Luxury Swiss watchmakers announce plans to debut smartwatches
The high tech leap
Come June 2015, three leading Swiss timepiece brands will enter the wearables market for the first time. Frederique Constant, Alpina and Mondaine announced on Thursday that they have partnered with a new technology platform, MotionX, to create first-time smartwatches.
Over 15 watches using MotionX technology will be available on the market, boasting two years of battery life, activity and sleep tracking, and backup via cloud storage. Apps for the smartwatches will also debut, and will be available via iOS and Android platforms.
The aim is to bridge the gap between high tech wearables and luxury fashion timepieces, with what Mondaine chief executive officer Ronnie Bernheim called a “silent technology” play.
Bernheim told WWD: “We are in the watch business; we are not in the tech business,” adding: “It’s very subtle, so you don’t destroy the fashion by overriding it with this technology.”
