while ago, it is still a rather sizeable and chunky instrument measuring 43mm wide, 15mm thick and 55mm long. The case is fitted with a bidirectional rotating bezel with a 12-hour scale, allowing you to keep track of a second time zone if needed. This has a slight downward slope, meeting the sapphire crystal at its coin edge. The knurled crown is flanked by a pair of pump-style pushers for the chronograph. Around the back, there’s a solid caseback covering the movement.

The dial is Umber Brown with a vertically brushed finish. Around the outer edge of the dial is a contrasting black minute track with large luminous indexes at every 5-minute interval. The sub-dials for the chronograph and the running seconds are also black, with a snailed finish. The sword-shaped hour and minutes hand have a luminous insert, and the seconds hand is lacquered in bright orange for three-quarters of its length. This colour is also found on the outer perimeter, between 11 and 1 o’clock, as well as the outline for the 30-minute chronograph counter and the date window at 6 o’clock.

Inside, nothing has changed, as the F-43 still relies on the Fortis Calibre UW-51, which is based on the Sellita SW510. This automatic chronograph movement runs at a frequency of 28,800vh and has a power reserve of 48 hours. To keep up the instrument-like nature of the F-43, it’s covered by a solid caseback, which is adorned with the Fratello logo in the centre.

Fortis presents the Flieger F-43 Fratello Capsule Edition on a hybrid FKM rubber and fabric strap that matches the dial. It is not a limited edition but rather an exclusive capsule edition that’s only available through Fratello’s shop. The watch retails for EUR 2,980 and is available to order from 25 October. The first 25 are available for shipping immediately, with a second batch of 25 available two weeks after the launch. Further batches of 50 watches will take about six months to be built and shipped.

For more information, please visit Fortis-Swiss.com or FratelloWatches.com.