Brian Delaney - Fossil 1992

I was introduced to the world of product design while working at Fossil. As I created retail stories and packaging for the watch products the company produced, I began to see ways to innovate or opportunities where a new line of watches could exist. There were not any "real" product designers at that time. Artists mixed and matched factory samples designing analog dials. So, I began to study watchmaking asking questions of the Asian engineers. I applied this newly found knowledge and created watch concepts. I continued asking more questions, iterating and presenting. As a result, I contributed innovative firsts in a 500-year-old industry. New dial techniques, fabrications for watch straps, and a real-time “help” function within a digital watch product aptly named The Brain.

Proposed, designed and collaborated with another designer on Fossil's first, non-tin packaging.

The design for this watch dial challenged the manufacturer to come up with a non-traditional fabrication technique. This, in turn, became a fashion dial process that generated hundreds of Fossil watch products.

This design was inspired by the Japanese "toy" watch trend in the late nineties. The user could remove the timekeeping module and it becomes an articulated, robotic insect.

Proposed and designed the first locking strap keeper in the watch industry. What does it do? Those of you with small wrists have probably experienced a watch band that is too long and the end of the strap flaps due to the travel of the band's keeper.

Proposed and designed the first digital watch to have onboard help. The user could press a dedicated "help" button and the device would provide situational instructions in real-time.