Financial troubles and Fossil Inc. acquisition
In 1990, Willy Gad Monnier, formerly of TAG Heuer, purchased the Zodiac brand, but the company, Montres Zodiac SA, went bankrupt in November 1997. In September 1998, Genender International, Inc. purchased the Zodiac inventory, including their trademarks, registrations, and other assets.[10] Genender discontinued the "Point" series models, Swiss Formulas, Sea Wolf, most automatic watches, and automatic chronographs. The only two 1990s models kept were the Super Sea Wolf and the Marine Life, both of which were updated with new metal bands.
On October 1, 2001, Fossil Inc. acquired the worldwide rights to the Zodiac brand name for approximately $4.7 million for use in watches, clocks, and other timekeeping devices.[11]
In April 2002, the new Zodiac line was introduced at the BaselWorld watch show in Switzerland, with the notable absence of any Sea Wolf model for the first time in 50 years.
In February 2010, Fossil Inc. launched the ZMX (Zodiac Mission Extreme) line to reflect a new segment of sports and outdoor enthusiasts. The much larger case sizes (44 mm and up) and caoutchouc rubber straps denoted the bulk of watch lines, focused on[12] automotive racing (ZMX Racer), aviation (ZMX Aviator), diving (ZMX Oceanaire), and exploration (ZMX Adventurer).[7]
February 2015 marked the return of Sea Wolf, with a reissue of vintage-inspired versions of the 1954 model in two editions, "Skin Diver" and "Diver." Since the depth rating on the new Sea Wolf was the same as the original (200 meters/660 feet), the technical advancements came primarily in the form of its automatic movement: the Fossil Group-manufactured[13] STP 1-11 (Swiss Technology Production 1-11), housing 26 jewels with 44-hour power reserve.
