Google glass

Frederique Constant Group embraces Google Glass

Frederique Constant and Alpina have become the first watch companies to announce plans to incorporate Google Glass into their annual business strategies.

The American arm of the brands’ parent company, Frederique Constant Group, was so impressed with the potential of Google’s yet-to-be-released augmented reality, computerised glasses that it became one of a select few working as part of Official Google Glass Explorer Program.

"Leading innovation and embracing technologies in a luxury way is what our brands are all about, so this union is quite logical," said Ralph Simons, president of Alpina Frederique Constant Americas and the initiator of this project. "Since gaining membership to the Google Glass Explorer Program, we have been actively developing best approaches to integrate these smart glasses into new and existing brand processes."

The technology will be used as part of a cutting-edge training and communication process for its representatives worldwide, first being used as a new approach to merchandising stock. It is hoped the conceived initiatives within will “forevermore change how luxury timepieces are merchandized, marketed, and shared”.

Currently the 2,800 retail outlets that stock Frederique Constant and Alpina worldwide deliver photographs of remerchandised and replenished displays back to a shared internal database via an app. Google Glass will allow brand directors to create brief ‘How To’ tutorial videos from a first person perspective on merchandising and technical functionality of watches.

The wearable technology will later be used for internal research and development practices as well as creating unique content such as the assembly of an in-house movement from a watchmaker’s perspective or a virtual tour of the brands’ departments.

While Google Glass is set for consumer release later this year the project is currently still being developed in an invitation-only phase.

James Buttery

Editor of WatchPro, the WatchPro Hot 100 and The Luxury Report.

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