We pick up post Baselworld with a brand which is unlikely ever to darken the doors of the leading Swiss watch fair – Fossil Watches. Watch snobs, of which there are plenty, may look down upon Fossil Watches as being mere copies of more expensive watches, but that’s not to say that your affordable Fossil is anything other than reliable and retro stylish.
The brand was founded in Texas in 1984 by Greek American entrepreneur Tom Kartsotis, straight out of college following a suggestion from his older brother that mid-priced watches could be a good business to get into. His brother was bang on the money. Today, thanks to Fossil, Tom Kartsotis and his brother are among the top twenty wealthiest Greek Americans in the land with a net worth of over $400 million.
Fossil has become a leading lifestyle brand around the world, selling a wide range of goods beyond watches including sunglasses, clothing and bags. Meanwhile their range of timepieces is vast and ever changing. There’s really a style for everyone, whether you are looking for a economical fashion watch or a crisp and cool looking chronograph.
Fossil have long focussed on contemporary retro styling for their products. The watches are attractively packaged in collectable watch tins adorned with nostalgic Americana inspired graphics. However recently, Fossil, along with other entry level to mid-priced brands such as Nixon, have looked to Switzerland to create a Swiss automatic line, of which more later.
What you may not know is that Fossil also makes watches for several other well known designer names including adidas, Emporio Armani, Karl Lagerfeld, Michael Kors, Marc by Marc Jacobs – these are brands which many a discerning snob would be happy to be seen wearing.
Here is just a small selection of easily affordable Fossils, plus their more upmarket Swiss line.
Fossil Gents Fashion Watch £71.00
The CH2599 comes with a brown leather strap with stitched detailing, a stainless steel case and a brown dial. The watch also features a tachymeter, chronograph function and 100 metre water resistance.
Grant watch £85.00
This Fossil Male Grant Watch FS4745 comes complete with a classic black leather strap and silver tone steel case. It features a styled black dial with date display and Roman numeral markers.
Nate Chronograph £85.00
This military-inspired Nate timepiece features a stainless steel bracelet strap and wood-inspired dial. It adds instant polish to any look. The Nate watch also features a chronograph movement on a stainless steel bracelet.
Keaton Brown Leather Strap £115.00
Keaton Brown is an American skateboarder, and this is his Fossil watch. It comes with a broad brown leather strap, the contrasting grey dial features a date at 4 o’clock and two chrono subdials.
Machine Black Steel Bracelet £115.00
A slick black steel case & bracelet, a black dial with three chronograph sub dials and a date display for added functionality.
Swiss Automatic Line – around £600.00
Now we come to Fossil’s surprising entry into the automatic Swiss movement market; surprising because it’s a big leap in terms of price point and a change of direction from their usual comfortably affordable quartz only watch offerings.
Launched earlier this year, the Fossil Swiss collection consists of three models, each with a few versions. In addition, there are Swiss quartz versions in the Fossil Swiss Chronograph and Fossil Swiss Day and Date. These are probably running on a variation of an ETA 2824-2 movement, although this is not stated. The watches are modestly sized at 38mm and the look is distinctly classical. The date is at 3 o’clock and there is lume on the hands and indices. The watches even comes with a sapphire crystal caseback. It will be interesting to see how successful this range is for Fossil.
