Back in April we brought you news of the Werk 17 caliber, a new movement developed by Fortis and tested for durability in the stratosphere. Fortis, somewhat dramatically, sent their movements to the stratosphere with the help of the Swedish Space Corporation strapped to balloons. When the movements were later recovered, Fortis was able to dial in specifications for lubricants, shock absorption, and other factors that could impact a watch through a low earth orbit space flight. At the time of the movement?s public unveiling, we didn?t have information about an actual watch that it might be used in, but that changes today with the unveiling of the new Fortis Stratoliner, a different kind of space watch designed especially for a new brand of space tourism. It?s also just an incredibly cool chronograph, even if you plan on staying put right here on earth for the time being. 
A brief refresher on the finer points of the Werk 17 is probably in order before we get to the watch itself. It?s a column wheel chronograph caliber, and the movement?s key feature is a custom designed ?traversing bridge?  and ?tangential micro screw regulation? that Fortis claims offers a level of robustness suitable for spaceflight without sacrificing accuracy. The caliber also offers a day-date complication at 3:00 and a power reserve of 60 hours.

The Stratoliner?s dial, specifically the chronograph registers, have been designed to correlate with key stages of a Virgin Galactic flight ...