The Highs and Low of 2023 in My Fossil Watch Collecting Adventures

As we start another year and begin the planning process for new content and some much-needed updates to the site, I would like to highlight a few of my highs and a low from 2023.

Early in 2023 we broke the news about 6 Solar Defenders that seemingly launched out of nowhere. I swallowed my pride and did a review based on specs and photos from Fossil’s website and God forbid even other watch blogs because I didn’t have a physical watch in my hands. Happy to report that as of today I’ve got 2 of the 6 in my possession, the FS5974 and the FS5977. Members of the unofficial Fossil Collectors Club posted on FB that they found other models at the few remaining Fossil Outlet shops around the country, all with rave reviews for quality at the price point.

The FS5977 paired with the green olive band is just about perfect in my opinion. It feels like the graduated version of the old Defenders that I fell in love with years ago. The 46mm case is not normally a size most would go to, but I have to say it seems smaller and very lightweight compared to other larger watches in my collection. However, I will be upgrading the strap in the coming months because these show wear quickly and I already I have some threads hanging from it. So far no issues with the solar movement and I have been happy with the accuracy and the overall look of this piece. Pictured below is the new Defender alongside his DE cousin from 1995.

Sadly, my FS5974 stopped working in October after only 4 months of service. I had assumed it needed a charge since I’m in Ohio where the sun graces us occasionally, but after a few days in the window sill nothing was happening. I sent the watch to Metro (Fossil’s official repair) and I was told it need a movement. Combine that with labor and shipping, Metro sent me a repair request for $61.56! A four-month-old watch and already needed a repair and since it was a gift Fossil wouldn’t honor the warranty. First time in many years I was left disappointed in this brand. I obviously declined the repair, left an honest comment that we shouldn’t have to have this conversation about a 4-month-old watch and paying for a repair. This was my big loss in 2023.

The Heritage series is another launch that I was happy to review last year and in March I did a review of the ME3224 and compared it to some of my Swiss pieces. When the original Swiss Made line launched I had always wanted the FSW1001, the black automatic with the stainless bracelet. Soon after the Heritage series launched I had my eyes on the ME3223, which can we all admit is the same watch sans the swiss made movement. I made the purchase over the holidays and I can’t say enough about the look and feel of this piece. Since I already had the ME3224 with the painful (to me) butterfly clasp, I swapped out the bracelet immediately for a sport strap from one of my Fossil Bullhead pieces. This watch now gives me all the 60’s vibes as I race around town in my Honda Pilot.

Last pieces I wanted to cover were the new Fossil Blue GMT watches. The FS5991 was my summer watch of choice at the beach and now when I wear it or see it, I think summer. I was able to score the Oasis Silicone colorway, model FS5992 before it disappeared into obscurity from Fossil’s sites (including watchstation.com). I still haven’t worn it yet because the bezel doesn’t exactly line up at 12:00 and it drives me CRAZY! Regardless maybe this is my beach watch for summer 2024. I was glad Fossil started making more GMT pieces and promoting them along with other dive watches. As of this post on January 14, 2024 – the US Fossil homepage proudly features the FS6036, the black colorway with a black silicone strap. I’ll be watching the many, many Fossil sales to see when/if this one gets discounted because it will be added to my collection in 2024.

Since this is a collector’s site, I'd be remiss to mention some of the limited-edition collaboration pieces that launched in 2023. We all love the collaborations from the 90’s and I frequently post about them and collectors on Facebook still talk about them all these years later. Disney and Star Wars come to mind – both 2023 collaborations that were also done way back in the 90’s. Same with Barbie, what’s old is new again and we’re here for it.

Thanks to some feedback from fellow collectors, I’ll be posting more content around collaborations in 2024. I miss the relationship I had with Fossil where I could review these watches in my hands along with specs sheets and marketing materials and then give reviews based on a collector’s point of view at the time of launch. Going forward I’ll have a standard template for reviews of these watches as they launch – it’ll be a great record of information for collectors 30 years from now.

Fossil does a great job at highlighting their collaborations & limited editions here: https://www.fossil.com/en-us/collectors-club/

2024 here we go!