Fossil DF-5000 Series - A Luxury as Fine as This I’ve Never Known
Fossil Defender. It has been a minute since we’ve posted about anything related to a fan favorite, the Fossil Defender. I was cleaning out some inventory recently and came across a Defender that I completely forgot I had, a DF-5003 from the second run of Defenders.
Fossil Defender. It has been a minute since we’ve posted about anything related to a fan favorite, the Fossil Defender. I was cleaning out some inventory recently and came across a Defender that I completely forgot I had, a DF-5003 from the second run of Defenders.
I bought this a few years ago from eBay and the seller had listed it as brand new. It was not brand new when I received it, but very close with slight signs of use. The case shape and 34mm size is not a combination I would wear in the late 90’s or today and as such will be selling this piece very soon on eBay to make room for new Fossil watches.
A quick post on the beauty of this watch is warranted and let’s document it here before sending it off to the next owner.
The DF-5003 came from a family of 24 DF series watches launched in 1999. The 5 styles of the DF series took a different vibe than the DE series and came in priced very high and marketed as such. The 5000 styles of these watches were nautical in theme and aptly named Starboard.
Three items I wanted to highlight here.
The original price was $350
Tonneau case shape is a strange one for Fossil. Not many watches look like this from them in the past.
The movement is a Time Module Inc (TMI) VX36, which is a subsidiary company of Seiko. Lately it’s been good to see Fossil moving a lot of their new watches over to the more reliable Japanese quartz movements and the Defender DF-5003 was a trendsetter!
A New Line of Fossil Breaker Just in Time for Those Summer Waves
Summer 2024 is upon us and Fossil recently launched a new line of the Fossil Breaker. My summer watch has arrived! Long time Fossil fans will remember the Breaker craze from 2013 where we saw some of the most distinctive and highest reviewed dive watches to ever come out
Summer 2024 is upon us and Fossil recently launched a new line of the Fossil Breaker. My summer watch has arrived! Long time Fossil fans will remember the Breaker craze from 2013 where we saw some of the most distinctive and highest reviewed dive watches to ever come out from Fossil including the very limited 45mm Breaker Automatic, which I posted about here and for those of you with a keen eye — it can be seen as a header image on every page of the Blog.
The new Fossil Breaker line looks suspiciously similar to the previous lineup, BUT this time around they are all coming in smaller at 42mm with a 22mm strap width and by the looks of it a lot less chunky. The new line of Breaker features 4 colorways just in time for Father’s Day….wink wink nudge nudge.
The blue and green colorways paired with the wave dial texture details is what first caught my eye when searching new releases on Fossil.com. Fossil describes the dials as being out on the open water and I agree.
Model numbers are as follows - FS6062 for the black dial with the silicone strap, FS6063 for the white dial, FS6044 for the blue dial and FS6066 green dial. Pictured below with links to the Fossil site to read more.
All cases sizes for this initial launch are 42mm with a 22mm strap/bracelet. Prices in USD range $210-$230. Similar to the Sport Tourer launch of earlier this year it says a Japanese movement.
As a collector I’m happy to see these previous lines of Fossil watches be re-introduced with a modern interpretation and honestly cleaned up a little bit from their predecessors — they’ll make a great addition to the many Fossil Breaker released in the previous generation. Now let’s get a limited edition automatic breaker model released!
Please and Thank You.
Fossil Sport Tourer -- a new collection of fine chronographs
Launching today is a new series that we’re excited about from Fossil – the Sport Tourer. We are thrilled to see Fossil back with some racing inspired chronographs and with a Japanese quartz movement. The name of the new series makes sense given Fossil can no longer use the Speedway name.
Launching officially today is a new series that we’re excited about from Fossil – the Sport Tourer. We are thrilled to see Fossil back with some racing inspired chronographs and with a Japanese quartz movement. The name of the new series makes sense given Fossil can no longer use the Speedway name.
Let’s talk about new pieces before we go into some collector nerdiness.
The Sport Tourer collection launches officially on February 15 with 5 colorways that feature either a stainless-steel bracelet, leather straps or silicone strap.
All cases sizes for this initial launch are 42mm with a 22mm strap/bracelet. Prices in USD range $195-$220. Searching for movement information and came up empty handed, but Fossil does say it’s a Japanese center second chronograph movement and wouldn’t be surprised if it’s a Miyota movement as used before by Fossil and many, many others.
Model numbers are as follows - FS6043 for the cream dial with the perforated strap, FS6044 for the yellow dial, FS6045 for the black dial with the white sub-dials. FS6047 blue dial and the FS6046 for the green dial. Pictured below with links to the Fossil site to read more.
At first glance we’re leaning towards a FS6044 for our first Sport Tourer purchase – because let’s be honest some of the yellow dial Speedways from the late 90’s/early 2000’s are amongst our favorites. Coming in at a close second and our Facebook group confirms this – the cream dial with the leather strap is not far behind – love that drive theme!
You may be thinking; these pieces look familiar. There are lots of chronographs out there and lately the trend is racing/driving themes, which is great for collectors like me, who happened to love cars too. Some of the most memorable chronographs of Fossil past are the Fossil Speedway and Fossil Defenders and while not an exact copy of the Sport Tourer series, these older models including the Compass series of watches from the 2010’s all seem to welcome Sport Tourer to the family. The nods to heritage of previous designs is one of the things we like about Fossil. Keep it up!!!
Fossil DF Defenders
A few from the Fossil Compass Series of 2013-14
Fossil Speedways with an arkitekt cousin
one could argue that the recent retro series looks similar too sans date window
Fossil Swiss Made Watches – Pictures & Specifications
The one and currently only line of Fossil Swiss Made watches released in 2013. Check out the beautiful artwork and specifications on the entire FSW line.
At this point it should be no secret we’re big fans of the short-lived Fossil Swiss series. Launched in 2013 at an incredibly high price point, the series came and went. In 2015 I saw this catalog at the Fossil headquarters and finally found one on eBay.
Proud to present scans from the Fossil Swiss Made catalog. The scans are also now permanently placed under Galleries in the top navigation.
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.
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!
Additional Fossil GMT Watches Discovered - Collect Them All!
Highlighted in a previous article were 4 known GMT watches and since then I’ve discovered a few more and coincidentally Fossil has released more. GMT for the win! One of the newly discovered watches could be categorized as World Time and not GMT, but I am including in this exclusive catalog.
While we’re posting this a little late, there is something about Father’s Day and watches that go together like coffee and donuts. As a purveyor of fine Fossil pieces, I always plan on purging a few from my collection for a much better price in June than almost any other month except the holiday season (which is quickly approaching). The profit from a few watches allows me to purchase new Fossil pieces including a new GMT and I have to say I’m in love. Also, oddly enough the search engine traffic leading to our little collectors site exploded in June with terms such as Fossil GMT and GMT watches…..interesting, very interesting.
Before we dig into the watches, I do want to highlight that this article is an addition to an older post on Fossil GMT watches from September 2020 - https://www.undergroundfossilcollectors.club/blog/fossil-gmt-watches
Highlighted in the previous article were 4 known watches and since then I’ve discovered a few more and coincidentally Fossil has released more. GMT for the win! One of the newly discovered watches could be categorized as World Time and not GMT, but I am including in this exclusive catalog. One watch I am not including came out in 2006, it was called LED Dual Time BQ-9279. Since it has a digital element, it’s cheating and not a proper movement. We have to draw a line somewhere.
Listing from newest to oldest, lets dig in with some photos and some review notes on the ones I own.
Just launched in September 2023 and honestly sparked a reminder that I had this post in draft is a black silicone FB model FS6036. It is a sharp new colorway from a full line of FB GMT models pictured below that came out earlier in the summer of 2023. All of the new releases are 46mm and while that might too large for some, I really cannot tell — Fossil did a phenomenal job in making a larger timepiece not seem as large.
My summer watch of 2023 has been the blue dial cousin of the FS6036, pictured below is the very durable and gorgeous FS5991. I cannot say enough good things about this watch — it has been on 3 beaches, many theme parks and even a few camping trips this summer. I will fondly look at this watch and think summer for years to come, it’s very sharp and just the right weight. I really think Fossil hit a home run with this new series and looking forward to yes you guessed it, collecting them all.
Launched alongside the blue FS5991 were 2 other GMT models. One is a gold tone stainless model and the other is a very summery silicone strap model. Pictured below are the 2 models. The Gold-Tone is FS5990 and the Oasis Silicone Watch is FS5992.
Continuing our journey backwards is a Limited Edition Fossil Blue GMT Stainless Steel Watch LE1156 which was released in 2022. In life I have many regrets and not purchasing this watch on an epic Fossil sale is one of those — sadly I do not own the granddaddy of the Fossil Blue GMT Series (yet), but a full review will be available once I do! Coming in at 42mm it is a little smaller than the new pieces, but I’ve been assured by a fellow collector that the sizing feels proper and just right. The case seems to be similar to other quartz versions in the FB series, but I can’t be certain until I get one of the 1056 pieces produced in my hands!
If you are keeping track we now have 9 total GMT watches that have been discovered. Now comes the fun part of showing for the first time in years 1 additional piece from yesteryear making the grand total to 10.
In 2011 Fossil launched the CH2741 and called it the Multi-Time Black Dial Sport Watch. Whatever you call it, it has World Time on the dial and features a GMT movement.
Having an original 2011 catalog that featured this watch it was interesting to see the original price at $145 and here is the marketing description of the watch:
We created this sporty watch with the traveller in mind. Keep track of your local time while simultaneously tracking a secondary destination in military time. A rotating internal dial ring showing world cities can be used to determine the time anywhere in the world. Features include easily readable dial indicators, a matte stainless steel case, and a comfortable black silicone strap.
Obviously this is a very unique watch, I’ve never seen another one like it with the case back actually holding the movement in as well the strap! Watch is also huge at 52mm. Unlike the new GMT models this 52mm feels very large and it’s quite distracting on my wrist.
BONUS - If you are reading this you deserve a bonus picture of the BQ-9279 from 2006. It’s from the Blue Series and could be a considered a very distant relative of the new Fossil Blue GMT Series with a digital element to the movement.
Fossil Trench Watch LE1040 - Another Limited Edition You May Have Missed
The Fossil Trench LE1040 watch is our next submission in the ongoing series of limited editions you may have missed. With a run of 1054 pieces and a retail price at $225 this piece most certainly blew past many collector’s radar when launched in 2015. Over the years Fossil has released several trench style watches, but this is the only “official” piece and let’s discuss.
The Fossil Trench LE1040 watch is our next submission in the ongoing series of limited editions you may have missed. With a run of 1054 pieces and a retail price at $225 this piece most certainly blew past many collector’s radar when launched in 2015. Over the years Fossil has released several trench style watches, but this is the only “official” piece and let’s discuss.
Trench watch history is fascinating and with just a quick search online you can find photos and clubs dedicated to these earliest of watches. Trench watches are easy to spot with their steel guard cases covering the dial to protect from scratches and/or cracking. Fossil has done numerous trench style watches over the years, but this is the only one called a trench watch on the watch itself and also in the materials related to the watch – all other similar watches that Fossil has produced they’ve identified as Paratrooper starting in 1987.
See below for a quick history lesson spanning 1987 - 2009.
FUN FACT: PT nomenclature in Model number for Paratrooper in ALL Fossil early pieces.
1988 Pop-Top Paratrooper pieces PT-20 (gold case) and PT-21(silver case).
March 1991 is the last of the Paratrooper pieces – PT7420 and PT7421
More recently we saw the Paratrooper style watch brought back in 2009 with the FS4474 and FS4473. These were re-releases of previous Paratrooper watches of the 1980’s brought back in a series called REISSUES as part of Fossil’s 25th anniversary. I have both of these in my collection for the time being – both feature a 45mm case and an odd crown location for those odd lefties.
Now onto the Trench watch from 2015. Lots of great limited pieces during this age and the Trench watch certainly is an acquired taste that got a lot of mixed reviews when I posted it on Facebook a few weeks ago. I bought this in 2015 at an outlet store for much less than retail which always tells me that these weren’t popular and instead of sitting on the shelf they hit the outlet stores (remember those!)
The case comes in at 43mm, which is large, but not dinner plate large. The movement is a simple quartz movement with a large plastic spacer inside — certainly the watch looks quality and durable, but the insides not so much. I have had to send it back to Fossil twice for repairs over the years, but with something this unique and cool I don’t mind it.
What I like most about this limited edition and several other similar offerings back in the mid 2010’s is the versatility of the limited editions. Don’t like the stainless steel grill on the face? Take it off. Don’t like the leather strap, swap it out with a nylon fabric strap. The packaging of this piece has ALWAYS been on display in my Fossil cabinet because it is very elegant as compared to the fabric/canvas boxes from earlier limited editions. As far as durability, the stainless grill is worn during war times at the office and I like to joke at work that special days at work require the Trench Watch to survive corporate life and all the urgent emails and expectations.
Fossil Heritage ME3224 Hands-On Discussion
Right off the bat what I like about my new Fossil Heritage watch is the premium feel of it. The weight and the materials you can tell are meant to be set apart.
Let’s talk about the Fossil Heritage Series. I’ve been waiting to obtain one for a while now, see my thoughts from October 2022 and obviously part of owning always comes a discussion. I could have done what other watch bloggers do when unique Fossil pieces come to market by posting some marketing photos and repeat the specs. While that’s fine and part of the industry, I know that others like me enjoy the hands-on review with amateur photos and any type of story or history from a collector point of view. Case in point - not one Fossil Heritage review mentioned the short-lived Swiss line. Before we dive in, let me preface that this post is regarding the Heritage watches and no other items in the current Heritage line which includes handbags & jewelry.
Fossil Swiss we should start here and for a background see a post from way back in April 2015 for more insight into the Swiss line and also some thoughts about the why. The short of it was that Fossil Swiss was a premium line of Fossil watches from 2013-15 that were very expensive and now have become a collector’s piece. I know of several collectors past and present in our Facebook community that chase after these and post some of the most creative pictures with their Swiss. The automatic pieces featured a Fossil owned STP movement, same brand of movements found in other Fossil owned brands including Zodiac. Pictured below are actual pieces in my collection. Good design is timeless and these Fossil Swiss pieces are in constant rotation, especially the FSW7000 chronograph. The quartz line of Swiss pieces including my chronograph featured a Ronda movement. Note the Swiss line of chronographs is 45mm vs. the Heritage non-chronograph at 43mm.
As mentioned, the Fossil Heritage series when launched made no mention of Swiss. A few of the comments on Instagram from fans (including me!) mentioned Swiss and eventually on a Fossil Live event a designer said these pieces were based on the Swiss series. I don’t think you’ll need verbal confirmation that these 2 lines are related. Pictured below side by side is the new Heritage ME3224 and my old (now sold) Swiss FSW4003 - both are 43mm.
Right off the bat what I like about my new Fossil Heritage watch is the premium feel of it. The weight and the materials you can tell are meant to be set apart. Most notably for me is the sapphire crystal – quite a difference in weight and clarity from a lot of others in my collection. The concept of premium something Fossil is chasing and promoting with their traditional watch lines and it makes 100% sense that the first order of business in this premium go to market is reviving the Swiss line with a lower cost movement. All the premium looks without the higher priced movement. Swiss retail prices were $695-$895 USD and Fossil Heritage retail prices are currently hugging around $280-$295 USD, which is high, but much easier to deal to explain to my wife now vs. my Swiss purchase in 2014! Speaking of wives there is a women’s line of Heritage watches at 38mm and some are on sale. Wink, Wink, Nudge, Nudge!
Take a look! https://www.fossil.com/en-gb/featured/the-edit/fossil-heritage/
The original Swiss line wasn’t very colorful and featured a lot of rose gold pieces (did you catch my old FSW4003 comment above)? The green dial on this Fossil Heritage automatic was the first piece I saw when launched and it immediately spoke to me. The dial is gorgeous, it’s not as bright as pictured on the website, but green is my color lately and this goes well with anything.
Heritage ME3224
Action photo in front of a very old Fossil poster.
The movement for those of you who are curious is Miyota 8N24. Interesting in this new premium line are no quartz movements and that’s just fine – these non-chrono pieces have the premium, simple and elegant look that seem to be a universal love for most. Some automatic pieces you’ll actually feel the rotor spinning on the watch, but that’s not the case with the Heritage.
With all these positives I do want to list out one negative – the bracelet. This is really a negative on the trend of the bracelet deployant in premium watches lately and not the watch or the look of the oyster bracelet with the watch. The bracelet deployant or what most call a butterfly clasp on most premium bracelets these days is painful!
I find with all bracelets like this (even non-Fossil) that the butterfly clasp is uncomfortable because it does add quite a bit of bulk under the wrist and by the end of the day the skin pinch and embedding of the clasp in my wrist is enough for me to remove the watch sooner than I normally do. The butterfly clasp doesn’t allow for any adjustments outside of removing links and sadly like most things in my life I’m in-between sizes.
Earlier I mentioned I wear the Swiss FSW7000 all the time and I don’t experience this pain as much as I did with the Heritage. I measured the bracelets and found that while I did remove 4 links from the FSW7000, there is a very small link next to the butterfly clasp that the Heritage doesn’t have. A very small difference that makes all the difference in the world for my comfort and maybe a few others. See the pictures below.
All in all, I like where Fossil is going with this line and look forward to grabbing a few more colorways in the future. Most notably the deep blue ME 3244 dial is calling my name. For now I welcome the green ME3224 into the family.
New Solar Defenders for 2023
Picture a dreary work trip in Europe, it’s rainy and cold and you are tired, jet-lagged and longing for comforts of home. Your phone goes off and it’s your friend Adam alerting you that new Defenders are now appearing on Amazon & Zappos. Wiping the rain off of your phone and in 100% bewilderment there they are - 3 new Defenders! A deeper dive into Google and 3 more new Defenders are discovered for a grand total of 6. Could there be more?
Picture a dreary work trip in Europe, it’s rainy and cold and you are tired, jet-lagged and longing for comforts of home. Your phone goes off and it’s your friend Adam alerting you that new Defenders are now appearing on Amazon & Zappos. Wiping the rain off of your phone and in 100% bewilderment there they are - 3 new Defenders! Why didn’t I know about these — where is the heads up? A deeper dive into Google and 3 more new Defenders are discovered for a grand total of 6. Could there be more? Happy 2023, let’s dig in!
Not much is known at this point about these Defenders. No Defender specific model numbers, no special marketing or packaging and nothing is appearing on Fossil.com in the US yet (they are appearing on Germany’s site as of 2/9/23). The movements are all solar and the descriptions are very earth friendly and one can only assume it’s a step towards Fossil’s advertised sustainability efforts to being good for the planet.
As a fan of the now defunct One Eleven Watches, I’m excited to see the solar movements and earth friendly materials promoted in our favorite line of Fossil watches.
The 6 new pieces are model numbers FS5973, FS5974, FS5975, FS5976, FS5977 and FS5978 and are pictured below is corresponding order.
For now we’ll keep the Defender Guide updated with the latest.
Update as of February 15, 2023! The new Defenders are now live across Fossil’s various country sites. Find the links below for each colorway here in the US. Important to note the case size is 40mm unless otherwise noted. We look forward to reviewing soon in person, in the meantime happy shopping.
FS5973 - Defender Solar-Powered Stainless Steel Watch
FS5974 - Defender Solar-Powered Medium Brown Eco Leather Watch
FS5975 - Defender Solar-Powered Luggage Eco Leather Watch
FS5976 - Defender Solar-Powered Stainless Steel Watch 46mm
Fossil Limited Editions You May Have Missed – The Compass Set LE1012
Next up in our series of limited editions you may have missed is the Fossil Compass Watch Collection set LE1012 from 2013. Obviously we’re jumping ahead a little bit in the numbers, but have no fear we’ll eventually cover other limited editions between LE1006 and LE1012 – the span in those 6 pieces is….
Next up in our series of limited editions you may have missed is the Fossil Compass Watch Collection LE1012 from 2013. Obviously we’re jumping ahead a little bit in the numbers, but have no fear we’ll eventually cover other limited editions between LE1006 and LE1012 – the span in those 6 pieces is 3 years! Now in 2013 the canvas boxes are gone and this set comes in a very nice wax canvas portfolio.
First off let’s identify the elephant in the room – there is no compass in the compass set. Why Fossil consistently uses the compass name in some pieces that don’t feature a compass is a lingering question. The compass name goes back to 1989, but those watches did feature a compass on the strap. There was once even a Fossil Compass watch that was only a compass and no watch!
Let’s quickly dive into this set. The watch itself is very sharp with almost a classic Defender look but with the orange on the dial – it really stands out – might be a little too small for some however at 38mm. Original cost was $295 and was limited to 754 pieces. The LE1012 sold out very quick in 2013 because yours truly tried to buy one new online and couldn’t get one ordered – my local store (when they existed) did not get one of these pieces in their inventory. It wasn’t until years later when a fellow collector sold me his. Even today if you do research on this watch you’ll find some collector chatter on how sharp this piece was and how surprised they were to see something like this from Fossil. A few other limited editions of this vintage along with the short lived Fossil Swiss line certainly made some news.
The LE1012 set included 3 different 18mm straps that interchanged very quickly depending on how you felt. The nylon strap in black & orange has always been my go to and good luck ever finding another one – it’s unique to this piece and not available separately. A five-link bracelet and black leather strap also came included. The black leather strap was one of the first in the Fossil fleet to offer the horizontal stitch marks in another color – a trend we still see today.
The underdog in this set is the folio. It’s wax canvas with some leather trim and very durable. One of the details overlooked is the leather zipper tag that matches the leather strap. If this was a little larger it’d be perfect for a tablet and/or other work materials that I carry around. On occasion when traveling with watches I have used this folio and it’s durability to transport precious cargo across state lines.
The entire kit when new came in a cloth bag and found in a Fossil gift box as common to that era. Enjoy the photos from the 2 sets in our collection.
