Victorinox, best known for the Swiss army knife, is the latest watchmaker to confirm plans to offer a smartwatch. The company plans to unveil a Victorinox smartwatch sometime late this year or early next year. The news was confirmed by Victorinox Chief Executive Carl Elsener to Reuters after a report first surfaced in a Swiss newspaper.
With a formal unveiling still some time away, Elsener revealed little about the Victorinox smartwatch. He somewhat cryptically described it as “something approaching a smartwatch.” He added that the company is looking to “expand the functions of our watches. But at the same time the watch must have a long lifespan compared to a mobile phone or a computer.” It all suggests that Victorinox will follow in the footsteps of companies such as Mondaine with the Mondaine Helvetica No 1 Smart or Breitling with the Breitling B55 Connected Chronograph. In both cases, the companies have enhanced traditional watches with smartwatch features.
Other Swiss watchmakers scheduled to enter the smartwatch market include Tag Heuer which announced a partnership with Google and Intel at Baselworld 2015 and Swatch.
Should an announcement take place early next year, Victorinox could use Baselworld 2016 which is set to run from March 17th to March 24th 2016 as the background for the unveiling.
Source : Reuters