We love timepieces that are directly inspired by space exploration here at The Coolector – you probably just need to look at our logo to know that – and that’s why we’ve had our heads well and truly turned by this Official Cosmonauts Chronograph AMADEE-20 Watch from Fortis. Available from the Worn & Wound WindUp Store, this amazing looking watch is a special edition release made as a tribute to the upcoming AMADEE-20 program, a simulation to be held in the Negev Desert, Israel: with its purpose being to test the technology and tools in preparation for future exploration missions on Mars.
The Fortis so it’s no small outlay but it is one of the coolest looking timepieces you’re likely to encounter and if you’re after the cornerstone piece for your horological collection, you might just have found it here. Founded over a century ago in 1912, Fortis has been making a variety of timepieces from some of the first mass-produced automatic wristwatches to fliegers and most notably “space” watches. As the official supplier for the Russian Federal Space Agency since 1994 with its Cosmonauts series, Fortis has a storied history of air and space travel.
REACH FOR THE STARS
In commemoration of the AMADEE-20 Program, the mission logo can be seen at the six o’clock position of the stardust grey dial. As with all Official Cosmonauts, the case is 200m water resistant at 44mm in diameter, with an anti-reflective coated sapphire crystal finish. Dissimilar is the titanium case and bracelet, which boasts an asymmetrical dial design, and “Mission Control Bezel” with two lume indicators at the sixty and fifty mark, which delivers an easily tracked ten-minute window in low light conditions.
Fortis came up with some of the world’s first “waterproof” watches such as the Fortissimo in 1940 and this watchmaker has helped to shape the landscape of the modern watch industry. Though not amongst the list of firsts for Fortis, it’s also one of only a handful of brands that can truly be said to be “space worthy” as the official watch of Russian Cosmonauts and this is a celebration of this fact. Much like it’s founder, the brand’s current design ethos is as innovative and bold as it ever was.
Inside the Official Cosmonauts Chronograph AMADEE-20 timepiece, you’ll find the UW-50 automatic movement, which is based on the ETA Valjoux 7750. This Swiss-made movement has 25-jewels, a frequency of 28,800 bph, and a 48-hour power reserve so won’t let you down in the field. A unique, “Big Eye” thirty-minute elapsed timer is featured at twelve o’clock, with small running seconds at the nine and just opposite a day-date complication. Much like the brand, this movement is sure to be a reliable companion whether traveling through land, air, or space.
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