Tissot, part of the Swatch Group, came to Baselworld 2015 with a working Bluetooth smartwatch prototype (pictured below). Swatch Chief Executive Officer Nick Hayek told Bloomberg yesterday that the company is coming back this year to launch the first Tissot smartwatch. “Tissot will present a smartwatch at Baselworld,” he said without revealing any further details.
While this will be Tissot’s first smartwatch, Swatch has already taken the plunge with the Swatch Touch Zero One touch watch and the Swatch Bellamy which launched in China last year. Neither can be considered true smartwatches but certainly sport features commonly found on such devices.
Last summer, Hayek said that Swatch would focus on devices geared at specific needs rather than the more typical all-in-one smartwatches that offer a range of features. It remains to be seen if this philosophy will apply to the new Tissot smartwatch. Could Tissot go the way of a “smarter watch” rather than the typical smartwatch with digital display?
Hayek also revealed that Swatch will unveil two additional smartwatches this year. One of these will be a second version of the Swatch Touch Zero.
Swatch may not be well known as a smartwatch company but that could change in the coming years. It has quietly been building a portfolio of smart- and connected watch patents and has amassed more than 170 U.S. and international applications in the last few years.
Baselworld 2016 will take place from March 17 to March 24, 2016.
Source : Bloomberg