Burberry

Founded in 1856 by Thomas Burberry in Basingstoke, England, Burberry built its reputation on innovative outerwear, including the development of gabardine fabric and iconic trench coats. The brand entered the watch market in the mid-1990s with in-house production before signing a worldwide licensing agreement with Fossil Inc. in November 2001. Under this partnership, Fossil manufactured, distributed, and merchandised Burberry timepieces using their Swiss division facilities, including collaboration with Roventa-Henex of Switzerland. In 2012, Burberry announced an ambitious push into the luxury watch sector, developing high-end pieces in precious metals and debuting 'The Britain' collection designed by Creative Director Christopher Bailey at a two-storey stand at Baselworld 2013. However, facing challenging luxury market conditions and seeking to focus on core product categories, Burberry announced in 2016 that it would not renew its Fossil licensing deal when it expired at the end of 2017, effectively discontinuing its watch line.