For sale we have a 1960s Eloga Fortis Flipper plastic interchangeable bezel sports watch. It has an ETA automatic movement, with quickset date function. It was originally sold as being 200m water resistant due to its monocoque case design and split stem. It comes with its original box and service booklet. It has the original strap which is unworn and has an interchangeable Football timing bezel. It comes on a new tropic style rubber strap.
Eloga were a sub-brand of Fortis and was the first name the Flipper was brought out under in the 1960s. Despite using a plastic substance, the watches were not cheaply made. They had good movements, AS and later ETA calibres, and were of a monocoque design with split stem.
The Flipper was introduced in 1967, the first of a fun and playful design of watch, with interchangeable bezels. Advertised as a vibrant, affordable and interchangeable plastic watch, it captured the imagination.
It was the first plastic watch, made in Switzerland, with a water resistance of 200m, using an automatic Swiss movement.
The flipper than developed in the 1970s, with a quartz movement, with a head that could be popped out of the case and into another of a different colour. They had a retail price of $19.99 (equal to about $ in 2024). The watches were inexpensive and fun, with interchangeable bezels and straps. The watch became a hit when celebrities like Roman Polanski, Leonard Bernstein and Roger Moore were seen sporting it.
Fortis brought out the ‘Colours’ line in 2012, for their 100th anniversary. This was a modern adaptation of the original Flipper.
Full condition report below. Please see the images as these compliment and aid the description provided below.
Dial:
The dial is original and is in good condition. The original lume plots are intact. The white painted signing and hour markers have degraded very slightly.
Hands:
The hands are white painted and are original with Tritium luminous in-fill. They are in good condition with no obvious marking.
Glass:
The acrylic crystal is original. It has some light marking associated with age.
Crown:
The crown is original and is in good condition, functioning as it should.
Case:
The case is plastic and is in good condition for the age. It has some marks to the rear due to strap changes.
Caseback:
The case back is plastic and is solid. It has the clear original engraving. It has some light marking.
Strap:
The watch is on a rubber tropic style strap.
Movement:
The movement is an ETA automatic calibre, with quickset date function. It has a jewel count of 21 and a frequency of 21,600 BPH.
The service history is unknown, but it is keeping accurate time. It is keeping time to within +15 seconds deviation a day, with an amplitude of 235 degrees and a beat error of 0.1m/s.
Case dimensions:
Case width: 37mm
Case width with crown: 41mm
Case length: 37mm
Case length lug to lug: 43.5mm
Case Depth: 12.4mm
Lug width: 18mm