Watchmakers easing into smartwatch and fitness tracker market with a sense of style
Thursday, November 24, 2016 at 9:34AM
By Gadjo Cardenas Sevilla
Two years ago, almost every smartphone or PC company had some sort of smartwatch in the market. The Apple Watch, a veritable latecomer to the segment, had yet to define its area of focus (something that's happened only in Q3 this year with watchOS 3 and Series 2 devices). 2016 saw smartwatch sales fall by up to 51 per cent according to some sources and various companies who were gung-ho on wearables have pulled out entirely.
This has made it possible for traditional watchmakers to move into the market but they have changed things up a bit by focusing on style and convenience over technological prowess. We now see companies like TAG-Heuer has a connected premium smartwatch, HP has teamed up with Movado, Michael Bastien, Tommy Hilfiger, Coach, Hugo Boss and Scuderia Ferrari to engineer various lines of fashion-first smartwatches that are aimed to entice traditional watch lovers.