For the First Time Since High School, I Kind of Want a Fossil Watch

Is that so crazy?

Published 8 hours ago

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Like many millennials, the first watches I ever purchased were Fossil watches. Long before I became a watch enthusiast, I still wore a watch every day, and a number of them were Fossils.

From approximately eighth grade through high school, I burned through four Fossil watches, all of which belonged to the brand’s “Blue” line of water-resistant sports watches. The first two had blue dials, with the second being a diver, both purchased in an attempt to mimic the look of James Bond’s Omega Seamaster, which at the time was unfathomably expensive to me.

Later in high school, my style branched out a bit. I had a white and blue panda dial triple calendar that was made to look like a chronograph, followed by a similar model with a gray dial and a sun-moon complication that was made to look like a moonphase.

a vintage fossil watch — One of the Fossil models I wore in high school while trying (and failing) to look like Pierce Brosnan.

None of these watches lasted very long. Two stopped working and were chucked, one was stolen from boys’ locker room during a basketball game, and the sun-moon model found its eternal resting place at the bottom of Lake Wassookeag during a particularly aggressive bout of tubing.

In college, I bought a Bulova Marine Star that I wore for a decade. Around 30, I discovered mechanical watches and decided, oddly enough, to structure my life around them. Suffice it to say, I haven’t given much thought to Fossil watches in a very long time.

But that changes today, because I’ve just learned of the Marvel x Fossil Fantastic Four Watch. And I kind of want to buy one.

a fossil watch on a mans wrist — This could be me.

A Fantastic Collab

Marvel’s PR team has been in overdrive promoting The Fantastic Four: First Steps, and with good reason. The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) has fallen on hard times of late, with inconsistent quality, meandering storytelling, lackluster reviews and disappointing box office returns defining the franchise since 2019’s Avengers: Endgame wrapped up a 22-film saga.

In other words, the MCU has a lot riding on Fantastic Four, with the purse-string-holders at Disney hoping that Marvel’s First Family can give the sputtering franchise the shot in the arm it so desperately needs.

That’s why there has been such an overwhelming amount of marketing budget poured into the film. Just talking watches alone, there are at least three different brands that have released official movie tie-in models for The Fantastic Four. G-Shock made one. Citizen made two. Now, it’s Fossil’s turn.

I’ve seen the movie, and I loved it. It’s easily my favorite Marvel film since Endgame, but beyond that, I’m in love with the film’s style and the retro-futuristic 1960s world in which it takes place.

the thing and herbie the robot in the fantastic four movie — The wrist-worn devices are worn by all members of the Fantastic Four at all times, including the Thing while prepping dinner.

While watching the film, I couldn’t help but notice all of the cool furniture and props used in the film. There are a few Eero Saarinen designs for Knoll, namely a Womb Chair and Tulip Table and Chairs. There’s a space-age hi-fi setup that I initially thought was a Rosita Vision 2000 by Thilo Oerke but turned out to be a custom piece made by production designer Kasra Farahani and his team.

And, since I have the disease as a watch enthusiast that causes me to stare at people’s wrists all the time, I also noticed that each member of the Fantastic Four wore the same gadget on their wrist. In the movie, the wrist-worn gadgets notify the team when they’re needed to tackle a threat. They’re sort of like a Bat Signal that doesn’t require perfect atmospheric conditions and Bruce Wayne staring at the sky at the right time.

a fossil watch — The watch tells the time in two very distinct ways, which adds a ton of character to the retro-futuristic design.

The Marvel x Fossil watch is a real-world version of this watch, but without the notification capabilities. The watch looks just like the movie prop, but all it does is tell the time. However, it does so in quite an interesting way.

There are two time displays on the watch. On the top part of the dial is a negative LCD display that shows the time in digital format. On the bottom half, there’s an analog display made to resemble an old-timey radio. It features rotating discs in place of hands that line up with a red line for the current time and is covered by a curved crystal for a cool magnification effect.

Specs-wise, there’s not a whole lot else going on. The case is stainless steel, rectangular and 32mm across. The water-resistance rating is just 30m. The crystal is mineral, and the included strap is made of black leather and features the Fantastic Four logo. The caseback is engraved with the film’s logo and a limited-edition number, and the packaging is very fun and matches the film’s retro-futuristic aesthetic.

a fossil watch in its packaging — Even the watch’s packaging is cool.

From a distance, the watch looks a lot like the one in the film — it is described as an official replica — and its unique dual-time display will reward anyone who decides to take a closer look. But is it cool enough for me to return to Fossil after more than two decades?

We’ll never know. The Marvel x Fossil Limited-Edition Fantastic Four Watch, which was priced at $295, has already sold out of all 804 examples. Clearly, I’m not the only one who thinks it’s cool.

Marvel x Fossil Fantastic Four Watch

Specs

Case Size	32mm
Movement	Quartz
Water Resistance	30m

$295 at Fossil

About the Author:

Johnny Brayson is an editor at Gear Patrol mostly covering watches. He enjoys watches that are packed with blink-and-you’ll-miss-’em details and believes nearly every watch could stand to be a tad smaller.