Level Up

Maximilian Spitzy, CEO of Fortis, on trust, longevity and going toe-to-toe with the big boys.

- Alvin Wong

“There are only two brands that have travelled to space,” says Maximilian Spitzy. “One is Omega. The other is us.” The bespectacled and amiable CEO of Fortis is keen to make a few points about provenance and lineage of the brand that he took over two years ago.

Fortis’ bragging right to space travel bragging was conferred in 1994, when the brand was named official timekeeper and its Cosmonaut watches decreed as part of standard equipment for Russian aerospace travel – a partnership that endures till today. But go back a few more chapters in the horological history books, and one will find even more astounding Fortis milestones, like how it was the first company to mass produce automatic wristwatches back in 1924, or its advancement of the chronograph complication, such as introducing the world’s first chronograph with alarm in 1997.

“We are inspired by all these and we make it a point to always consider our historical milestones – however young we may be – each time we design something new,” says Spitzy.

A well-travelled entrepreneur who spent almost a decade in Asia working in real estate, Spitzy dived into the watch business sensing room for opportunities despite a downturn. Encouraged by the 104-year-old brand’s heritage and the potential to expand on what he believes to be its “firm foundations”, the fledging CEO spend much of his first year at Fortis streamlining its collections, cutting down more than half the original references.