Produced in a limited edition of 2012 pieces in white and 2012 in black, the new Fortis Spacematic 2012 (ref. 623.10.41 L01) will be officially presented on March 24th, 2011 at the Baselworld 2011 trade show.
Fortis once again widens its Spacematic family of “aviators” with a limited-edition model.
The new model looks like a re-edition of their last year’s Cargo model that accompanied a low-budget Swiss sci-fi movie with the same name.
With its Bauhaus-like exterior, it may be considered a nice alternative to a similarly styled Mondaine three-hander with a day and date display (well, at least to those, who always liked that clean, organic appearance of a Mondaine watch, but wanted something more legible with a nice set of Arabic numerals to make reading time easier).
Like the model mentioned above, the Fortis Spacematic 2012 is equipped with the well-known Sellita SW220 automatic movement with an add-on module that makes day/date indication possible. Being a clone of ETA 2824-2, the mechanism offers a combination of good build quality and acceptable timekeeping, just don’t expect it to perform as well as a COSC-certified chronometer from a major Swiss-based brand.
The movement is placed inside the same 40 mm stainless steel case that is ergonomically shaped and allows its owner to wear the Spacematic 2012 with any type of attire although I probably wouldn’t take the piece to a rave party: there are more colorful choices on the market.
The new timepiece also features the same dial layout (of course, sans the “CARGO” lettering at 9 o’clock) with eight easily readable Arabic numerals and three hour markers at 6, 9, and 12 o’clock (the one at 3 hours is replaced with the aforementioned day/date display).
The only significant difference between the two is that the new model is introduced on a NATO strap, while the Cargo was equipped with a rubber band. Although the new textile strap may not be as practical as the rubber one, it makes the gadget look way cooler and probably gets the risk of a sudden allergy to a resin compound out of the question.
I like the new model better than the original since the textile strap provides the limited edition version with more presence and makes it less sterile. What I don’t like at all is the MSRP of $1650, but that will probably be remedied in a matter of months as the watches will reach online retailers with their aggressive discounts.
See also: Fortis B-42 Stratoliner Chronograph (665.13.19)
Photos: Fortis
Fortis Spacematic 2012 specification
Price: $1650 (MSRP)
Movement: Automatic, caliber Sellita SW 220, 25 jewels, 28,800 vph, Swiss Made
Movement decoration: Branded rotor
Functions: Hours, minutes, seconds, date, day
Power reserve: 40 hours
Case: Stainless steel
Shape: Round
Size: 40.00 mm
Dial: White or Black
Numerals: Arabic
Hands: Steel, luminous
Water resistance: 200 meters
Strap: NATO, textile with steel tang buckle
Crystal: Sapphire
Back: Solid, engraved