A Legendary Space Chronograph Just Got Better. It’s Not an Omega.

Swiss watchmaker Fortis just made the chronograph used by Russian Cosmonauts even tougher.

Published March 25, 2025

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The Omega Speedmaster may have been the first watch on the moon, but no other timepiece has been tested for the riggers of space travel like the Fortis Novonaut.

Fortis started supplying watches for Russia’s space agency in 1994. The Swiss tool watch brand developed the caliber Werk 17 automatic movement to handle the extreme changes in pressure and gravity experienced during space flight.

a steel Fortis chronograph watch with a black dial and bezel — The Fortis Novonaut N-42 now comes in titanium.

The Novonaut N-42 is the modern version of the chronograph used by Russian Cosmonauts. An upgraded reference is now available, built with a titanium case and bracelet, topped with a ceramic bezel.

a man holding a steel chronograph watch with a back dial — The Novonaut N-42 dial is designed for strong legibility at arms length in minimal light.

This lighter, more durable version of the thoroughly tested space watch is decorated with gold plating on the chronograph hands. In both looks and performance, the Novonaut N-42 Titanium has enough to give even the most premium Speedmaster a run for its money.

Space tested performance

Fortis is one of the rare watchmakers that designs and builds its own movements in-house. Since creating the caliber Werk 17 for the Russian Cosmonauts, it has undergone thorough testing in outer space.

fortis watch movements in space — The Fortis caliber Werk 17 movements being tested in space.

The column wheel chronograph features a 12-hour stopwatch function, registered on two sub-dials at six and 12 o’clock. Along with the central second counter hand, all three chronograph hands have a real gold coating to help differentiate them from the running time hands.

a black dial chronograph watch on a man's wrist — The 42-millimeter case size is ideal for a complex chronograph optimized for legibility,

The running second hand sub-dial is at nine o’clock, and a day-date complication is displayed through two separate windows placed at three o’clock. Two quickset button pushers flanking the screw-down crown operate the chronograph complication.

a black chronograph watch in the dark with the lume glowing — The dial and hands utilize lume for low light visibility,

Emphasizing that this is a high-performance tool watch, the dial and rotating bezel are loaded with numerals on every track. The seconds track on the dial’s outer rim is a 1/20 scale with dual numeral markers that count up and down.

a black chronograph dial with gold chronograph register hands — The applied numerals are made from Lumicast, and the hands are inlaid with SuperLuminova.

Large applied Arabic numeral indices marking the hours are made out of Lumicast X1 for exceptional legibility under limited light conditions. The hour, minute and chronograph second hand are inlaid with SuperLuminova.

Harder, lighter, faster, stronger

With a movement tested to meet the most extreme requirements of space travel, the only way to improve the Novonaut N-42 was to upgrade the case and bracelet. That is exactly what Fortis did.

the back of a fortis watch with a rocket ship engraving — The titanium case back is engraved with a cartoon space ship.

The 42-millimeter case, which measures 51 millimeters lug-to-lug, is made from solid titanium, as are the case back, crown and pushers. A cartoon space ship is engraved on the back as a nod to the watch’s origins.

The titanium three-link bracelet has a three-piece squeeze-activated clasp with a push-button micro-adjustment system. Although Fortis will fit the bracelet to a chosen wrist size upon purchase, it is adjustable with screw-in pins. A screwdriver is provided with the watch.

a steel chronograph watch with a black dial — The Novonaut N-42 Titanium Legacy epitomizes great industrial design in watches.

This is a tool watch for people who appreciate the beauty in great functionality. Fortis did not sacrifice any margin of performance for improved looks, but the Novonaut N-42 is beautiful because it epitomizes great industrial design in tool watches. A titanium case makes it that much easier to wear.