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Fossil isn’t the first name that comes to mind when you think of Swiss-made watches, but its latest collection might change that. The new Fossil Signature CS-1 lineup trades the brand’s familiar mass-market approach for a pair of surprisingly refined timepieces, including a $795 automatic powered by a Swiss Sellita movement and a $695 quartz chronograph with a full calendar display. Both draw inspiration from mid century architecture, with clean lines, restrained dials, and designs that look more expensive than their prices suggest.
The collection also arrives at a pivotal moment for Fossil. After retreating from smartwatches and undergoing a major restructuring, the American brand is refocusing on traditional timepieces. Its new CS-1 watches—short for Case Study One—take their cues from the experimental Case Study Houses, a collection of experimental homes sponsored by Arts & Architecture magazine during the postwar era, emphasizing proportion, simplicity, and thoughtful details. For a company better known for accessible fashion watches, it’s an intriguing move upmarket.
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Those ideals were Fossil’s focus in creating the CS-1 line according to Ryan White, senior creative director of Fossil Brand Global Design. “It’s the mindset of those designers and architects of that time,” White says. “There’s a strong architectural language built into the case, while the dial reflects the same principles of proportion, balance, and thoughtful use of negative space.”
That minimalist restraint is adroitly captured in the Signature CS-1 Three-Hand Date Automatic. The 38mm case wraps a sunray dial in jet black, prairie green, or parchment with a subtle CD-cut texture. Dauphine hands flow around diamond-shaped indices with a date window at six o’clock and triple diamond marker Fossil icon at 12 o’clock.
The dial is guarded by a domed sapphire crystal, while an exhibition caseback reveals the Swiss Sellita SW200-1 automatic movement running the piece’s timekeeping. The caliber is fitted with a custom ‘Signature’ series rotor and offers a 38 hour power reserve with accuracy in the range of ±30 seconds per day.
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The prairie green model comes on a matching green Italian leather strap, while the parchment iteration is accented with a gold-tone bezel and is secured by a brown leather band. The jet black dial variation arrives on a stainless steel bracelet.
The Signature CS-1 Master Calendar Chronoquartz’s 42mm stainless steel case frames a three-register chronograph dial with day and month apertures below 12 o’clock. A trio of dauphine-style hands rotate around diamond indexes to tell the time, while a red-tipped hand indicates the date as tracks an outer chapter ring. The chronograph is coupled with a tachymeter scale for clocking speed
The Master Calendar Chronoquartz is available in four versions; robin-egg blue dial with black sub dials on a black leather strap, jet black accented in silver secured with a brown leather band, sunset orange and black outfitted with a stainless steel bracelet, or jet black and gold in a gold tone case and with a matching bracelet.
Timekeeping runs on a Swiss Ronda 5040.F, 13-jewel, quartz movement. The caliber is accurate to around -10 / +20 seconds per month and offers a battery life of around 54 months.
Both the Signature CS-1 38mm Three-Hand Date Automatic and the Signature CS-1 42mm Master Calendar Chronoquartz are available now at fossil.com. The Master Calendar Chronoquartz retails for $695 on leather and $795 with a steel bracelet. The Three-Hand Date Automatic costs $795 on a strap and $895 on a bracelet.