Surprise ornament from Fossil

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More often than I like to tell my wife, I order things from the current Fossil catalog and with the free overnight shipping earlier this month I couldn't resist. I needed a new belt, nothing exciting and to my surprise I had a nice little vintage surprise thrown into the package.

Came with a little card that says "We created this vintage-inspired tin decoration just for you. It's just a little something to spread holiday cheer..." It also came with a to and from tag, but there is no way I'm giving this to anyone. Merry Christmas to me!

I have to say there are some items in the current Fossil catalog that is being inspired by the good old days of their advertising. There are some wallets with 50's cars on them and even a tablet leather case with robots on it. Really great stuff, but too pricey for this father of 2.

Fossil.com via Archive.org

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Ever go to www.archive.org? It’s a great site where you can travel back in time and see what various websites looked like in the past. I’ve used archive.org frequently to research Fossil watches and limited edition releases that were listed online. Most of what I know about Fossil Defender series watches I’ve pulled from this site. Too bad I couldn’t order one online.

For fans of the old Fossil advertising campaigns, archive.org is your place to go to see some of the artwork in action on the web. Below is a sample of some of the artwork I have pulled from the site. Sad thing is I can remember some of these pages when they were live back in 1996 and now they are archived for historical purposes.

Anyone out there know if I could use some of these pictures on this site? I’ve been tempted to use some of these images from time to time on a few pages, but I’ve always refrained. This post is simply showing the images that you can find on some of the old Fossil sites on www.archive.org

One of the most intriguing pictures I’ve seen is the picture of the Fossil bus. Don’t know the story on it, but it looks cool and it definitely had to be a show-stopper.

Fossil Around the World Poster

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I've posted a few times on my love for the Fossil Around the World Series. There were 5 watches in that set and a bonus clock if you bought all the watches and mailed in the proofs of purchase.

I've highlighted some of the watches before here including the Cruise-O-Matic watch and the bonus clock. Future posts on the other 4 watches are forthcoming, I promise.

The poster in my office says Around the World, but I don't know for sure if it's related to the campaign from the mid-90's. The branding is consistent with the marketing materials from the 5 watches and for goodness sake it does Around the World, but I have a few other items that say Around the World and I know they are not related to the watches. Most bizarre item I have is my everyday leather belt, it says Fossil Around the World on the tag. So this was most likely a poster hung in the store that just advertised a short-term campaign.

Regardless of its heritage, it is a cool piece and I proud to display it in my office. It measures 27 inches tall and about 21 inches wide. The poster is mint and I bought a cheapie frame to frame it in my office. I love the guy at the bottom of the poster and I have seen in the past a cardboard display piece of him holding an actual tin.

The only Fossil poster hanging in my office

Fossil Puzzle

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Lately I have been trying to get my hands on some of the non-watch stuff from Fossil. One of the items I saw a few years ago was a Fossil puzzle based on tin 0015C, the tin with the 50's scene and the 1956 Chevy. It took awhile, but I finally came across one with the tin.  I've only seen 3 of these in recent years.

The tin measures 8 inches long by 5 inches wide perfectly. It's a little thick at 1.75 inches deep. The puzzle has over 100 pieces. The only marking on the tin is a model number GB-1003. You're guess is as good as mine. No other markings or advertising is on the item. Would love to know the original cost. In reading a few things online over the years on Fossil, I'd imagine this came as a promotion for buying a watch during the holidays or some other type of promotional period.

Anyone have any more information on this? Any other puzzles made?

Fossil Puzzle 0015C

Fossil Coffee Shop

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When I started this site back in February 2010, I was mainly thinking it could be site to talk about my favorite Fossil watches from the 1990's. As I started writing and sorting through my collections I have found that my passion for Fossil runs past watches and into the oddball merchandise they produced and so does yours! The stores and displays in the 1990's had some great merchandise. Some of the items I have and have seen I am not even sure if you could buy it in the stores, but the internet and collector's forums have really allowed us to find some great stuff. The past few months I have sorted through my collection and hope to have more regular post on watches and of course the oddball advertising pieces that I really love.

Wanted to highlight a recent eBay find - a Fossil Coffee Shop mug. I have only seen 2 of these and the first one sold for $30 on eBay. I paid $9.50 for this and it's well worth it. The mug is white and is styled after the diner coffee cups from the 40's and 50's. No other coffee mug is styled after this one. The logo is a circle with a worker and it says, "Servin it up since 1954"

Servin it up since 1954

Fossil Automotive Tins

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If you talk about advertising in the 40's and 50's there is no doubt you'll talk about automotive advertising. Some of my favorite items are the various automotive tins from Fossil that I have been able to get in recent years. Below are 4 tins that caught my eye a few months ago on eBay. These tins were produced between 1996 and 1999.

Tin numbers are BRC0158 (upper left), BRC0082 (upper right), BRC0065 (lower left), and BRC0135 (lower right).

Fossil Tins

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Most people when they think of Fossil watches probably think of one thing --- tins. I’ll place money on it. Tin collecting has a life of its own and it’s something I am just now getting started with. Online there are more sites and blogs dedicated to tin collecting than to Fossil watches and memorabilia. It’s pretty amazing the information out there and the passion some of these folks have with tins. I’m hoping to link in with some of those folks later on as I build this site.

Fossil tends to release tins in sets of particular designs. I’ve been finding sets of 4 lately online, meaning 4 of them have the same theme or treatment. Most tins had a numbering scheme with a date, which makes for easier classification. The newer watches I’ve been buying lately do not seem to have any indication of numbering scheme or a specific timeframe, maybe they are bootleg tins or something.

Fossil has released a book called, “Tinspiration” and I’ve tried to order it twice from their corporate site and both times my order is cancelled. So either the book is make believe or they refuse to ship to me anymore, regardless I’ve taken matters in my own hands and bought the book on Amazon for $6.99 with shipping!

I received it the other day and I am spending some time with it before I start posting about tins and tin collecting. It only has the watch tins in the book, so wallet tins and other misc tins are not covered. Pick the book up for yourself -- the back of the book has the most comprehensive and visual guide to tins I've ever seen.

The ultimate Fossil green calendar - Big Date

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I used to have a paper calendar at my desk at work. Everyday another piece of paper would hit the recycling bin and ultimately probably in a dump anyways. I'm being more green in owning this Fossil Big Date calendar. Not sure release dates or even the use for these back in the 90's. I have seen other variations.

Fossil Big Date flip calendar

Fossil Counter Advertisement

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Here's another oddball Fossil store display piece. It's a classic car paper weight basically that sat on the counter of a Fossil display. I remember items similar like this on the counter from years back. I'm a sucker for automobile advertising and nostalgia and this piece fits right in. It'll make a great piece for my desk and I only paid $34 on eBay for it.

There is no number or information on this piece, but the car swivels around on the 2" dia. base, it measures 4" x 1 3/4" x 1 1/4" and the total height is 3" tall. It's a solid heavy piece.

Fossil store displays

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There are some great Fossil store displays out there and over the years, I’ve seen gas pumps, mini buses and random cardboard displays before. Was wondering if anyone has any great pieces they would like to share or talk about? We love the uncommon stuff!

One of my recent finds is a 25 year anniversary banner that was displayed in September 2009 at Fossil’s 25th anniversary celebration in all their stores. It measures about 60 inches long and 24 inches wide and has folds for hanging. It's printed on vinyl and is really a great find.

Fossil 25th Anniversary

Fossil 25th Anniversary