FORTIS B-47 BIG BLACK Limited Edition 2012

Really. What is the point of having a blog if you're just going to regurgitate what was written on the press release and copy and past the specs? A monkey can do that. If you want to know the source of my rant, Google "Fortis B-47 Big Black" and you'll see what I mean. Twenty different websites and blogs, all saying exactly the same thing. Why won't the watch companies take bloggers seriously? It's a 2-way street. quid pro quo. If you're not going to put effort in, neither are they. But of course, that is another debate for another time...(or, if you do have the time, have a look at the post and comments on this very subject here)

Back to the topic at hand. I saw this watch maybe a week to two weeks ago online. It hit me hard. Its very existence is completely impactful (to use a term favoured by the mass media in recent years. Note, it's NOT an actual word).

Its style? I reckon it's about as "love-it-or-hate-it" as it gets. It was talked about on watch forums and there were no in-between comments. I for one, love it. If you're going to make something like this, make it like this. As something that will stir people up, cause debates and generate controversy. That's how you sell watches.

I think the picture doesn't do the watch justice. I'm sure it'll look much better in person, and I'm sure many people will change their mind once they see it in real life. This goes for a lot of publicity shots. They really just don't do the watch justice.

This is the publicity shot. I mean, come on. It's not even cropped properly.

The watch is 47mm, but in this day and age that's barely considered oversized anyway. I don't like all black watches that aren't legible, as that defeats the purpose of the watch itself - which is telling the time. Yes I know that as a watch geek, more often than not I need to look at a watch several times before I notice the time.  But this is something else. It's taking the idea of a "skeletonised" watch, but with a different take on it. I really like the idea of using the date and day discs as a kind of "rotating" dial, meaning it'll look slightly different every day. Sort of.

The menacing serrated edges of the bezel are really cool. Feminds me of a giant cog. I'm sure it'll also be a lot easier to grip and turn.

Overall, it's a watch I'm looking forward to seeing in person. Fortis watches aren't designed to appeal to everyone, and considering it's a limited edition, I'm sure they'll sell every single one they make. 

Oh. And there's black lume on the indices. Should make for some very cool glow-in-the-dark shots.

Anyway, I won't bore you with the specs. You can easily get that from Googling it.

Bookmark this blog if you want insightful reviews into watches and not just some place that knows how to use the keys ctrl - c and ctrl - v. 

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