Fortis will and does proudly proclaim that it is one of only two brands to have officially been in outer space. Clearly, the legendary watchmaking outfit relishes being at the leading edge of technological progress, while honouring its own traditions. If one recalls its early 20th-century alliance with John Harwood, one of the inventors credited with pioneering the self-winding mechanism, the contemporary Fortis company’s claims make a lot of sense.

In this spirit, Fortis announced a new partnership with Dornier, largely known for its early 20th-century production of aircraft. Through its ups and downs, the company has developed technology in various areas, including aerospace (seaplanes too), medicine and satellites. Fortis, on the other hand, has created timepieces for space, air, land and water; these four themes unite all Fortis watches under the Fortis name. According to Fortis, the new Dornier GMT timepiece will unite all areas of expertise between the two names. It will be the basis of other innovative timepieces, which will follow in the years to come.

Actually, Fortis has quite a poetic way of describing this, which we will attempt to justice to here. The Cosmonauts case is used here and obviously, stands for space. The hands and the readability stand for air while the earth is covered by the company logos (at 3 and 9 o’clock). Perhaps most obviously, the blue GMT numerals on the ceramic bezel represent water.

Ok, we haven’t been as eloquent here as Fortis but you get the picture. One thing missing from the Fortis messaging on this is the presence of the chronograph complication here, which is perhaps self-evident given the presence of (screw-down) pushers and chronograph subdials. The movement, the automatic ETA calibre 7754, further confirms the inclusion of a chronograph function here. Speaking of which, do note the special decoration on the rotor, with the Dornier name and logo. As normal, there is a date indication on the dial, located at 6 o’clock.

The Dornier GMT packs all this information into a 42mm case so things get a bit busy; the use of green Superluminova keeps things clear in low-light situation.

Specifications

Movement Automatic ETA 7754 with chronograph

Functions Date and GMT

Power Reserve 48 hours

Case 42mm stainless steel

Strap Leather performance

This article was first published in WOW magazine.