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Of the brands we saw at Basel World 2016, Fortis left one of the most lasting impressions. Under new, younger management, the storied brand is seeking to reestablish themselves, and they are doing exactly what a watch brand should do to get there; create great, unique time pieces and sell them through trusted channels. This year, we saw an expansion of one their four core lines, Aviatis, which encompasses their pilot and cosmonaut watches. There were several models that had us all excited, but the simply titled Cockpit watches, left a particular impression.
Broken into two models named Cockpit One and Cockpit Two, these 3-handers with day/date automatics manage to do something few other watches in recent memory have: offer a new aesthetic concept to the pilot/aviator watch. Pilots are so often slight riffs on a single theme that choosing between them comes down to tiny details, brand preference or perhaps just price. With the Cockpits, Fortis has really created something that looks like no other, yet still comes across clearly as an aviation inspired watch.
In this article, we’ll be taking a look at the Cockpit Two. The difference between One and Two is simply the use of color, with the One having a more vintage feel, and the Two having some aggressive highlights. Coming in at $1,170 on a strap, the Cockpits offer a solid value for a Swiss-made watch with an ETA 2836-2 and good build quality.
