Fossil

Fossil, Inc. NASDAQ: FOSL is a designer and manufacturer of clothing and accessories, primarily watches and jewelry, but also sunglasses and wallets, based in Richardson, Texas, United States. Their brands include Fossil, Relic, Abacus, Michele Watch and Zodiac Watch.

Zodiac was a swiss brand that had been operating since 1882 when Fossil acquired it in 2004 to give them a higher end brand. In its earlier days, Fossil watches were known for their mid 50's era designs and low entry price. They later branched into the sale of leather goods and other accessories in the 90's. Fossil's desire to establish a swiss presence led to the purchase of the Zodiac Watch brand and a complete retooling of that line to reflect a retro modern 70's style in a higher end watch.

The purchase of Michele Watch completed the cycle by offering a high-end Swiss watch with a designer flair. Fossil has been very successful with its own brands and this success has led to companies coming to Fossil to create licensed watch lines. The licensed watch lines that Fossil designs, manufactures, and distributes include Burberry, DKNY, Emporio Armani, Columbia, Diesel, Frank Gehry, Philippe Starck, Michael Kors, Callaway Golf, Davis Cup, and recently Adidas.

Fossil watches are common in middle-income retail stores, as well as at most department stores.

In addition, Fossil  produces collectibles, some of which are based on popular films or pop culture characters.

Recently, Fossil  released Wrist PDA which is a tiny Palm OS-based PDA worn like a watch.

The Kartsotis Brothers, Tom and Kosta, own approximately 30% of Fossil stock. The company name Fossil represents the nickname the brothers had for their grandfather.