Acer and Victorinox announce smart wearable accessories partnership

VictorinoxVictorinox, the company behind the famed Swiss army knife, and Acer today announced a new partnership that will see them incorporate wearable technology into the Swiss company’s product portfolio. The objective of the partnership is to develop accessories that will give lifestyle products such as a Swiss-made watch the functionality offered by wearable technology.

The first product to emerge from this new partnership will be a smart accessory for Victorinox Swiss Army’s I.N.O.X. watch collection. It will be revealed next week at MWC 2016.

Victorinox Swiss Army I.N.O.X. watches

“Our first collaboration with Acer is a wearable device that makes your watch smart, giving it multi-functionality much like our iconic Swiss Army Knife,” said Alexander Bennouna, CEO of Victorinox Swiss Army SA. “Our partnership with Acer enables us to introduce a unique solution that combines the best of both worlds – an innovative wearable accessory that adds technology and functionality to an existing I.N.O.X. watch, without compromising its Swiss-made integrity and durability.”

Acer and Victorinox will not be the first to offer such smart strap accessories for traditional watches. Montblanc unveiled its Timewalker Urban Speed e-Strap a year ago. Pebble also opened the door to such accessories last year with its Smartstraps program. Kickstarter has seen a number of smart strap projects get funded, including the Pagaré smartstrap and uBirds Unique smart watch strap.

There is no word yet on whether this new partnership is what Victorinox hinted last year at “something approaching a smartwatch.” It certainly appears likely though

Press release

Victorinox Swiss Army and Acer Infuse Smart Technology into Lifestyle Products

First result of the partnership to be a smart accessory for Victorinox Swiss Army’s I.N.O.X. watch collection

DELEMONT, SWITZERLAND and TAIPEI, TAIWAN – Victorinox, a manufacturer of high quality Swiss lifestyle products, and Acer, one of the world’s top five personal computer companies, today announced a partnership to introduce wearable technology into Victorinox Swiss Army’s portfolio. The two companies will unveil their first product resulting from this partnership, a smart accessory for Victorinox Swiss Army’s I.N.O.X. watch collection, at Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2016 in Barcelona.

“Our first collaboration with Acer is a wearable device that makes your watch smart, giving it multi-functionality much like our iconic Swiss Army Knife,” said Alexander Bennouna, CEO of Victorinox Swiss Army SA. “Our partnership with Acer enables us to introduce a unique solution that combines the best of both worlds – an innovative wearable accessory that adds technology and functionality to an existing I.N.O.X. watch, without compromising its Swiss-made integrity and durability.”

“Acer is excited to partner with Victorinox Swiss Army on this journey that creates a unique and complementing synergy,” said ST Liew, President of Smart Products Business Group, Acer Inc. “With Acer’s extensive knowledge and experience in computing and communication, we are confident that we can extend meaningful and relevant new experiences together to consumers who expect and demand the timeless tradition and craftsmanship of Victorinox Swiss Army.”

A New Chapter for Lifestyle Products
As we move into the digital era of the Internet of Things and the Internet of Beings (with intelligence and insight), consumers expect everyday use items to be increasingly connected. However, consumers also want to preserve the high quality and reliability of traditional craftsmanship. The careful balance of adding a “smart touch” without overpowering the original utility becomes a challenging task. The partnership is formed to create innovative and relevant solutions for consumers who want wearable technology functionality that integrates with existing lifestyle products, such as a much beloved Swiss-made watch.

Acer, with 40 years of experience in computing and communication, and a key player in popularizing personal computing technology around the world in the seventies and eighties, will work closely with Victorinox, a company with 130 years of passion in craftsmanship, tradition, quality, and innovation of lifestyle utilities. Together, Acer and Victorinox will continue to seek to extend the functionality of these utilities, by adding on to the multi-purpose DNA of Victorinox Swiss Army products.

The initial result of the collaboration will be revealed at MWC 2016 in Barcelona, where a smart accessory for Victorinox Swiss Army’s iconic I.N.O.X. watches will be displayed at Acer’s booth #1G50 at Hall 1, Fira Gran Via, starting from February 24.