Fossil, Inc.

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FOSSIL, INC.

Type of Company	Public
Founded	1984
Headquarters	Richardson, Texas
Key people	Tom Kartsotis, Chairman of the Board Kosta N. Kartsotis, President and CEO
Industry	Recreational Goods
Products	Watches, Clothing, Wallets, Sunglasses
Revenue	$1.0 billion USD (2005)^[1]
Website	www.fossil.com/

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 2001 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 2004 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. When referencing Fossil's watch lines, they are generally regarded as a "Manufacturer"; However, Fossil only assembles watches, using pre-made movements and only designing the cases and dials of the watch.

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

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

Recently, the company 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 represents the nickname the brothers had for their grandfather.