News For the past century, the house of Fortis in Granges has been designing prestigious timepieces which are distributed worldwide. In 1912, with the idea of making dependable and affordable watches for every market, Walter Vogt set up Fortis. Already a visionary, he established the company’s buildings opposite the Gare du Nord railway station in Granges because he realized that the railway made a vitally important contribution to economic development. Ten years later, he met John Harwood, an English watchmaker who was looking for a Swiss company capable of implementing his idea of a self-winding watch. The two men teamed up and four years later the first series of the legendary Harwood Automatique went on display at the Basel Fair.
Over the years beset with wars, economic crises and passing fashion, the company proved able to adapt and innovate in new domains and designs. In 1937 for example it celebrated its 25th year of existence by launching its first chronographs. In 1943, it created its first water-resistant model, the Fortissimo. 1961 marked the start of production of the automatic Spacematic model worn by seven US astronauts during their space flights. The quartz years saw the launch of the «Flipper quartz leader», a new concept for accessory watches fitted with an interchangeable bracelet. Such prominent personages as the Rolling Stones, Leonard Bernstein and Roger Moore have worn this model. October 1994 was a great moment for the brand because the Russian Euromir 94 mission chose Fortis timepieces for its space expedition. In 2000, on board the international space station (ISS), tests were performed on global synchronization of the watches. Fortis took part in the development of a new radio signal in cooperation with the European Space Agency (ESA). Again in 2002, the Frenchman Fred North established a record for high altitude helicopter flight (12,954 metres) with a Fortis B-42 Professional Pilot chronograph on board. In 2009, with a view to a future mission to planet Mars six cosmonauts wearing the B-42 Official Cosmonauts Mars 500 Titanium spent 105 days locked up in a space vehicle simulator. In November 2011, after a journey into space lasting for 520 days, the crew were released; on their wrists, they wore the model specially designed for the occasion.
These few facts are just some of the landmarks in the rich history of Fortis which is proud to celebrate its centenary. Until 8 September, a fascinating voyage recounting this past century of watchmaking history is on display at the Kulturhistorisches Museum in Granges.
August 27, 2012
