Expanding the Categories
I got myself into trouble pretty quickly when I decided to do some Fossil watch collecting. There were lots of different styles of older Fossil watches that I liked. Fossil covered a wide array of lifestyles with its watch offerings. I talked about the Stone styles from Genuine Casual, Authentic Dress and the American Vintage categories in earlier posts. This time I’m breaking out into some more sporty types and other categories. Lots of people want to off-load their non-running Fossils, and here I am!
While I have yet to sort out the model nomenclature and date Fossil watches, I have made some inroads in the overall taxonomy. Fossil began as Overseas Products International, so you will see this on the case backs of the first releases. This may be in the year range of 1984-86. Later case backs had Fossil World on them, with no model number. I have read that the Fossil World watches might date between 1986 and 1989. This can be frustrating not having some number identifier when searching for information on a particular watch. Once the model numbers were applied its starts to get easier to group styles, but dating is still difficult without catalogs. I think most of the numbers inside case back can be used to date the watches, if you accept that the case was made same year at the style was released.
Fossil made so many different watches over the 40 years there has to be something for everyone? I find myself liking several types, but here are a few groups I seem to keep coming back to. After spending the last couple of months digging into older Fossils I’ve developed a deeper appreciation for the brand overall. Vintage-style, field-style, and dive-style are my usual directions, but then I have a what I call Nixon streak which is bigger watches, or cuff straps, or just odd-ball, funky designs, or graphic styles. I even like the occasional promotional or collaboration. So, for this post I thought I would go over several odds and ends I like from Fossil.
Dive
If you know me, I’m going to look at just about any diver-style watch. Fossil was and is in the the diver-style watch business. Did you know the Fossil Group owns Zodiac? That’s another post someday. Until recently I never had a Fossil Blue series watch though had seen many over the years on online sales. In the research for this post I discovered the Fossil Steel line that offer higher-spec diver-style watches. I want to cover two diver-style watches here. One I can see keeping, the other not.
When comparing the Fossil Blue to Fossil Steel, in some cases it is the same as their historical competitor, Armitron, with its Durasteel line. The Fossil Blue watches I first knew were 50 or 100m WR watches with chrome plated brass cases. The Steel line had solid stainless cases. This makes a world of difference for durability and longevity in this type of watch. The first thing to go in plated brass watches is the plating, which wears off with use. The other thing to go is the original strap.
One I would not recommend is the early AM-3278 type above. I liked the look of these with champagne dial and the fact it didn’t have the integrated bracelet, which a lot of the Blues do. The weak points are the 50m rating and the lousy plating the wears off. The dressy-diver look, like Tag Heuers or my collection of Bulova Marine Stars has always been one of my favorite looks, but as a toolish type watche the quality is not there. Also, the bezel does not rotate. I don’t think it is stuck? However I have seen versions of this bezel that do rotate. For example an AM3592 is all steel and bezel rotates.
Just on looks, there are several 50m, plated small old Blue series watches I still like. More typical is the AM3250 below with 100m WR, rotating bezel, integrated bracelet but still has plated case. It delivers a few better features than the 3278, but is not a Steel. I like the look, but not the build quality. This brings up another point to with early Fossil watches regarding the fashion vs tool perspective of a design. There are 30m WR Fossil dive-style watches that look like 100m WR Fossil dive-style watches. This shows that the popularity of the the Tag Heuer look in the ’90s was so strong that is was fashionable to have the look with no specs to back it up. The trouble with this type of bracelet is you can’t just replace it with a aftermarket bracelet or strap because of the integrated first link (3-lug) case.
But the the Blue/Steel relationship gets messy. Some Blue watches are all stainless, too. In fact, the FS-2524 has been released as both a Blue and as a Steel at different times? I think what happened is Fossil started out with Blue with base metal cases that were plated. Then the Steel line came along with stainless cases. Finally Fossil decided to bring the Steel under the more popular Blue label and 100m WR became the standard. Then there are some Fossil Blue, 100m watches that are not diver-style and are on leather cuff straps, so clearly there was an evolution and changing customer expectations.
The above FS-2425 represents the evolution to full stainless case, bracelet, and case back. This is a dive watch type more people would be happy with; 100m WR, rotating bezel, more lume, date complication. Notice the Blue logo with “steel” printed below it. Very late ’90s look with sloping silver bezel and boat shaped markers. You also get conventional lugs to fit different straps.
The last diver I will show in this post is the Steel FS-2500. It has more classic diver styling with aluminum bezel insert. It is 38mm x 44.5mm with unidirectional bezel, black dial, minimum lume, date, non-tapering 18mm bracelet. It uses a Miyota 1M12 movement. It maybe has a more retro feel that the blue FS2425 above? Maybe not the most exciting looks, but still has a unique personality. Instead of a starburst dial there is a center sector with concentric lines.
The 38mm FS-2500 is more like the current 2025-26 Fossil Blue line in looks, but, I would argue still more interesting. Its too bad those new ones are sized at 42mm and 46mm and are really generic looking.
I was thinking, when Fossil was making these, Timex did not really have a watch like this. They were competing more with the likes of Armitron and Casio, I think. Its just a great entry point 100m diver style with a bit of retro feel. The Steel/Blue lines were quite successful for Fossil in the past. It would be great if they could refresh the current line with a smaller size and more distinctive looks.
Automatic
One of the Fossils I got at Goodwill was an automatic FS-4314, from the Arkitekt line. It is really not my style for several reasons, but I got it anyway to explore the auto movement in this concept. Fossil is not widely known for using automatic movements and once into this territory, it changes the stereotype of what a Fossil watch is. Currently they sell several, mostly bigger, skeleton and open heart type autos that I find hideous. An older auto style that looked pretty nice was the ME3221/3, but still too big at 43mm with a 22mm bracelet. At the time of this writing, Fossil debuted their up-scale Signature CS-1 line which includes a very nice 38mm auto with Sellita 200-1 movement. There have been earlier Signature line automatics in recent years, prior to the CS-1s. So, it will be interesting to see what happens with this new take.
The FS4314 measures only 41mm wide, but is 49mm long x 13mm thick. The heavy bracelet tapers from 31mm to 24mm, but the clasp is 26mm wide. So, it packs a punch on the arm. Its the type of bracelet watch you want to fit snug so it doesn’t build up momentum sliding around on your arm.
What a wild design! All that brawn, then a tiny round date window! It is really difficult to read the date. The actual dial is only about 21mm wide. Notice the turbine engine feel of the open spaces around the dial. You can actually see the shiny over-sized rotor spinning from the front of the watch. I believe this concept was patented by Fossil. This concept was used on many models. It makes for a pretty big watch. I have to admit it is fun to watch the rotor spinning around.
I think this model was released in the early 2000’s, but don’t know what year. The styling and metallic gunmetal finish is outrageous. I guess its a futuristic, minimalist, hi-tech, automotive or industrial theme? But then, what future? What tech? To me it feels very ’90s still; Brutalist Minimalism?
I’m not sure which movement it uses. Not a Miyota 8200, I don’t think, because the date set is by back and forth. Maybe a Seagull? Anyway, I don’t see this as a keeper. Just not me; too much. At first I thought , “if it was just sized-down, the spinning rotor is fun”, but then the look is just not what I could stand for an extended period. Maybe a more classic style with some rotor showing from the front? The problem with the concept is you need size to expose the rotor, which forces you to reduce the size of the dial or make the watch bigger.
Cuffs
In an effort to be all things watch, Fossil has done a little bit of everything to incorporate trends over the years. They made some nice wide rectangular watches with wide straps over the years. When I think of cuff straps I think of Nixon, the brand of watches for the skater and surfer crowd. Big, wide, sturdy. I have written of my interest in older Nixon watches and what I call their Star Wars styling (even before they were actually do the StarWars licensed watches). Now that I think of it, the above auto FS4314 could be a Nixon, too?
Fossil did a lot of wide watches on wide straps of all sizes for men and women. In fact, it can be hard to determine a size of a cuff-style Fossil watch from photos when the seller in an online shop doesn’t provide the case width. The men’s and women’s rectangular cases can look so similar! A 40mm wide strap can look the same as a 30mm strap until you are familiar with a brand and seen hundreds of images.
I got some preowned, wide Fossil watches and am very happy with them. This next one, the JR-9007, provides me with a lot to talk about regarding cuff straps. I really like these watches for a number of reasons. For one, its just fun to wear a wide cuff occasionally, especially if you are of a certain age. I love the brown patterned dial and the nice curved square shape of the 40mm case and its pleasing proportions. I have really taken to brown leather straps, in general. Since the next watch is the same I will cover more details there.
The thing about my JR9007 was that the original strap was in terrible condition and looked like hell. I got the watch from Goodwill, cleaned it up, got the Ronda running with a a new battery and trashed the strap, keeping the buckle. The original cuff strap was cracking all over and the design incorporated thin leather strips woven in designs and through the base leather cuff piece. I don’t know if the crackle finish was intended or that it was from 30 years of weathering, but it and the woven strips was pretty awful for such a nice looking watch.
If you have owned an old Nixon or Fossil cuff watch, you know it is hard to replace the stra-! Fossil and Nixon have long stopped making replacements, so forget about that. (Don’t get me started.)There are lots of Bund-style products out there with snaps and two piece, two-width systems. That is not what I wanted. Fossil also used this type strap, too. Then again while searching for custom cuff straps, what I found was over-built, bulky, thick things with studs and chain and screws and crap.
I went to V Green, who I have used several times in the past for custom leather straps. Yes, they cost many times more than what I paid for the watches in most cases, but sometimes you just want the watch to get the best strap you can to fit the design. In this case, after searching for used and new Fossil cuff straps, I knew i was going to have to go custom. I sketched up a design and sent it to V Green. I wanted to use the original buckle on a one piece cuff, with no snaps or screws.
The strap is top-notch and turned out just about exactly as planned. It makes the watch look better, is a beautiful brown color with cream stitching and is lined and edge finished. I kept it a bit narrower than the case(like the original) so I could work the crown easily. I wanted the tabs that hold the spring bars sewn, so it only fits this watch or a similar one with distance between spring bars of 39mm. I did not want tabs that snapped. I had the keepers made 2mm wider than the original. Overall the strap is sturdy, well made, but not too bulky or stiff.
There is nothing worse than having a watch you like on a crappy strap that keeps you from wearing and enjoying the watch. A strap can be the difference keeping or getting rid of a watch! It is sad when your unique original strap is worn out and you have to find inferior ones to replace it. Fossil had some nice strap designs over the years for most of their watches and made them an integral part of the overall experience of using the watch. I’m thinking of having something similar made for my Nixon Scouts with their dumb 21.5mm lug gap!
Another Square
I like a lot of the wide-look Fossils. Most have a JR prefix model number, but I’m not sure what that means. Another I like is the JR-8788. It is basically the same watch as the JR-9007 above, but with a different dial treatment. Additionally, it was in better condition than my 9007. It does not have a cuff strap but one that is wide and distinctive, and very Fossil. Case dimensions are 40mm x 42mm lug-to lug. Lug gap is 26mm. The strap is non-tapering at approx. 25.5mm, of a brown leather that is woven but looks like a perforated flat piece from a distance. I think Fossil got this watch right; it just is visually pleasing with its softened square shape.
The case shape with slightly curved sides is very pleasing and finished in a blasted silver. The short lugs curve with the flow of the sides from top view and slope down from side view. The dial color is metallic brown, sunburst. There is a date window at 3 o’clock. No numbers; The applied hour markers are elongated triangles that rotate around the dial. At the base of the markers is a white lume rectangle and the minute/second track is printed in white lines at a short-long pattern. The tapering stick hands are lumed. The overall vibe is ’70s to me.
Thankfully, this case was used for several styles, so you can find it with various colored dials. I want to say there is a similar, scaled-down version of this shape for some women’s lines. At approx. 9mm thick the proportions just feel good visually and physically. For a big watch it feels just great and sits flat on my small-ish wrist. Even though it is supposed to look wide, it doesn’t seem big. The movement in these is a Ronda 515, I think–like a 502 with date at 3 o’clock.
Promotional
Fossil was well-known for making promotional watches for all kinds of brands as well as corporate employee award type watches. Because of the low cost of quartz watches, companies could get all sorts of Fossil styles produced with their corporate logos on the dial or case back for internal incentive or gift events. A big part of Fossil’s success in the ’90s was it relationship with department store chains. Fossil would work with buyers from retailers such as Nordstrom on marketing and distribution of limited editions for their stores.
The 25.5mm ND-3538 above, is a version of the standard VT-2454. On the case back you can see the Nordstrom logo and wordmark as well as an additional serial number. I have plans to write about this style Fossil in a later post.
Special Editions
I want to cover one interesting early Fossil I found. It was quite tarnished when I got it, but overall in good condition and is working fine with new battery. I don’t know what to call it, so have nick-named it the Telephone because of the cover over the crystal with circular cut-outs for each hour number. It has the look of an old rotary dial phone. It has a lugless 36mm case with a modified onion crown. It is silver plated with a stainless case back.
I don’t know how to classify this, or know about the specific inspiration for it. It also resembles rock climbing watches I have seen with protective covers or WWI era trench watches with covers. Timex did a series of mid-century telephone watches, but they had the circles on the dial itself. This watch was released when Fossil was still marking case backs with Overseas Products International. It also has the Club Fossil designation which I believe was their early limited addition range. That makes this a mid-eighties release, I think.
The strap is a black two piece semi-braided leather type- of 18mm tapering to 16mm. I have not seen a strap exactly like this, but Fossil did have many similar braided straps in following years. I have tried to fit other 18mm straps, but the lugless or hooded lug construction makes it hard to fit any quick release or any strap with much thickness. It is a tight squeeze for strap material around the spring bar.
I’m not sure of the movement type, but know it looks old–as in early 80s Hong Kong quartz movements. A lot of the dial is covered, as mentioned, but the circle cut-outs reveal a very vintage and distinctive font with curls for the 6, 9, and 2. I have seen this number style on antique pocket patches and various later watches, including an Omega Speedmaster. The center cutout in the cover shows a printed minute track with small Arabic numbers at the 5 min intervals. The minute and hour hand are spade shaped while the straight tapering second sweep has a pointed back.
To me, its just an interesting watch. It was probably mostly worn by women, but at the same time there is a vintage/replica component to the appeal and the sizing is in the unisex range. I’ll have to research more the historical precedents for this style.
Collaborations
Sometimes its hard to tell the difference between a Collaboration and a Promotional watch release. Sometimes they are combined. So, I am going to call this next one, the G.I Joe, LI-1047 watch, a collaboration with Hasbro, but, also it happens to be a 30-yr Anniversary release. On top of that it is a Limited Edition run of 15,000, hence the LI prefix to model number.
I couldn’t resist this one. I grew up with G.I. Joes in the late ’60s and early ’70s. This release was from 1994 celebrating thirty years of G.I. Joe since 1964. Now it’s been 30 years since this release. Right off the bat, I don’t think this is the best commemoration watch package possible and I have some issues with it. However, there is lots to like, too. Its a fun watch.
The set includes a watch in a wood box with a 58mm pewter G.I.Joe figure all packaged in a special cardboard box. The watch itself is a 35mm vintage-looking 3-hander on a 2-piece combination fabric/leather strap. The box presentation is nice.
In some ways this is an odd looking watch considering all the vintage military options available for Fossil to take inspiration from. While it sort of has a A-11 feel, it also has an exaggerated rounded shape topped by a domed magnifying type crystal. It also has a cyclops to magnify the date! It seems the purposely wanted to make it military-ish for G.I.Joe, but at the same time de-militarize it? Maybe it was intended to have a toy-like feel?
The case is 35mm x 43.5 with a 18mm lug width. So, size is great. The lugs taper quite a bit to a narrow end and curve down at the tips. The finish is an aged silver type that I think is great. The bezel is very rounded. The crown is flat and finished in gunmetal. The dial is an off-white background with a crude outline stencil-style hour numbers. The classic G.I. Joe logo is applied right under the 12, embossed in silver and black. There is a railroad track around perimeter. On the rail road track is a red 5-min interval. There is a red 13/24 hour track just inboard of the hour marker numbers. the 23, 24 and 13 are gone for the logo placement.
The hand set is vintage inspired with a syringe minute hand and modified Mercedes hour hand with syringe. The hands and hour numbers are painted with a very weak and instantly disappearing lume. The second sweep is a standard stick in bright red. The center of the dial appears to have a large dark spot that I think is a shadow caused by the thick crystal? It almost looks like the patina of an aged white dial.
It comes on a 18mmto 16mm combination green nylon/brown leather strap, the kind commonly seen about this time on outdoor watches such as Swiss Army or Timex Expedition. At least the buckle had an aged silver finish even if a generic shape. The strap maybe the biggest problem for me because the concept is screaming for a vintage olive canvas strap! This strap is kind of dorky and seems out of place for a military themed watch. I took it off right away.
I am fussy about straps, as you can see, especially on a vintage style watch. I have it on a CNS green Cordura, that is tapered, but it is still not quite right. The Cordura has a more modern feel and the weave is a bit coarse, the color too bright. Not a great strap… A Barton 18mm straight canvas is good, too. It is one of my favorite straps for something like a Timex MK1. But, it does not taper and the buckles are sort of beefy. They still feel more modern. It is hard to find a tapering canvas strap, especially at 18mm. MWC does have one but the availability is limited by geographic regions!?
Defender
Another large and popular line of Fossil over they years has been the Defender series. I myself have come close to getting one or two, but never took the plunge. The Defenders are more of a tool watch for for Fossil. As a general description they seem like a cross between a chunky Nixon sport watch and a classic field watch, but there are several styles–even chronographs. They also cross-over in to the Fossil Blue realm at times. As I have mentioned in earlier Fossil posts, I never really got to know Fossil until lately, so didn’t follow the Defender series over the years.
The above image of an early Defender with push-button light is the ’90s style that I was most familiar with. This is the “ellipse in square” logo I was more familiar with. I’m not sure which came first. Notice the heavy bezel. It has the Nixon vibe to it. Later there were lots of variants, that became more classic field watch in looks, and maybe a little more boring? As I have alluded to, I think Fossil became more boring as time went on to the point where they were following instead of leading, and it continues to this day.
I can claim to own one Defender so far. It is a DF-3003 from 1998. It is a Big Date in polished stainless. It has a 100m WR and a rotating bezel. It is a lot like my Bulova Marine Stars from the same period–a dressy diver. It is not like the Defenders I am familiar with that look more like field watches. They seem to be quite popular with Fossil collectors and I have seen pretty high prices and spirited bidding online. I got this 3003 in a Goodwill auction but had quite a battle.
This 3003 is a shiny little thing! After cleaning it up light hand polishing and a new battery, it is quite a looker. I was attracted to the big date complication, the silver dial and the overall ’90s detailing on the bezel with its tabs and tabs and cut-outs. This is my second Big Date watch. The other is a Seiko with a the date windows under the 12.
As fun as it is to look at, It does have some quirks. The bezel action is a little rough at 60 clicks. The bezel detailing is crazy, but there are no numbers or insert scale, so it’s usefulness is limited. Around the dial on the rehaut under the glass, there is a five-minute scale. The large tabs are great for gripping and have tiny faux screw heads on the ends. There is a triangle that can be used as a marker, but all the other tabs are identical. All three hands and the hour markers get a bit of green lume that is initially pretty bright but fades quickly.
The dial carries the different Defender logo under the 12. It is a wide shield with a D in the middle. Behind the shield are two tapered wing-like projections. I like the big date windows with a polished frame. I do need to get the watch serviced because the date is not advancing properly. I think the movement is a Ronda 509.
I like the looks of the bracelet. It is a 3-link but looks like a 5-link with in inscribed divisions of the outside sections. The clasp is of the push-button type and sports the Defender shield logo.
StarMaster
Another line of ’90s Fossil was the StarMaster line of light-up watches. These are quintessential ’90s watches with their little push-buttons. I can usually narrow down dating any watch with this type of light button. While Timex evolved with patened Indiglo watches that went from separate push buttons to integrated push crowns, other brands were forced to keep these extra light switch buttons. I’ve deduced that the LU prefix of model numbers could stand for “light up”. There were lots of different StarMaster styles, but I just wanted to show a couple for now.
The above LU-2530 is a good example of a more sport/dive look, but still a 30m WR watch. Interestingly, there was a Fossil Blue version of this watch, too, with 50m WR. It illustrates a dial technology used on many back-lit watches of this era. Notice the perforations in the dial, like a dot pattern, that allowed the light to come through a solid color dial. If you search for StarMasters online you will see a lot of unusual looking dials and dial layouts. I think this resulted form the need to get light out.
From what I have seen, these backlight systems usually consist of a standard movement with a light switch module wrapped around them and they are wired to run off the same battery. Heavy use of the backlight drains the battery faster. I once saw a cheap promotional light-up watch that had separate batteries for the watch movement and the light. So, these backlights can take up space and entail a bigger watch. They also add a layer of repair expertise and parts when you try to get old backlight watches working again.
When I saw this LU-2510 in a Goodwill auction I had to bid on it. It was not because of the backlight, but just the way the watch looked and the vintage feel. When I saw that brass bezel on top of the faux-aged silver case and the antique-style numbers(same style as the telephone watch above) it just matched my likes. As it turns out it was in good shape. It does not look as awkward as some of the StarMasters do.
The case is 35.5mm wide with a length of 42mm. The dial is done in a fade to dark perimeter from light center (fumé). Even without the light function, it looks great. The faux aging is fun to me; I like the theater of it. This watch captures what the this Fossil era was so good at–vintage flare in a modern fashion watch. The light colored center dial highlights the black classic baton hands, then fades to a dark tan ring overprinted with black numbers. This ring is next to a dark gunmetal rehaut, then over to the brass gold bezel then to the darkened gunmetal case finish with it side detailing and lobe lugs. On top of that it has a worn dark brown or faded black leather strap with real aging that goes so nice with everything I hesitate to replace it. I thought it was black, so treated it with a leather conditioner containing a black tint. Later I considered whether it was brown or black.
Road Trip
There were other styles of light-up watches from Fossil. This next one is from the Road Trip collection. It also has a push-button light, but the illumination is a bit different. Again, I saw it on a Goodwill auction and took a chance. Its just so crazy, I had to go for it. Unfortunately it need some pretty thorough maintenance to get the movement going.
The Road Trip series watches were all different but each expressed the nostalgia of traveling by car with mid-century, retro styling. Part of the core ethos of Fossil was 1930s-1960s Americana as displayed on the watch tins and other marketing graphics. The JR-7716 evokes the mood of neon at a roadside diner at night. It has lots of chrome and neon pink and a cool cursive font for the Fossil logo.
The dial is black and the thin stick hands are polished silver. There is a translucent neon pink circle around the perimeter that looks like a coil. When you press the light button, all the white letters and numbers take on a blue glow and a thin light circle appears through the pink.
The polished chrome case is stir-step of concentric circles with thin straight lugs. Another interesting thing is the watch came originally on a very retro-feeling polished 19mm flex bracelet (18mm lug gap). Unfortunately it is a little too tight for even my small-ish wrist. When I first saw the watch, I assumed it was something added later by previous owner because I have often seen this type of band put on old watches when the original strap wore out. Then I saw it in a catalog an realized it came like this!
This type of watch is pretty far from my normal tastes and daily wear, especially with the pink. However, this is a great example of the kinds of watches that made Fossil so much fun in the ’90s.
Final Thoughts
The thing that is great about the old Fossil watches is they are just meant to be enjoyed. The watch part of the enjoyment was not the important part. There was no social media pressure for you to get the right one, the best value, the best specs. They weren’t the cheapest watches and were not luxury watches. They were an expression of your style or of popular culture moments. You weren’t trying to flash the best, just your personal style. Again, they were fashion or lifestyle accessories, not displays of your watch prowess.
I think that is what is missing with the watch community now; people just buying watches they like instead of trying to get the most watch for the buck, because of the price or movement or heritage or resale value or specs. These kinds of watches were style accessories that could tell you the time, not tools for telling time. That these were almost exclusively analog quartz is important, too. The technology and low cost gave designers the freedom to focus on the designs, the outside of the watch rather than starting from the movement and putting a traditional case around it. The users didn’t have to worry about winding or maintenance.
The cell phone, or smart phone, replaced the wrist watch as a way of keeping time. Your laptop or tablet can give you time as well. The world that spawned the fashion analog quartz watch is not the world we live in today and the reasons people wear and enjoy watches are different than they were 35 or 40 years ago. The retail landscape and inflation have also altered the watch spectrum. There is still a fashion quartz segment alive today, but it is a smaller piece of the pie.
Also at the same time of Fossil’s analog quartz fashion watch boom digital technology began to alter the look of watches. Fossil’s early days were about taking the traditional styles of antique and vintage analog watches and bringing them back with new flair while being powered by quartz instead of mechanical movements. For a long time, Fossil resisted the digital watch, as Timex, Armitron, Casio and others embraced the new technology and emphasized it over traditional analog style.
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