Fortis
Fortis Novonaut 44 mm Slate Sapphire
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 · Novonaut
Fortis Novonaut 44 mm Slate Sapphire
Reference 82958OR.24
Reference at a glance
- Brand
- Fortis
- Collection
- Novonaut
- Model
- Fortis Novonaut 44 mm Slate Sapphire
- Reference number
- 82958OR.24
- Year / era
- 2012 · 2010s — modern production
- Complication
- Minute repeater
- Movement
- Automatic Powermatic 80
- Case material
- Sapphire crystal case
- Dial type
- Slate grey
- Strap / bracelet
- Alligator leather with folding clasp
- Water resistance
- 50 m
- Limited-edition status
- Regular production, not a limited edition
Case, dial & bracelet
- Case dimensions
- 44 mm
- Case thickness
- 8.1 mm
- Case material
- Sapphire crystal case
- Bezel
- Fixed brushed titanium
- Crystal
- Anti-reflective sapphire, double-domed
- Dial
- Slate grey
- Hands
- Faceted dauphine hands, polished by hand
- Indexes
- Applied faceted white-gold indexes
- Bracelet / strap
- Alligator leather with folding clasp
- Clasp / buckle
- Folding clasp in matching case metal
- Water resistance
- 50 m
Movement
- Movement / calibre
- Calibre 78A — Automatic Powermatic 80
- Movement type
- Automatic with micro-rotor
- Frequency
- 25,200 vph (3.5 Hz)
- Power reserve
- 65 hours
- Number of jewels
- 31 jewels
- Complications
- Minute repeater
- Functions
- Hours, minutes, small seconds
- Watchmaker
- The calibre is built in-house and adjusted in five positions before delivery.
Production & market
- Production period
- 2012 – 2015
- Limited-edition quantity
- Not applicable
- Current market information
- Consistently trades above retail; waiting lists at authorised dealers remain long.
Designer
Marc Newson
Marc Newson is an Australian industrial designer whose work spans Qantas cabins, Apple hardware and Jaeger-LeCoultre's Atmos clocks; his watch design reduces the object to pure geometry and legibility.
Historical significance
Fortis Novonaut 44 mm Slate Sapphire sits within Fortis's Novonaut line, introduced in 2012. It carries the house codes established since 1912 — sapphire crystal case case, slate grey dial and automatic powermatic 80 — and is one of the references collectors use to date the evolution of the collection.
Interesting facts
- The case is finished by hand, alternating polished and satin-brushed surfaces in a single pass so the edges stay razor sharp.
- Early production dials show a slightly different minute track, and collectors pay a premium for them.
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.