Fortis Brain Matic

These days, we’re overly reliant on our devices for daily task alerts. Phones, tablets, computers, and smartwatches all bombard us with frequent beeps and pings to remind us of our next appointment, or when it’s time to wake up from a mid-afternoon power nap. Sure, they’re convenient. But wouldn’t it be nice to shed our digital alerts for a while and return to a more analog way of doing things? In the past, 'alerts' could come in a vastly more engaging mechanical form, such as a mechanical alarm. A mechanical alarm complication makes use of an extra mainspring barrel whose energy powers a hammer. At the appointed time, the hammer beats against a small gong, which sounds the alarm. Popularized by the Vulcain Cricket — the watch of many U.S. Presidents — variations on this system were subsequently used by numerous brands. This Fortis Brain Matic — an incredible name for a watch if ever there was one — is one such alarm watch. Housed in a 40mm stainless steel barrel-shaped case, it features dual recessed winding crowns, a smooth bezel, and an acrylic crystal. Beneath this is a cool brown dial with an outer open minute track, applied luminous indices, an inner alarm-setting track in white, a luminous 'baton' handset with an orange-tipped alarm hand, and a handy day-date display at 3 o'clock. Powered by the automatic A. Schild Calibre 5008 movement and paired to a brown leather strap with white top-stitching and a stainless steel pin buckle, this beefy tool watch is ready to relieve your smartphone of at least one of its myriad useful functions!