Timex may not be a household name when it comes to smartwatches and connected watches but a new partnership could soon change that. The Timex Group will partner with Chinese biometrics company Huami Corp to develop “a new generation of smart watches that deliver on performance, style, craftsmanship and price.”
Timex previously developed connected watches like the Timex Metropolitan+, an analogue watch enhanced with a connected fitness tracker. This time, the company will focus on its watchmaking skills while Huami, which is backed by Xiaomi, will offer up its artificial intelligence technology, app design and manufacturing capabilities. The two will also look at supporting a number of services including electronic payment, weight management, and fitness and health tracking.
“Together with Huami, we will bring forth a new generation of smart watches set to disrupt the category. We bring world class product development and manufacturing capabilities in our respective fields and poised to create new products and services that provide users of smart wearables convenient access to valuable data and beneficial connections to the world around them,” added Tobias Reiss-Schmidt, President and CEO, Timex Group. “With the deep-rooted product development and craftsmanship capabilities of Timex along with Huami’s enhanced sports, healthcare and AI technology, we have the opportunity to bring cutting edge wearable technology to consumers around the world.”
It remains to be seen if the products of this new partnership will use the Huangshan No. 1 chipset announced by Huami earlier this year. Equipped with a cardiac biometrics engine, ECG tracking and a Hearth Rhythm Abnormality Monitoring Engine as well as real-time movement tracking, it could be a good fit for a health-focused connected watch (assuming it can clear all the regulatory hurdles standing in its way).
Timex and Huami expect to offer their smartwatches and connected devices in both mature markets like the U.S. and Europe as well as emerging markets such as China and Southeast Asia.
Source : PR Newswire