Fortis
Fortis Flieger 40 mm Slate Quartz
Photography on request
Front view
Dial, hands and bezel as delivered.
Case-back view
Case-back engraving and, where fitted, the sapphire display.
Movement
Calibre with its finishing and decoration.
On the wrist
Worn shot for proportion and strap drape.
Fortis · Flieger
Fortis Flieger 40 mm Slate Quartz
Reference 42065OR.79
Reference at a glance
- Brand
- Fortis
- Collection
- Flieger
- Model
- Fortis Flieger 40 mm Slate Quartz
- Reference number
- 42065OR.79
- Year / era
- 1966 · 1960s — pre-quartz mechanical era
- Complication
- Annual calendar
- Movement
- Quartz
- Case material
- Quartz TPT
- Dial type
- Slate grey
- Strap / bracelet
- Alligator leather with folding clasp
- Water resistance
- 100 m
- Limited-edition status
- Regular production, not a limited edition
Case, dial & bracelet
- Case dimensions
- 40 mm
- Case thickness
- 12.6 mm
- Case material
- Quartz TPT
- Bezel
- Fluted 18k gold
- Crystal
- Sapphire with internal AR treatment
- Dial
- Slate grey
- Hands
- Mercedes hour hand with Chromalight display
- Indexes
- Printed minute track with applied batons
- Bracelet / strap
- Alligator leather with folding clasp
- Clasp / buckle
- Triple-folding clasp with safety catch
- Water resistance
- 100 m
Movement
- Movement / calibre
- Calibre 21C — Quartz
- Movement type
- High-frequency automatic
- Frequency
- 28,800 vph (4 Hz)
- Power reserve
- 70 hours
- Number of jewels
- 21 jewels
- Complications
- Annual calendar
- Functions
- Annual calendar, moon phase
- Watchmaker
- Finishing, assembly and timing are carried out in the manufacture's own atelier.
Production & market
- Production period
- 1966 – 1981
- Limited-edition quantity
- Not applicable
- Current market information
- Trades close to retail on the secondary market, with steady demand for full-set examples.
Designer
In-house design studio
The reference was drawn by the manufacture's internal design office, where case, dial and movement architects work alongside the watchmakers rather than as an outside commission.
Historical significance
Fortis Flieger 40 mm Slate Quartz sits within Fortis's Flieger line, introduced in 1966. It carries the house codes established since 1912 — quartz tpt case, slate grey dial and quartz — and is one of the references collectors use to date the evolution of the collection.
Interesting facts
- The movement's bridges are decorated even where they will never be seen once the watch is cased.
- The case is finished by hand, alternating polished and satin-brushed surfaces in a single pass so the edges stay razor sharp.
- The reference was originally planned as a one-year run and stayed in the catalogue for well over a decade.
The House
Fortis
Brand facts
- Founding year
- 1912
- Founder
- Walter Vogt
- Headquarters
- Switzerland
- Tier
- Affordable & Tool Watches
- Major collections
- Flieger, Marinemaster, Stratoliner, Novonaut
- Signature technologies
- Shock-absorbing movement mounting · Certified chronometer regulation · Hand-applied guilloché dials
- Famous movements
- Automatic COSC chronometer · Automatic, 38-hour reserve · Automatic Powermatic 80 · Quartz
- Notable watches
- Fortis Flieger 43 mm Silvered Sapphire (1970) · Fortis Flieger 37 mm Green Grade (1978) · Fortis Flieger 42 mm Silvered 18k (1966) · Fortis Flieger 38 mm Meteorite Grade (1974)
Brand history
Fortis has spent more than 114 years refining a single idea: a watch should outlive its owner. From the earliest workshop pieces to today's Flieger, the house has balanced technical ambition with a recognisable design language, and its collections remain among the most closely followed by collectors worldwide.
Walter Vogt established Fortis in 1912, working from Switzerland at a time when precision was measured by hand. The founder's obsession with finishing and accuracy still defines every Fortis calibre produced today.
Historical milestones
1912
Walter Vogt founds Fortis in Switzerland.
1969
The quartz era forces Fortis to redefine mechanical watchmaking.
1990
Fortis enters the modern collector market with its signature lines.
2024
Fortis continues to produce Flieger, Marinemaster, Stratoliner and other icons in limited numbers.