A Few Minutes With Fortis CEO Lorenz Aebischer

Courtesy of Fortis

Before we go too deep into this, it is important that I state clearly that the subject of the interview is someone I am very proud to call my friend.  I have worked with Lorenz in a former life when he was the CEO of Auguste Reymond.  

He is one of the most straightforward, honest and decent people that I have met in a business that is all too-often littered with con men, and bullshit artists.  And that is putting it kindly ; )  In a business where all too often the people who actually work for the brand are not valued, Lorenz and the team he is working with at Fortis have really turned around a brand that has a great deal of potential, and now will hopefully realize it.  I still remember the day that I found out he had been named the CEO of Fortis and I was so happy for him that I immediately stepped out of the office to call and congratulate him.  It is truly proof that sometimes, good guys finish first.

And now, a few minutes with Lorenz Aebischer -

James Henderson - With nearly a year under your belt as the CEO at Fortis, how are things looking?

Lorenz Aebischer - Well, with Jupp I have the chance to have not only a president of the board and shareholder but also an operational director in the daily business. Most of his time he is sitting in the office together with us and travelling to meet partners together with us. On the other side we have a great team with the sales manager, the marketing manager and the operational manager. In the management team we are 5 person and come most of the time to a common sense when we have decisions to take.

Very important is also the rest of the staff. I’m happy we have motivated people running in the same way to create the great FORTIS brand story for the next 100 years.

Last but not least, the international partners are also very important. Whatever we are doing, we need our partners to follow us.


So, TEAMWORK I guess is the main issue. And good partnerships. I guess we met a lot of interesting people and we will come within the next months/years with many nice good surprises.


JH - Moving from Auguste Reymond to Fortis was more than a simple move from Tramelan to Grenchen. What are some of the biggest differences between running a brand like Auguste Reymond and running Fortis?

LA - With Auguste Reymond I invested in a small brand with a nice history. My private finances were not enough and the Russian partner became main shareholder. It was very difficult for me to manage a Swiss brand with the Russian culture. Running a small brand with no budget is very difficult and everything you do in a short term view.  Today I already can say, the move from Auguste Reymond to Fortis was great luck.

Courtesy of Fortis

With Jupp as a shareholder we can think about the long term. This is crucial when you want to work with a great brand like Fortis. Amazing history as Fortis was the world first producer of automatic wrist watches, produced plastic watches before Swatch, was one of the first watch brands in the space, was the first Chronograph watch in the open space. So, talking about changes, Fortis has a great history and was a great brand. And I’m very proud to work in the original Fortis building. Fortis is one or the rare brands still in the original building built over 100 years ago. While the previous brand is a brand like others, Fortis has a character. Fortis brand is a good supplement brand in the portfolio of the retailers. The time pieces are robust and have their own unique character. We cooperate with professionals to create precise tools to measure the time.

Another big difference is the team. We have great watchmakers managing all the pieces of a mechanical alarm. All our watches are assembled in-house and we always look to cooperate with local suppliers. We have a great logistics team and a great administration team.


JH - What is the big release for Fortis this year?


LA - 8th of may we could launch the new PC-7 TEAM watch of the air base of the Swiss army in Dübendorf.  All the pilots of the PC-7 TEAM wear this new Fortis watch.  Together with many invited customers we watched the training of the squadron. Amazing to watch that. The PC-7 TEAM stands for dynamism, elegance and precision and fit perfectly to the values of Fortis.  It was a special pleasure for us to present this new watch to them and to the markets.  Especially as this year the squadron celebrates its 30th birthday.

Not a release but we had a big start in the development of the new Flieger collection. This new collection will be presented early next year.


JH - What are some of the biggest challenges that you and your team are facing?

LA - This I see in 2 chapters.  One is outside, and one is inside our house.  Outside, we are working with our partners to strengthen their position and focus on quality retailing and giving them more support with more pictures and videos, new displays and new catalogues.  Inside, we developed together with a big international agency our brand positioning.  Now we are starting to work on our communication channels.  The biggest challenge is to tell the people about what we are doing.  Nobody is waiting for us, but everybody who follows will realize the interesting potential of our brand.

JH - What is the strongest market for Fortis?

LA - Actually our main focus is Germany, USA and Japan.  As an independent brand you can’t drive a strong global campaign.  But we are working with all our other countries to develop them and intensify their activities together with us and cooperate straightly with the local retailers.


JH - Who are your key competitors?

LA - As mentioned Fortis has it own character. We do watches we love and we do it with passion.  Therefore we don’t see a key competitor but for sure our customers compare Fortis with IWC, Bell & Ross, Breitling.  We want to be seen and compared by them. We don’t call them competitors but purchase options for similar customers.


JH - What should we be on the look out for from Fortis?

LA - I guess watch fans, watch lovers and retailers have to follow our Instagram and Facebook but also in various print magazines and in some months our new internet site.  They will see step by step changes and interesting news.  In the last months we had so many contacts with various partners and exceptional personalities. We will create with passion new tools to measure the time and we will communicate more with all our actual and new ambassadors. Very soon, in August and in September, you will hear some news with our partners Castor Fantoba (who just became Spanish Champion some weeks ago) and Peter Balmer.

Stay tuned and follow our great evolution. We are FORTIS!

A Watch for Cosmonauts

Courtesy of Raketa

This is the Baikonur 0247 from Raketa.

Per the Raketa site, this watch was a design collaboration with Sergei Krikalev, a Cosmonaut who has had six separate missions to the ISS (International Space Station), and if Wikipedia's info is accurate?  Krikalev has logged a total of 803 days and 9 hours and 39 minutes in space. So it's safe to say that he might have a pretty good handle on what is useful on a manned space mission.

Back to the watch -

It is stainless steel, 43 mm in diameter with a 24 hour set-up for time indication.  

Courtesy of Raketa

Here are all of the pertinents -

Movement	Automatic movement
Movement Type	Avtomat 24 hours
Water resistant	20 АТМ
Crystal	Sapphire
Case size	43x13,5 mm
Gender	Man
Strap type	Solid stainless steel bracelet
Size of the strap	22 mm
Wrist size	200 mm
Brand	Raketa

 

48 Hours with the AMADEE-18

So suffice it say, this is going to be short, and sweet!  As my visit at Fortis HQ in Grenchen was wrapping-up, I was asked if I'd like to take one of their Cosmonaut series time-machines for a test drive (or flight).  I was, of course, quite keen to wear one if only for a few days.  So one of the AMADEE-18 series was made ready -

It's not every day that the brand owner breaks out his tools to get a test watch ready for you, but that's just what he did.  A rubber strap was removed, and an integrated "performance" strap was installed.  Now it is important to note that the aforementioned "integrated" trap was a hot topic of conversation during my visit.  My contention?  That the integrated strap made it more challenging for the wearer to change straps and travel with the watch in a watch roll.  Now the obvious (in hindsight) response was something to the effect of - a watch is designed to be worn, not "traveled with in a pouch", and that the integrated strap not only looks better but is more comfortable.  Spoiler alert - the strap was incredibly comfortable, and I bow in deference to the wisdom of the Fortis team.

Now before we get into a full-on breakdown of my 48 hours of wear, how about a little background on just what the AMADEE-18 was made for?  AMADEE-18 took place a little over a year ago, in February of 2018.  Per the OEWF (The Austrian Space Forum) website:

In February 2018, the Austrian Space Forum – in partnership with the Oman National Steering Committee for AMADEE-18 – conducted an highly international Mars analog field simulation in the Dhofar region, Oman. Directed by a Mission Support Center in Austria, a small field crew conducted experiments preparing for future human Mars missions in the fields of engineering, planetary surface operations, astrobiology, geophysics/geology, life sciences and other.

Conducting field research in a representative environment is an excellent tool to gain operational experience and understand the advantages and limitations of remote science operations on other planetary bodies. This field mission was designed to be:

• an opportunity to study equipment, procedures and workflows under Mars analog conditions with  humans-in-the-loop.
• a platform for testing life-detection or geophysical techniques, terrain tests for rovers and increase the situational awareness of remote support teams,
• studying the test site as a model region for Martian deserts and extreme life,
• serving as an outreach platform to enhance the visibility of planetary sciences

Fortis was an official industrial partner on the mission, and the watch produced was the AMADEE-18.

 
In terms of look and feel, Fortis got this one SPOT ON!  It had the layout and look and feel of the original Cosmonaut.  But what I found intriguing was the design decision to use a black PVD case.  But it occurs to me that this was actually a rather inspired decision (whether intentional or not), as it is typical for "star voyagers" to wear white flight suits.  A black PVD watch case will make the watch stand out and be more of a visible focal point on a large (sometimes "puffy") white sleeve.

Now in fairness, I was not wearing a space suit, but I will say that the watch itself was incredibly comfortable to wear, and once again, I was forced to admit that I was in the wrong about the form-fitted, integral strap.  It was wicked-comfortable.

The case measures 42 mm in diameter, and is of stainless steel with PVD treatment/finishing.  At 42 mm, it is right in the sweet spot for fit for most of us.  When you add in a good sized crown, and chronograph pusher buttons, you really wouldn't want to go much larger.  The crown and pusher buttons were sufficiently large without being too large, and quite tactile.  The crown was responsive and the setting and initial hand-winding were smooth.

As mentioned, the PVD finishing was well done, and comprehensive, including the case back.  The mission logo features as part of the case back's design, along with the Fortis logo.  Although tactile, the finishing of the case back was smooth and the fit and feel of the watch was comfortable.  Truth be told, you might not know that the case back wasn't completely flat unless you took the watch off to look at it.

The watch face is clear and legible, the main chronograph hand is orange, as are two of the other sub dial indicators.  Now the Day/Date function is a point of contention for some folks out there.  Some find it superfluous, others find it a nice added feature.  I find myself in the second group.  It is actually quite a nice little feature to have both the day and the date, and the design used by Fortis makes it easy to find on the dial without making a bit distraction.

The watch functioned perfectly during my brief time with it.  All chronograph timing functions operated smoothly, the hands returning smoothly between timings.  The time keeping was solid and did not miss a beat.  The movement used in this model is Valjoux's 7750

So all in all?  It's a pretty sweet watch at a very competitive price given all that comes with it. 

A Grand Day Out - Visiting Fortis

So some background -
Way back, before the turn of the century, I was an English teacher.  Starting in Japan, my wife Wendy and I traveled to Portugal, Finland, Scotland and finally closed the circle returning to North America.  And it was while living and working in Finland that I discovered Fortis.  It was in an underground shopping center, the type that Helsinki is (at least to me) famous for.  There, in the display window, was a really cool looking chronograph complete with a zip-wallet type case, screw-driver and spare straps.  I made my way inside, and the shop keeper told me all about Fortis watches and their connection to the Russian space program.  Actual Cosmonauts!

 
So it was with no small dose of enthusiasm that I hopped on the train the Tuesday before last in Biel/Bienne, headed for Grenchen.  For those unfamiliar, Grenchen is the home of Fortis, Eterna, and some other brand that begins with a B.  

The HQ for Fortis is conveniently located just across the street from the train station (North, I believe) in Grenchen.  And it is an impressive building, both inside and out.

 
In a day and age where so many "Swiss" brands operate from a post-office box in Zug, it is always reassuring to see a brand operating out of their original location.

Before going further, in the interest of transparency, it bears noting that I am already acquainted with the CEO of Fortis, Lorenz Aebischer, and am proud to call him a friend.  So, gentle reader, you will have to understand that I am predisposed to like what he is involved in.

But, as mentioned at the beginning, I was already a fan of Fortis.  And although the original Cosmonaut watch is a favorite of mine (hint, hint), I was also always a fan of their more whimsical offerings.

Let's be honest, life is already serious enough.  You can create a tough, durable watch and still have some fun with it.  These were from the company archive, and despite my best efforts to offer an attractive purchase price, they were not for sale ; )

But back to the present -

Fortis has established a clear and well-defined collection and seems focused on offering sturdy, well-constructed watches.  Sturdy, not fancy.

But space fans, do not despair!  Space is still very much at the forefront of what drives the Fortis team, and they were kind enough to share the next step in the evolution of the Cosmonaut -

This is the AMADEE-18 Chronograph -

Which, I told the team, was pretty dope!  And they said, why don't you take it for a short test-drive and find out for yourself?

Well, how could I refuse?  

48 Hours with the Official Cosmonauts AMADEE-18 Chronograph is coming up next, stay tuned!

What Do Cosmonauts Wear?

I rather like to think that if Yuri Gagarin were alive today, he'd be wearing one of these -

Courtesy of Fortis

This is the Official Cosmonauts Chronograph from Fortis.  In all honesty, I had never really heard of Fortis until I discovered the official timekeeper of the Cosmonauts at a Helsinki Jeweler's back in the late 90s.  This was shortly after OMEGA's big press push in partnership with the Apollo 13 movie.  I was sort of curious why Fortis didn't push their space story more assertively, as was the person at the jeweler ; )

Well, fast forward!  Fortis has changed hands a couple of times and endured some truly shitty distribution partners.  Fortunately, life moves forward, and with luck the bad days are firmly in the
Vostok 3KA-3's rear view mirror.

The Cosmonauts Chronograph is a really cool proposition, as it offers a bit more functionality than the OMEGA Speedmaster.  Sorry OMEGA, but that is this guy's opinion.  

Courtesy of Fortis

Here are the pertinents -

Movement
Swiss automatic movement Valjoux 7750 / 48 h power reserve / 25 jewels

Case
42 mm Ø stainless steel with steel caseback with Roscosmos stamping, saphire crystal with anti-reflective coating on both sides, 20 ATM/BAR

Function
Chronograph, hour, minute, permanent small second, 12 hour and 30 minute counter, day/date indication

Dial
Numerals and indices coated with Superluminova, green afterglow

Hands
Hour and minute hand coated with Superluminova, green afterglow
Orange center second hand with bull's eye with Superluminova, green afterglow
 Strap options
Metal bracelet, leather strap, leather performance strap, Nato-Strap, Rubber & Silicone strap
Folding clasp

The New Team at Fortis

In the interest of full-disclosure, I have worked for and with one of the subjects of this announcement before, and am therefore a wee-bit biased ; )

Word reached Tempus Fugit HQ that Fortis has new ownership and a new CEO.  And while I am very happy on a personal level as Mr. Aebischer, the new CEO is a friend, I am happier still because he is someone who actually "gets it" and can help put Fortis back on the right track.

Now I am not here to paint a false, rosy picture.  Fortis has been pretty grossly mismanaged for quite some time prior to the new ownership coming in.  Moreover, it has been peddled like some cheap, throw away product by the company that previously represented it in the US.  A lot of damage was done.  Having said that, I honestly believe that this is a much deserved second chance for a brand that has so much to offer, and I for one am anxious to see how things progress.

Here is the press announcement, as it was received -

Jupp Philipp - Courtesy of Fortis

FORTIS WATCHES AG is pleased to announce that, from 1 September 2018, the traditional brand‘s continuing operation under a new leadership is secured and will also be expanded: Jupp Philipp, entrepreneur and passionate wearer of FORTIS watches, will take the reins.  

Lorenz Aebischer - Courtesy of Fortis

In order to put this vision into practice, Mr. Philipp will bring in experienced support from the industry: Mr. Lorenz Aebischer (previously working for renowned brands such as Auguste Reymond, Mido and Tissot) will manage FORTIS WATCHES AG.

The direction is clear. The first and foremost vision: "Every customer is entitled to value preservation and it is our duty to ensure this." (Jupp Philipp) This guiding principle describes succinctly – almost philosophically – the cornerstones of the future focus and shall forever constitute the creed for all strategic and operational decisions.

Initially a precise analysis and strategy development with all of its components will be in the foreground. "Of course, it should be clear to everyone that such a process will take its time. Nevertheless we will immediately get together on 1 September and start to work on the individual topics over the coming months as a team.  It will take some time to create the foundations, organize the FORTIS network and make everyone believe in the guiding principle.“ (Lorenz Aebischer)  

Cosmonauts

I am, for better or worse, a romantic.  And while I will always revere the astronauts that came from the US, I have a deep rooted fascination for the cosmonauts from what used to be known as the Soviet Union.  And when I got the chance to buy an a Gagarin watch, well I couldn't say no!  I have had this watch in my own collection for a lot of years now.  It does not have a tourbillon.  It is not gold.  It does not give me stock prices.  And to be clear, it is not political.

But it makes me happy when I wear it.   And at a time where you don't need a watch, isn't it better when it makes you smile?

Enjoy your watches

Cosmonauts!

I am not ashamed to say that I have a somewhat unhealthy obsession with the cosmonauts of the Soviet Union.  And none bigger than Yuri Gagarin.

Courtesy of Fortis

This is the Yuri Gagarin 50th Anniversary Limited Edition from Fortis.

Courtesy of Fortis

What most folks seem to forget is that Gagarin was in fact a pilot first and foremost.  And it was a pilot's style watch that he wore when he became the first man in space.  Not this one of course, but this harkens back to that idea.  And the second time zone is something he would have appreciated.

FORTIS Space Art Contest starts now!

I don't know about you, but I was fascinated by space exploration.  From NASA's astronauts, the Cosmonauts of the Soviet Union.  Well, if like me you are a frustrated "star voyager", here is your opportunity to get a little taste of what it might be like -

Swiss watch manufacturer FORTIS, well-known for their precise chronographs 
for aviation and space, has set up the special FORTIS Space Art Contest to celebrate the brands 100th anniversary.

A QR code connects directly with the contest
on the FORTIS website.

The prize:

The experience of weightlessness during a parabolic flight and a
FORTIS B-42 Official Cosmonauts Chronograph, which is part of
the official equipment on space missions.

The winner will accompany a crew of scientists on board
a zero-g plane and assist them with their experiments in 
weightlessness.

Participants from the age of 18 years on, from all over the world
can take part in the contest.

To be part of the international FORTIS Space Art Gallery,
 submit your creative art
such as pictures, graphic works, videos or even songs- 
everything is possible.
The only requirement:  it has to deal with the “Space” theme.

Immediately after the upload the worldwide voting starts.

The online community is the jury and decides on the winner by their votes
until 31st March, 2013. The contest has started now!

Please check out the first entries:

http://zero-g.fortis-watches.com

Wrapping up the Sturmanskie Gagarin 50th Anniversary

Okay- once again, it seems that I have lingered too long on  a review - this is the danger of forming an attachment.  This in turn brought on this whole internal discussion (with myself) about possessions, life's impermanence, etc.  Which in turn led me to think about the folly of desire... which in turn led me to -


you guessed it (okay, maybe not) Kung-Fu (the tv show):


Caine: Is it good to seek the past, Master Po? Does it not rob the present?
Master Po: If a man dwells on the past, then he robs the present. But if a man ignores the past, he may rob the future. The seeds of our destiny are nurtured by the roots of our past. 




And this in turn brings us full circle to the idea of "anniversary" or "tribute" watches.  I bet you thought I'd never get to the point!

There are a lot of companies out there, "reissuing" as if their very lives depended upon it.  And in all honestly, I do not know that there is anything wrong with that, but after a while, it almost gets to be too much.  The Speedmaster Professional - and it's seemingly hundreds of offspring to mark nearly every NASA mission - not once, but in some cases twice!  And for the hard-core Omega fan out there, that is good - even great.


In the case of the Sturmanskie Gagarin 50th Anniversary we are, in some ways, looking at a reissue.  But I'm okay with this one.  For one thing, it is a commemorative watch - commemorating the 50th anniversary of Gagarin's historic flight.  

It is a change from the previous version in that it is a bit bigger, at 38 mm.  And I really love this size.  It is big enough to be "present" but not at any point overwhelming.  And most importantly it is COMFORTABLE!!!  It really sits well on the wrist.


It is true to the original in its layout.  The dial, indices and hands are not crazy reinterpretations.  And while we are talking about the dial - the LUME is amazing on this watch!   One of the few watches I've had recently that you can actually read in the dark - not just see, but READ! 

The time keeping has been much better than I would have expected for a watch at this price point.  The deviations have been between +3 to +4 seconds per day.  This is FAR better than the "advertised" daily rate in the spec sheet.  And the power reserve is pretty remarkable as well.  Typically you might expect 36 hours, but the Sturmanskie went beyond - nearly 48 hours in my last "test".


The winding action is phenomenally smooth!   The crown is large enough and somewhat curved to allow for a better "handle".  I was able to wind this watch while it was on my wrist.  Something I can do with my Hanhart Pioneer and not too many others.  


The strap, while not top of the line is quite good and a very good balance for the watch.  A nice, basic buckle completes it, and in keeping with what was a Soviet design - nice and simple.

For those of you who love specs, here they are:

• Mechanical lever movement
• Manual winding
• Movement diameter: 26 mm
• Movement height: 4.3 mm
• 17 jewels
• Water resistant 5 ATM.
• Leather belt.
• Mineral glass.
• Shock protection
• Frequency: 21600 vph
• Daily rate from –20 to +40 s/day
• Power reserve minimum: 40 h
• Case size is 38mm

So to sum it up - this is a great watch for the money.  It offers you a nice mechanical 3-hand watch, with a good story behind it.  Even if you are not even remotely interested in the Gagarin/Cosmonaut/Star City angle, this is a great watch for what it offers.  

Astronauts and Cosmonauts

Yes, it is safe to say that although I was born a bit after, in many ways I feel that I am a child of the atomic age.  As a Northern Youth growing up in Ohio, I idolized John Glenn - as my whole family did.  Particularly the one event that went something like "oh my God, you're John Glenn", and the Senator's reply:  "I know lady, who are you?!"

And for those astronauts - it was Omega and the Speedmaster.  This is my vintage 1969 model - I am on the hunt for a bracelet for it - but otherwise it is all original, as you can no-doubt tell from the wear on the bezel.


But the cosmonauts had something equally cool (at least in my opinion) if not so sophisticated.  And when Yuri Alekseyevich Gagarin piloted Vostok 1, he wore something sorta' like this -

This is the 50th anniversary edition of the the Gagarin from Sturmanskie.  And on that note another 15 day review begins!

We know all about the Omega Speedmaster Professional, so it's time to learn about it's "Eastern Cousin".  


Stay tuned Tovarich!  15 days with the Sturmanski Gagarin has begun!