Another all black watch, this time from Fortis
Our friends at TimeWerke magazine just sent over this image of the new Fortis B-42 Black Black (yes, that is a clumsy name), a 42 mm watch in a PVD coated titanium case. This was only recently launched in Sep 2009. 2012 pieces will be made.
According to the folks at TimeWerke, the local Fortis distributer, Forte Luxury (Singapore), informally refers to this watch as the Black Knight, a better appellation than Black Black for sure.
While this watch is rather late to the party and coming in at the tail end of a fad that started two or three years back, it is distinguished by the fact that it is legible thanks to the white hands. So even after the fashion fades this will still be readable.
I quite like some of Fortis' quirky watches like the IQ watch with the mock chalkboard dial and the single-hand B-42. While not as unique as the others this Black Black will find its niche.
What do others think?
- SJX
This message has been edited by SJX on 2009-09-14 07:02:14
Micromy ?
Wondering if the PVD process mentioned refers to micromy. If yes, the new surface layer called micronite, which is supposed to have outstanding tribological and corrosive properties as compared to conventional PVD coatings.
It would also be interesting to compare this with Sinn submarine steel, and if either is superior from a hardness standpoint.
LP
Coatings
PVD is just the coating process, while the coating material could be TiN, AlTiN, or the one you mention. I am pretty certain Fortis outsources case production so I'm not even sure if Fortis knows exactly what the coating material is. I suspect it is a run-of-the-mill titanium nitride coating.
Sinn's Tegiment process is also regular PVD type coating on a hardened substrate, hence the greater resilience of the coating. This Fortis has a regular titanium (grade 5 I'd assume) case which is actually quite soft so I think scratch and crack resistance won't be particularly high.
- SJX
i really like the IQ as you know. i own one
i really like black watches and do miss my Bell and Ross Phantom a bit. this might be a cheap way of owning a nice black watch with reliable movement.
Graham