NEW YORK, Oct 4 ― Watch brands Fossil Group and Citizen Watch Company Ltd are pooling their resources to launch a new range of hybrid smartwatches.
The two brands have entered into a global strategic technology licensing partnership, making use of Citizen’s watch movement expertise and Fossil Group’s hybrid smartwatch technology.
“Our partnership with Citizen, the world’s largest watch and movement manufacturer, will enable us to broaden and accelerate the awareness and adoption of hybrid smartwatches,” said Kosta Kartsotis, chief executive officer at Fossil Group, in a statement. “Together with Citizen, we’ll leverage the technology to drive scale in the hybrid smartwatch market that will bring innovative and compelling new products to the watch market and improve our product costs.”
Fossil Group has been focusing on the hybrid smartwatch category since 2016, while Citizen introduced the world’s first Bluetooth-enabled, solar-powered timepiece, dubbed “the Eco-Drive”, back in 2006. In 2018, the brand plans to launch the world’s smallest and thinnest Eco-Drive Bluetooth watch.
Hybrid smartwatches are fast becoming a major trend, with big name brands such as Marc Jacobs, DKNY and Misfit Path tapping into the phenomenon over the past year. ― AFP-Relaxnews
