Fossil / Emporio Armani Richardson watches Age determination
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Brief information about the brand
| Period | Event / Focus | Features |
|---|---|---|
| 1984 – 1995 | Founded (USA, Dallas, Texas) – first retro-style fashion watches | analog quartz watches, “Old American” designs |
| 1995 – 2005 | Brand boom – first chronographs, automatic lines | three- or six-digit references, round stainless steel cases |
| 2005 – 2015 | Massive expansion – Fossil Group (diesel, skagen, etc.) | References begin with "FS" / "CH" / "ME" etc. |
| from 2015 | Hybrid / Smartwatch era | “FTW…” models, Smart / Hybrid / Touch models with Bluetooth |
| from 2020 | New designs (Automatics, Heritage, ME3xxx, Hydra, etc.) | New logos and references; on watches with a display, the firmware year is often visible. |
Serial / Model Numbers
The reference number is the most important key at Fossil and stands for:
- on the bottom of the housing (e.g. “FS4656”, “CH2724”, “ME3101”, “FTW4040”)
- or on the label/warranty card.
Meaning of the prefix
| prefix | watch type | Timeframe |
|---|---|---|
| FS‑xxxx | Men's watch / Standard quartz | ~ 1996 – today (“Fossil Style”) |
| CH‑xxxx | Chronographs (quartz) | ~ 2000 – 2010 |
| BQ‑xxxx | small collections / boutique | ~ 2010 – 2018 |
| ME‑xxxx | Automatic ("Mechanical") | ~ 2005 – present |
| JR‑xxxx | Retro series (Jake / JR Jones) | ~ 1990 – 2000 |
| FTW‑xxxx | Fossil Smart & Hybrid Watches | ~ 2015 – present |
Conclusions from Work & Technology
| Work / Floor inscription | Time | Notice |
|---|---|---|
| “Japan Movement” (Miyota or TMI Y121 / VD53) | 1990 – 2005 | early quartz models |
| “China Movement” / “Japan Mov't” | 2000 – today | Standard quartz crystal |
| “Automatic – 21 Jewels” (Miyota 82S0 / Seiko NH35 / STP) | from 2005 | Automatic series ME-series |
| “Smart / FTW…” (Bluetooth, Wear OS / Hybrid) | from 2015 | Smartwatch line Gen 1 – Gen 6 |
Design features for dating
| feature | Period |
|---|---|
| Thick, round stainless steel cases with engraved "Fossil USA" | 1980s–early 1990s |
| Vintage/aviator style with leather strap | 1995–2005 |
| Large format > 44 mm + sporty chronographs | 2005–2015 |
| “Skeleton” insights, skeletal work (“ME…”) | from 2008 |
| Smart / Hybrid Crown (pushers + charging symbols) | from 2016 |
| USB charging contacts on the back | Smartwatch from 2019 onwards |
Example table (with estimated years)
| reference | type | caliber | Estimated year of construction |
|---|---|---|---|
| JR-9850 | Retro Quartz | Miyota 6P29 | 1998–2000 |
| FS-4159 | Quartz Chronograph | TMI VD57 | 2006–2008 |
| CH-2710 | Chronograph | TMI VD53 | 2008–2010 |
| ME-3099 | Automatic | Seiko NH35 | 2017 |
| FTW-4012 | Wear OS Smart Gen 5 | Qualcomm 3100 | 2020 |
FOSSIL was 1984 founded and is headquartered in Richardson, Texas, USA.
The company offers an extensive collection of watches. These include, among others, its own brands Fossil, MW, MW Michele, Wrist Net, Wrist PDA, Skagen, and Zodiac , as well as licensed brands Adidas, Burberry, Diesel, DKNY, Karl Lagerfeld, Michael Kors , Marc Jacobs, Marc by Marc Jacobs, Emporio Armani, and Relic.
In 2001, Fossil acquired Montres Antima SA, founded in 1911 and specializing in design, prototyping, and assembly, as well as Meliga Habillement Horloger SA and Synergies Horlogeres SA , all based in Biel. These companies will provide Fossil with design, procurement, and production capabilities for the manufacture and marketing of Swiss-made watches. For the past two years, they have been located near the considerably larger Rolex factory in the Bözingenfeld district of Biel.
Fossil has over 5,400 employees worldwide. In 2005, the company achieved annual sales of $1 billion.
Currently (as of 2017), the company focuses its business primarily on connected watches and smartwatches . In March 2017, Fossil announced that all men's models under the Michael Kors brand will henceforth feature a chip or a touchscreen. These include hybrid watches , which have a dial with classic hands but also offer features such as step counting or a button to trigger the smartphone camera. Fossil plans to launch a total of 300 connected model variants under 14 brand names this year. The company is utilizing Google's Android Wear operating system.
Source: Watchwiki, AI
