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Fossil Raquel Three-Hand Date Two-Tone Stainless Steel Ladies Watch
Ref. ES5305
Sits in Fossil’s upper tier here — more premium than three quarters of the Fossil watches we list, which start at £89.
Price range £89 to £399 across 106 Fossil watches in stock.The Raquel takes its proportions from the tank-style watches that dominated dress collections through the mid-twentieth century — a rectangular case, flat enough at 6mm to sit beneath a sleeve without catching, narrow enough at 26mm to read as jewellery on a smaller wrist. That silhouette is the whole point of the design. The mother-of-pearl dial sits within a crystal-set inner border, so the face shifts between warm and cool depending on the light, while gold-tone Roman numerals keep the layout legible without adding visual weight. At 69 grams the bracelet has enough substance to drape naturally, and the two-pusher deployant means it fastens and releases cleanly without the fumbling of a standard fold-over clasp.
- Reference
- ES5305
- Brand
- Fossil
- Case size
- 26mm
- Case thickness
- 6mm
- Lug width
- 14mm
- Case material
- Two-tone
- Case shape
- Rectangular
- Dial
- Mother-of-pearl
- Crystal
- Mineral
- Movement
- Quartz
- Calibre
- Citizen Miyota GL12
- Functions
- Date
- Water resistance
- 50m
- Bracelet / strap
- Stainless steel bracelet
- Strap colour
- Two-tone
- Clasp
- Deployant clasp
- Lume
- Luminous
- Retailer
- Goldsmiths
Additional specifications
- Lug-to-lug
- 40mm
Learn more about Fossil
Tom Kartsotis founded Fossil in Texas in 1984 after noticing that fashion watches manufactured in Hong Kong could be produced far more cheaply than the market assumed. The name came from his brother's nickname.
The company's insight was presentation. Fossil watches were designed with a deliberately retro American aesthetic and sold in collectable tin boxes, which made an inexpensive quartz watch feel like an object worth keeping. It worked at scale, and Fossil became one of the largest watch companies in the world by unit volume.
The business then grew primarily by acquisition and licensing. Fossil owns Zodiac, Misfit, and the leather goods brand Skagen, and manufactures watches under licence for a long list of fashion houses — Michael Kors, Armani Exchange, Diesel, Kate Spade, and others. For much of the 2010s Fossil produced a substantial share of all branded fashion watches sold globally.
It was also an early and significant player in smartwatches, launching Android Wear devices from 2015 and becoming the largest maker of Google-powered watches, before that market consolidated around Apple, Samsung, and Google itself.
Fossil remains a public company headquartered in Richardson, Texas, and continues to produce its own mechanical and automatic lines alongside the quartz and connected ranges.
- 1984
- Tom Kartsotis founds Fossil in Texas.
- 1990
- The tin-box packaging becomes a signature.
- 2001
- Acquires Zodiac.
- 2015
- Launches its first Android Wear smartwatches.
Also in 4 collections
This watch appears in Watches Under 37mm (1,682), Women's Watches (1,602), Two-Tone Watches (458) and Rectangular & Square Watches (406).
Manufacturer’s guarantee
What the specifications mean
Strengths
- 26mm wears small and slips under any cuff
- Luminous hands and markers for low light
- One of Fossil's more premium watches
Worth knowing
- 50m suits rain and handwashing, not swimming
Compare alternatives
Watches from other brands at a similar price, style and size, so you can see what else your budget can buy.
| Specification | ES5305 | MK4996 | 1502816 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | £199 | £199 | £199 |
| Case size | 26mm | 26mm | 26mm |
| Water resistance | 50m | 50m | 30m |
| Movement | Quartz | Quartz | Quartz |
| Strap | Stainless steel bracelet | Stainless steel bracelet | Stainless steel bracelet |
| This watch | Closely matched |
|
Your new watch
Frequently asked questions, and things you should know about this watch
Can I swim with it?
Showering yes, swimming no. 50m covers splashes and brief immersion, but a swimming stroke generates well above the pressure that figure describes.
Will the glass scratch?
It can, over time. Mineral glass handles daily wear but will pick up fine scratches that sapphire would not.
Does it need a battery?
Yes. It is quartz, so expect a battery change every two to three years at a jeweller.
What size strap does it take?
14mm. Any strap of that width will fit, and on most modern watches quick-release bars make the swap a two-minute job with no tools.
Will it fit my wrist?
Lug-to-lug is 40mm, which suits wrists from roughly 15cm (6 inches) upward.
Lug-to-lug decides fit more than case diameter does.
Is it a men's or women's watch?
Listed as women's.
Cheapest place to buy
Goldsmiths is the only UK retailer we track stocking this reference new, at £199. There is nothing to compare it against today.
Who are Goldsmiths?
Goldsmiths has been selling watches in Britain since 1778 and is part of the Watches of Switzerland Group, which is listed on the London Stock Exchange. They are an authorised dealer, so a watch comes with the manufacturer’s own warranty.
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