The smartwatch industry is still in its infancy. The early years have been dominated by mobile phone companies introducing wearable devices as add-ons, with the Apple Watch the only device that racked up significant sales.
The past 12 months have seen the world’s biggest watch brands battle back, with connected timepieces from top end Swiss watch makers like TAG Heuer, Breitling and Frederique Constant; along with fashion brands including Guess and Fossil. Many others, particularly the volume players, are announcing models in time for Christmas trade.
The market is segmenting, not just between affordable and expensive models, but also along functional lines. Some are competing in the fitness space dominated by Fitbit; others are effectively creating smartphones for the wrist, with Apple in the lead; a third group are creating hybrids that look like traditional watches, but communicate with a smartphone.
WatchPro has been watching developments with interest, and will help retailers compare the timepieces as they emerge.
In the first of a series that looks at the emerging smartwatch segments, we introduce five fashionable hybrid watches priced at under £500 that traditional watch retailers are likely to consider.
Click on the links below to see full details of the current models.
Looking forward monitoring via Apple Watch not just user’s iPhone battery with the app like this: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/watchmybattery/id1024068907 , but a gas-tank :)