Swiss watch maker Fossil Group plans to introduce more than 300 connected watches across 14 brands this year that will run the gamut of smaller hybrid smartwatches to full-round touchscreen smartwatches with custom active-matrix organic light emitting diode (AMOLED) displays and micro-apps.
Fossil entered the wearables space less than a year ago and the company is expanding in a big way to promote both style and technology, the company says. Fossil has brought to market more than 150 touchscreen smartwatches, hybrid smartwatches and activity trackers in 40 countries.
The Diesel will introduce its first touchscreen smartwatch in five sizes in the holiday season. Source: Fossil The new smartwatches will include new brands that Fossil has not yet brought to market, including DKNY, Marc Jacobs, MICHELE, Relic and Tory Burch.
“This explosion of new styles is further proof that the entire purpose of the watch is changing,” said Greg McKelvey, chief strategy and digital officer at Fossil Group. “Our customers are no longer wearing a watch simply to tell time, they are wearing it to stay connected to the people and activities they care about most while remaining fashionably on-point.”
Fossil’s line of 2017 hybrid smartwatches will be designed to be slimmer, sleeker and smarter with functional side-button pushers that can be assigned specific tasks such as connecting to a phone, taking a selfie, track goals or control music. Fossil will offer brands of hybrid smartwatches from DKNY, Marc Jacobs, MICHELE, Relic, Tory Burch, Armani Exchange, Chaps, Emporio Armani, kate spade, Misfit, Michael Kors, Skagen, Hald and Fossil’s own brand.
The Fossil Q Venture touchscreen smartwatch will be released in the fall of this year. Source: Fossil The 2017 touchscreen smartwatches are compatible with both iOS and Android phones and include a Qualcomm Snapdragon Wear 2100 processor. The watches include a full-AMOLED high-resolution screen and allows customization of the watch face, creates shortcuts to play music, call for a car or monitor activity goals. Third party apps can be downloaded from the App Store or the Google Play Store. Brands for these watches include Diesel, Emporio Armani, Michael Kors, Misfit and Fossil.
Fossil will also introduce touchscreen smartwatch micro-apps, which are custom apps that are specifically designed for the watches and don't need to be tethered to a smartphone.
