Terry Moss 9/6/21 Terry Moss 9/6/21

Southwest Airlines Limited Edition Retro Pilot Chronograph Watch

Collaborations have been done in the past with Fossil and we’ve covered our fair share of them. The latest collaboration is one that pushes all the right buttons for our household: Southwest Airlines, Retro-Pilot Series, Aviation theme, Limited Edition and of course a Fossil product!

Southwest Airlines and Fossil Watches what do they have in common?

Spoiler Alert: Dallas!

Before we dive into the product, wanted to give a shout out for our love of Southwest Airlines. Mrs. Underground Fossil Collectors Club and I have been loyal Southwest frequent fliers since we started dating in 1999 and did the long-distance thing while in college. $69 roundtrip flights to St. Louis from Cleveland was a line item on the old budget back then. Nowadays this family of 4 enjoys flying Southwest and the 2 free checked bags is a nice bonus when coming back from the land of Disney and a recent hiking trip in Utah – thanks Southwest!

In 2021 Southwest is officially 50 years old and once the Instagram post of this collaboration was hinted at way back in June – we knew we had to show our love and make the purchase. The following post is only going to cover the LE1132 men’s version because the LE1138 was sold out before we could purchase one to review. Sorry ladies!!!

The timeless design of chronograph watches with the three sub-dials pushed to the left side of the face is one of the first designs that hooked us. Add to that the skyward pointing 12-hour marker on an aviation themed chronograph and you have now just embarked on a lifelong collecting journey. So many to choose from including Defenders, Retro-Pilots, Speedways and more. However, this Southwest/Fossil collaboration is limited to only 1971 pieces in honor of the year Southwest was founded.

First thing you’ll notice most likely with this watch besides it already being sold out is the color blue. There is a lot of blue here and it’s on brand with Southwest. The 44mm case houses an all blue face and its gorgeous. The leather strap is blue too and something very unique is the straps are all made with repurposed airline seats – we should add here cleaned & repurposed airline seats. Southwest fans will notice the blue, yellow and red hints throughout the face include the dials and secondhand. Look at the at crown while you’re at it

Something we don’t normally cover or care about is the back of the case. Southwest’s logo/insignia is proudly featured on the back of the case in enamel – LUV it

Packaging is up next and as expected it is amazing. The tin, the paperwork, the little details that you let know this is a collectible piece and tied to something special is one thing Fossil always does right and the LE1132 is no exception. I do wish better care was given when these collectible pieces ship off to customers – my tin came dented and the paper card inside is a bit pushed in and almost chewed up in the corners. Similar feedback was left on Fossil’s site – collectors are a particular crew and we notice everything!

Being sold out already is a sad reality for this piece. Some of the 1971 pieces are already selling (not listed for) on eBay for over $500USD. The good news here for Fossil fans is that this piece is related to the newly re-leased Retro-Pilot series on Fossil.com. Sure the Southwest branding isn’t there and the faces are a little different, but the case and the size (and the aviation theme) are all intact. Recently a Hybrid version appeared on Fossil.com, it truly is a great time to be alive.

Fossil Southwest Collaboration Link (SOLD OUT)
https://www.fossil.com/en-us/products/southwest-airlines-limited-edition-retro-pilot-chronograph-blue-leather-watch/LE1132.html

Retro-Pilot Series
https://www.fossil.com/en-us/products/retro-pilot-chronograph-brown-leather-watch/FS5832.html

Terry Moss 10/14/16 Terry Moss 10/14/16

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.

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

Terry Moss 1/7/15 Terry Moss 1/7/15

Fossil Retro Pilot Series

Vintage aviation is cool. The pilots back in the 40's looked cool and I know that wasn't the intent, but still that look is timeless and countless modern day brands have tried to capitalize on it. I've bought into it and if you Google military watch or pilot's watch, the results are endless. Who hasn't fallen down that wormhole a few times?

Fossil back in 1988 came out with the Retro-Pilot series of watches. This could very much be one of the first collections or series of watches they created. Due to the age of these watches or possibly lower production numbers they are not common - I've only seen several watches show up online in recent years. The watches I have don't even have model numbers or years on the back, but they did have model numbers and I've included them below with the images. In total there were 22 watches featured in this collection and they ranged from Paratrooper, Navy Diver and various pilot themed watches all with leather bands.

A few details is that the cases on the 2 I've had both measured 37MM, which is really small. The bands were 18MM and embossed on the leather band is Fossil Air.

Rumor has it Fossil is soon to return to these roots with a Vintage Aviation Series in 2015. Regardless enjoy the several watches I've found. I wouldn't categorize them all as pilot watches, but they are "distinct and unconventional as those daring aviators that inspired them".

Terry Moss 3/2/10 Terry Moss 3/2/10

Fossil Airplane Watches

Here's an auction that has peaked my interest. 4 different versions of the Fossil airplane watch. 2 of them are limited edition versions, one being from the Around the World Series (LE-9451) and the other was the first limited edition watch ever done by Fossil in 1992, the gold airplane on a skelton face (SK-5038). This is the last watch on the right. I'll definitely be watching this auction (and I missed it).

The airplane watches on eBay lately have been doing well, much better than Captain Fossil :)

Terry Moss 2/26/10 Terry Moss 2/26/10

Fossil Defender series

Fossil Defender watches were marketed as a top of the line watch styled in classic 1940's style. These watches were available from what I remember in about 1995. It's another truly retro series that only Fossil could pull off. These watches were inspired by the design of a 1940's airplane cockpit and in my opinion are a better representation of the era than Fossil's latest attempts of doing vintage aviation.

Anyone have a great Defender watch you'd like to post?