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Fossil FS6165 Machine Big Tic Brown Leather Strap Watch - W10482
Ref. FS6165
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The Big Tic name goes back to the late 1990s, when Fossil built a movement that animated digital seconds across the dial behind the analogue hands — a trick that felt genuinely novel at the time and disappeared along with the era that produced it. This is a 2025 return to that idea, pairing the original scrolling-seconds mechanism with the knurled bezel and blacked-out industrial case of the Machine line, which has been Fossil's workhorse men's collection for years. The combination is deliberate: the Machine supplies the weight and the attitude, the Big Tic supplies the reason to look twice. The digital animation runs continuously in the background and cannot be switched off, which is either the point or a reason to look elsewhere. A pusher above the crown cycles through different animation styles, so there is some control over how the dial reads. On the wrist the 41mm black PVD case sits with a little presence — 13mm is not thin — and the brown leather strap softens what would otherwise be a fairly aggressive package. The quick-release pins mean swapping to something darker or more casual takes seconds, which given how the watch is dressed makes practical sense.
- Reference
- FS6165
- Brand
- Fossil
- Collection
- Machine Big Tic
- Case size
- 41mm
- Case thickness
- 13mm
- Lug width
- 22mm
- Case material
- Black PVD
- Case shape
- Round
- Dial
- Black
- Crystal
- Mineral
- Movement
- Quartz
- Calibre
- Bao Jie
- Functions
- Dual display, Digital display
- Water resistance
- 50m
- Bracelet / strap
- Leather strap
- Strap colour
- Brown
- Clasp
- Buckle
- Lume
- Luminous
- Retailer
- F.Hinds
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 3 collections
This watch appears in Back in Stock (4,847), Stainless Steel Watches (3,197) and Leather Strap Watches (1,049).
Temporarily out of stock
F.Hinds is not currently taking orders for this reference. Last listed as available on 14 October 2026. Stock is checked nightly and this page updates when it returns.
Fossil FS6165 Machine Big Tic alternatives
Watches from other brands at a similar price, style and size, so you can see what else your budget can buy.
| Specification | FS6165 | AR80010 | GW0849G2 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | £169 | £169 | £169 |
| Case size | 41mm | 41mm | 41.5mm |
| Water resistance | 50m | 50m | 50m |
| Movement | Quartz | Quartz | Quartz |
| Strap | Leather strap | Stainless steel bracelet | Stainless steel bracelet |
| This watch | Closely matched | 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.
Water resistance explainedWill the glass scratch?
It can, over time. Mineral glass handles daily wear but will pick up fine scratches that sapphire would not.
Sapphire, mineral and acrylic comparedDoes it need a battery?
Yes. It is quartz, so expect a battery change every two to three years at a jeweller.
Quartz, automatic and solar comparedWhat size strap does it take?
22mm. 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.
Is it a men's or women's watch?
Listed as men's.
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