Spending time with the Fossil Design Major II

Back in July, we told you about one of Fossil’s latest releases, the Design Major II. As it turns out, we ended up being able to go hands-on with one, so now we’re back to share our hands-on impressions of the Fossil Design Major II.

As I mentioned in my original writeup, the Fossil Design Major II is a big watch. There’s just no hiding that 46mm case. In many designs, I’d ding the brand for shoving an obviously too-small movement into an oversized case. Here, it actually kind of works. This is – I believe – due to the fact that I don’t particularly have a use for chronographs. So, that means I can let the two chronograph sub-dials disappear into the dial, and really only focus on the 24-hour one. Then again, that could just be me.

Now, for as large as the diameter of the steel case is on the Fossil Design Major II, it’s not a particularly thick one. This can be more a game of proportions, but it felt like a relatively thin watch once you had it on the wrist. This is no doubt helped by the weight reduction possible with a quartz movement. In other words, you get the visual presence of the larger case, without the additional weight you sometimes pickup with, say, a full-steel 300m dive watch.

With the larger case, you also get some fun details. What strikes me the most about the Fossil Design Major II is the knurling. Back in my machine shop days, I liked the process of putting that texture into metal, and appreciate the usefulness it brings in terms of grip. Here, that works on the crown, of course. When it’s extended to the top portion of the bezel, it’s technically there for grip, but the bezel doesn’t move, so it’s more decorative (on the pushers, it again goes back to being functional). But I like the looks of it, and hey, it hides smudges, so all aboard that train.

The bezel on the Fossil Design Major II is fixed, which is fine, since it’s got no markings. That does make the scalloped edges an odd choice, but so be it. With the dial, I rather liked the large, lumed numerals. While I expected the flieger-style handset to be jarring in the design, it actually worked well. Combined with the large numerals, this is a pretty great watch for easy visibility.

Coming in at a very reasonable $169, the Fossil Design Major II is an interesting outing from a very new designer. Is it a perfect watch? Well, for the designer I’m sure it was, but for me, there are some things to quibble and dither over. For the price – and if you’re looking for something that’s is super-easy to read at a glance – the Fossil Design Major II just may check the boxes for you. fossil.com

Review Summary

Brand & Model: Fossil Design Major II
Price: $169
Who’s it for? You want to vote your support for a new designer – and you like your chronographs large and in charge

Would I wear it? Not frequently – large case sizes and chronographs just aren’t my thin
What I’d change: There’s a lot going on here – if we limited things to a smaller case size, the new designer could focus on a few specific details. In the existing case, make the 24-hour subdial more prominent.
The best thing about it: For all it has going on, it just really looks like the Fossil watches I remember seeing in the stores “back in the day”