Fortis
Fortis is a Swiss watch brand founded by Walter Vogt in Grenchen in 1912. Its place in watchmaking history includes collaboration with British inventor John Harwood and serial production of Harwood automatic watches in 1926.
Harwood is a particular construction
Fortis describes an early self-winding system in which a weight swings back and forth through a limited arc, meeting spring buffers at its travel limits. This differs from a modern freely rotating rotor. The early Harwood watches described lacked a conventional winding crown and used a rotating bezel for setting the time.
Do not apply these features to every Fortis
Information about the Harwood system does not automatically apply to every watch bearing the Fortis name. Identify model, reference and movement before deciding how the watch should wind or set. Compare an unusual construction with the correct documentation before describing a component as missing.
What should be checked?
Photograph dial, case, back and all numbers. Document the functions actually tested and any known servicing. Do not operate an unfamiliar older watch as though it were a modern model. Have a watchmaker assess an unresolved mechanism and describe replacement parts and wear separately from the brand's general history.
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