the old bucket list of watches
To compare a watch to something on your bucket list is probably a bit much, but did I get your attention? We all have those watches amongst other things we are always on the hunt for. It’s the thrill of the hunt that keeps us going and it’s the most fun. I have watches that I’ve hunted for years only to wear them once or twice, but at least I have them. Two such watches on my “bucket list” of watches that I would pay anything for showed up in the same day on eBay and I pulled the trigger.
Defender DF-1003
When I first starting hunting & collecting Defenders in 2009, this Defender showed up on eBay for $50 and wasn’t sure the rarity or the value. Believe it or not Defenders were selling on eBay for $10-$30 all day long, this was before a wonderful Fossil Collector’s Club website came online and prices starting going up! Who is that guy? What a jerk! Anyways $50 was too high and as the auction closed for about $56 I remember thinking that’s the one I want.
Fast forward 7 years later to a rainy, autumn Sunday morning in Cleveland, Ohio and as I’m sipping my coffee while ignoring my children who are playing Minecraft in the other room, this Defender shows up at the top of my feed! Buy it now for $59.99, done! It wasn’t until afterwards that I saw the pictures of the crown being broken and even though the listing said the watch kept time, it doesn’t! I don’t care, I have it and if you follow us on Facebook you’ve probably seen that some of these chronos from Fossil are all related and all have the same movement. Anyone know a good horologist?
Fossil Automatic Breaker LE-1015
When this watch first hit the waves in 2013…get it waves? I took notice and so did many other watch collectors and blogs. By Googling Fossil LE-1015 you’ll get a taste of the torture that we’ve experienced for many years now because these watches are highly reviewed, very expensive (for a Fossil) and extremely limited. Now and again they come up on forums for about the original retail price of $445, which is too rich for the blood of this father of 2 in the great Midwest.
LE-1015 has been on my eBay watch list for years now and has never come up and it still hasn’t come up. While working on a Sunday night (living the dream!) and waiting for files to come in, I started browsing on eBay and this watch in it’s orange waterproof case appeared as the picture with the WORST title ever for this watch – no one would know what the watch was based on the title of "Fossil Watch Thin Blue Line Collection". I felt the rush of anxiety hit me, was this it, really? Checked out the seller profile, seems legit -- view all the pictures, okay and I hit buy it now for $89. I didn’t even double check that I had $89 in my account – bought!
On the other side of obtaining these 2 rare watches, I do find myself not searching as much for other watches – I had a major score in one day and I know that’s rare, it’s nice to take a break from screen time and just enjoy having the watches and taking in the holiday season with a rare watch underneath my ugly Christmas sweater.
Aeroflite Limited Edition Mustang P-51: The 854 Club
Way back in 2015 - Fossil released the Aeroflite Mustang P-51 Limited Edition in partnership with the Cavanaugh Flight Museum and thus launching the Vintage Aviation Series. Are you one of the elite in the 854 club?
I’ve been eager to talk about this watch for some time! The P-51 combines a lot of loves in one watch – it’s an Automatic, it’s aviation themed, it’s a limited edition, it has a luscious brown leather strap and the packaging and marketing campaign behind the series was unlike anything Fossil has done in recent memory.
The P-51 Limited Edition for Fossil is very unique and highly detailed and I wonder if we’ll ever see more in the Vintage Aviation Series. The case was etched with P-51 Mustang Limited Edition logo alongside the number produced and your specific number in the series. The rotor in the automatic movement is very detailed and adorns The Brat III nose art and colors. All automatics should have these custom rotors…..it’s a great feature and a talking point when people ask to see my watch. Reminds me of some of the Bremont watches I’ve drooled over. The strap was unique, thick and based off of the seat harness of the plane – I hope the strap never fails!
If you ever get the chance to see a P-51 in person, you’ll notice a lot of these touches with the watch and the packaging that is similar to the plane. There are many more!
The packaging was nice bonus as well. I’m a sucker for good packaging and this kit didn’t disappoint. A wings pin adorned with Vintage Fossil Aviation logo and an embroidered insignia patch were included in the kit. What I liked most however was the attention to detail that most people overlook. The wings logo was on the packaging, paperwork, the watch and even the wallet (sold separately). The little 4-page booklet gave a nice little history lesson about the heritage of the P-51 and tied it together nicely with the Cavanaugh Flight Musuem and the design team at Fossil. All of these goodies were neatly packaged in a military themed box with a green inlay that looks very familiar to a certain green you’ll find inside the cockpit.
There was a video and social media campaign that blitzed me all at the same time and I paid attention to every one of them. The picture above that showed up in all my social feeds was that of the watch, wallet and card holder all resting together with some paracord. The video posted below again reminded me of things I've seen from the Bremont Watch Company including the videos I've studied/memorized from them. Every time I was on the fence about making the purchase, one of these images/videos would popup in my feed and I wondered how many of the 854 were left?
At a retail price of $400 the entry barrier was a bit high, but for $400 you knew you were getting something special. I took my time purchasing one and after a trip to Fossil in March 2015 to meet the team and see more about their process and passion for this series – I made the plunge and haven’t regretted it.
Aeroflite display at Fossil HQ
Watches are meant to be worn and this watch sees a lot of action (office worker action!), but I wear it all the time and it has replaced many of my previous go-tos. I also purchased the wallet, there's something childish and wonderful bout about having the outline of a P-51 Mustang on your wallet.
My actual everyday wallet -- yeah I'm a big deal.
Recently I saw a refreshed P-51 face appearing on the Fossil Q Marshal commercial. Nice to see that even after this watch has come and gone that elements of it live in the newer products.
My Christmas wish for 2016 is a second watch in this series with a possible review or advance screening for our readers....wink wink nudge nudge.
Perfect choice for cocktail parties - well done Bryan
Fossil Facts - Volume 1 Issue1
Occasionally we run across some internal documentation that sheds some light into the world of Fossil in the 90's. The below scans are one such item circa 1996 called Fossil Facts. This 4 page document was used for employees for quick hit talking points around the brand and some knowledge about the watches.
My favorite piece in this whole thing is when asked about the Fossil Image, the response is "Fossil focuses on the wholesome brand image of "America in the 1950's" targeting the value-driven, back to basics consumer of the nineties.
Ironically it was nice to see that Defender was marketed as “an exciting series of watches that is “classic rugged” in styling and geared for ages twenty and up”. Looks like I missed the target demographic for that by a couple of years in 1996 – now I’m pushing 40 and that 'classic rugged style' is what I’m looking for.
Missing Fossil Defender
It finally happened....
After buying and selling 100's of watches on eBay and other forums, I have had a postal theft and I know it's a postal theft because we've had other recent incidents with packages that have been opened prior before arrival to our house. None of the prior incidents have lead me to file a complaint or be upset because nothing was stolen -- this time around however an envelope with a very rare (and not valuable) Fossil Defender DF-5003 with a black or dark blue face was nowhere to be found in the package. In fact the package arrived opened and empty.
this is what i got -- Post Office said they should never have even delivered it like this
Attention Pawn Shops, resellers or anyone else who may come across this slightly banged up Fossil Defender DF-5003 on it's way from Austin, Texas to Cleveland, Ohio -- please let me know. I'd love to use the power of the Internet and this site to find this watch because filing a complaint with the Post Office doesn't seem to go anywhere especially since insurance wasn't on the package. They offered their apologies and essentially said sometimes they employ bad eggs.
I just want a good home.....
The watch is out there.....
As you all know Fossil released a lot of limited edition watches in the nineties that had tie-ins to television, movies and music among other things (I'm still holding my breath for a Nintendo themed Fossil watch). Some of these are very collectible and others are just okay.
Going over some scans I came across a scan from the Fossil Times for an X-Files Limited Edition watch and thought what a timely post given that the X-Files is returning to television TOMORROW! I couldn't be more excited to see Mulder and Scully after 13 years.
The scan below is for the first limited edition X-Files watch from May 1997 for pieces LI-1633 and LI-1634. The watch retailed for $75. Later there was more limited edition X-Files runs of watches LI-1672 & LI-1673 with a more limited number of pieces and I wouldn't doubt there's more pieces out there, the truth is out there.......
"Join Mulder and Scully in their search for the truth with this 10,000 piece Limited Edition watch. Each watch features a matte silver case with a numbered caseback and a silver X-Files dial with a raised logo. Packaged in a silver cylinder tin with the “X” logo on top, the watch also comes with a cool silver X-Files key chain. A Certificate of Authenticity comes in each package, ensuring that your watch is no impostor. Available in May at a store near you! Also available X-Files Sterling Silver Limited Edition LI-1634."
.....the watch is out there.
Fossil Smart Watches
Have you seen the news? There is a lot of talk around Fossil's line of new connected devices called Q. My inbox, my Facebook and my Flipboard are covered in updates from Fossil and tech sites touting this new device. As the owner of a Microsoft Band and a previous owner of a FitBit, I can personally say I'm excited that Fossil took the fashion approach to make these trackers look good and still do all the cool things we've come to expect from our connected devices.
Several articles I read gave readers the impression that this is Fossil's first entrance into the smartwatch/connected device realm, which is true for this decade. However those of us in the know will remember that Fossil was a very early adopter of connected devices as early as 2003/04 with the MSN Direct watches from both Fossil and Abacus. As mobile phones became smarter in the mid-00's, Fossil even released a bluetooth enabled watch (FX6001) that received text messages on your watch along with caller ID. Sadly the watch only worked on Sony Ericsson phones from the period, but it still looks cool and occasionally it's worn.
As a techie and a watch nerd I give you 3 watches + 1 random cool one from my personal collection that I would classify as early examples of Fossil's entrance into this space. I wish nothing but the best for Q and maybe a review will be forthcoming this holiday season once the Founder is available.....wink wink nudge nudge.
Pictured below are the:
- Fossil Dick Tracy FX3002 watch featuring WristNet for MSN Direct. MSN Direct was a wireless service that allowed news, weather, messages and sports coming into your watch. In 2004 that was a BIG DEAL and it was $275
- Fossil Called ID FX6001 bluetooth watch.
- Abacus Smart Watch AU4004 featuring WristNet for MSN Direct. Almost the same watch as the Dick Tracy model minus all the coolness. It was marketed as Smart Watch all the way back in 2005.
- Abacus AU4008 Atomic Watch - not really a smart watch, but I'm fascinated with Atomic Watches and this watch uses its global reception to access the correct time from the Atomic Clocks located in Germany, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Japan. Great for the global traveler -- I will say it didn't work in India!
Fossil Spring/Summer 1995 Catalog
Greetings all! New catalog scan available now in the Galleries section of the site. Please say hello to Fossil's 1995 Spring & Summer Catalog....oh and did I mention it's in German? Enjoy
Fossil Swiss
A few weeks ago we featured the most valuable limited edition Fossil watch, the Greatest. On the coat-tails of some great feedback on the article I wanted to write about the most expensive Fossil watches to date: the Fossil Swiss.
Launched in early 2013 the Fossil Swiss caused ripples and discussions with watch people and Fossil fans right away. Why is Fossil doing launching a $695-$995 range of Swiss made watches? Who would buy such an expensive Fossil watch? Why are they doing this? These questions are still being asked and I admit it I was part of that camp originally. The day I saw the announcement on Twitter I was following #fossilswiss to see all the details because honestly I couldn't believe it.
Fossil is no stranger to Swiss if you know some of the companies that are part of the Fossil Group. Even earlier than that some of our beloved Defenders had a Swiss Quartz movement, which is different from saying Swiss Made. Swiss Quartz is essentially having the movement meeting Swiss Made standards, but the watch most likely was assembled outside of Switzerland to save costs.
Today Fossil has a design center in the heart of watch making country in Switzerland. One article I read said it's across the street from the Rolex SA factory! It's an interesting strategy to watch and if & when you think in terms of Fossil being a global brand, the allure of having a Swiss made watch isn't necessarily for those of us located in the United States (yet), it's for Asia. The majority of Fossil's watches are Asian made and Asians aren't attracted to Asian made watches. Having the term Swiss Made is a no-brainer for Fossil to market upscale products to the ever increasing and particular Asian customer. Who better than to launch a more attractively priced Swiss Made watch than Fossil?
I can't help but think of Buick here in the United States in comparison. Although perceptions of Buick are changing here in the USA, you still have stereotypes of who owns a Buick, but over in China it's the luxury car to have and aspire to. On a recent trip to China I was SHOCKED to see so many Buicks on the road that didn't look like a Buick. It's a great example of a global company knowing it's local markets and it's the same for Fossil. Buick over here is just a Buick, but over in China it's a status symbol -- same could be said with having Swiss Made on the watch vs. Made in China for the Asian consumer.
Recently I took one of my Fossil Swiss watches over to my local Fossil store and the team there gathered around the watch because they've never seen one in the wild before, I even got a handshake from one of the associates who thanked me for bringing it in. Experiences like this and reading articles on watch sites/magazines, I would bet that the majority of sales of these watches do take place in Asia. Anyways I didn't mean to go into a dissertation on it, but as a marketing person I'm fascinated with strategies like this and obviously I'm watching this closely and hoping it pays off for Fossil in Asia and hopefully in the USA. For me being a Fossil nut, I'm proud to finally say I own a legitimate Swiss Made timepiece that didn't cost me thousands of dollars and maybe even a possible divorce for spending that kind of money on a timepiece.
I don't normally go into reviews and discussions around movements and the same will be said today. I'm a fan of great design and currently I own 2 Fossil Swiss watches, both of them are the larger 45MM case. Fossil does offer an automatic Swiss Made watch, but the 38MM case is a little small for my tastes at least for the price point.
I really enjoy these watches and honestly of all the Fossil watches I own, the FSW7000 is the one I find myself staring at every time I wear it. To me it's perfect and it does draw comments and second glances whenever I wear it. Well done Fossil - keep it up!
A little bonus video from the Youtube archives.
The most valuable Fossil Limited Edition - "The Greatest"
Running a collectors site you run into 2 questions almost on a daily basis.
- How can I get or how do I find more information on "xyz" Fossil item?
- How much is my "xyz" Fossil item worth?
Rarely do we talk about prices and item values on this site, but all experts will agree that the most valuable of the early Fossil Limited Editions is the LI-2004 Muhammad Ali Limited Edition Collector's Watch Set. "The Greatest" is the fourth limited edition in the licensed watches that Fossil started in 1992 -- the licensed watches include all the NFL and NBA watches.
"The Greatest" came out in August 1994 and only 7500 were produced - original retail price was $200, which at the time was the most expensive limited edition that came out. $200 is a good deal today. The item is packaged in a nicely designed wooden box with a glass top that showcases the 6"x7" autographed photo of Ali/Liston championship fight on May 25, 1965. The Ali signature is done in a silver paint pen which will not fade over time.
Once inside the cherry display box, you'll find the watch. A Fossil coin dial watch with Ali's face is on it with the words "3 Time World Champion". The watch does have a unique tin obviously made just for this set. Fossil was also nice enough to include a COA.
A lot of times you'll see just the watch listed on eBay and the prices aren't that different from other Fossil limited pieces; however when you place the watch in the cherry display box with the autographed photo the price goes way up! Years ago it wasn't uncommon to see these sell on eBay for $600-$800. I've been watching these for some time (because I want to sell mine) and recently sold sets are selling in the $350-$500 range. One thing you need to remember about eBay is asking price and sold price are 2 different things -- so many sellers are asking $695, $899 and even one now for $1,199.95 and unless you're not all there you can find them much cheaper (on the same site).
Obviously we're being a bit cheeky, but as a Fossil Watch collector you should be against full-blown retail priced buy it nows on eBay -- be smart, do your research and save the extra money for more watches!
Now enjoy some pictures of "The Greatest"
Fossil Defender: some DF series scans
If you've spent anytime on this site, you'll know all about our love here for the Fossil Defender series. Launched in the mid-90's the original DE series had 43 watches ranging from DE-1500 thru 1544, skipping a few in between including 1529 & 1530.
The next series of Defender watches were the DF series. In total there were 24 of these watches released and you can tell they were a different animal as far as design and build quality from the DE. In some of my research I've seen it mentioned that the Defender series was actually designed and assembled by Zodiac before Fossil bought them in 2001. Fossil was trying to have a higher end watch series to compete with a higher price point. I can't confirm it's true, but this could explain why some of the DF series watches retailed for $395, which is a far cry from the $150 for the DE-1527, which was the highest priced of the original DE series.
Of course we all know Fossil recently has relaunched the Defender series and we couldn't be happier. The interchangeable straps are brilliant and I'm always looking for the new straps to mix mine up....we'll call it the DEC series for now and later on we'll get them added to our guides.
Onto the scans! Recent events had made me realize how rare these booklets are that came in the DF series boxes. One of our Defender gurus, Adam has graciously scanned the booklet from one of his and I just love the writing on these scans -- it's so serious and reminds me of a certain catalog that Elaine wrote for on Seinfeld. Bonus bullet points below breaking down the series in case you're collecting them all.
- Spitfire 1000 Series: DF-1001 thru 1012
- Spinnaker 2000 Series: DF-2001 thru 2002
- Streamliner 3000 Series: DF-3001 thru 3004
- Avion 4000 Series: DF-4001 thru 4002
- Starboard 5000 Series: DF-5001 thru 5004
