Fossil is clearly positioning its new Gen 6 smartwatch as a fashion accessory, instead of another connected timepiece. the style watch and accessories company says there’s a price segment that’s driven by “fashion watches” which is where Gen 6 smartwatch fits in. The Gen 6 smartwatch is priced between Rs 23,995 and Rs 24,995.
“I think the main target has been heavy with reference to technology that folks forgot that there’s essentially a reason why people wear a watch”, Johnson Verghese, director , Fossil Group, India tells indianexpress.com on the sidelines of the launch of Gen 6 smartwatch within the country. “The [tech] element is there but it also features a fashion element thereto .” He further added: “We are playing therein perspective by blending fashion with tech.”
The Gen 6 comes in several styles for both men and ladies , covering both formal and casual looks. The watch features a 1.28-inch, AMOLED touchscreen display, a rotating crown and two programmable pusher buttons. you’ll get the choice of 44mm and 42mm case sizes, plus there’s interchangeable bands with the larger Gen 6 watch employing a 22mm band, and therefore the 42mm version coming with a smaller 18mm strap.
We aren’t just packaging a technology product,” Verghese said, adding that the corporate is additionally watching it from the style perspective.
Verghese made it clear that the Gen 6 smartwatch may be a global product and therefore the company doesn’t launch India-specific products. That being said, there’s a mechanism in situ within the corporate where the feedback from local markets is taken which data is getting used to style the merchandise . as an example , the strong presence of rose gold elements in Fossil watches may be a reflection that Indian buyers do adore gold. “Is it made just for the Indian market? That’s not right…but definitely, the inputs have gone from India, and you’ll see the leads to terms of the products that we produce,” he said.
The latest watch is powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon Wear 4100+ platform with 8GB of storage and 1GB of RAM, which enables faster performance. Other features include a SpO2 sensor, a speaker for taking calls, an always-on display, faster charging, and automatic syncing. Fossil claims the battery on its new smartwatch will last a day’s use. The watch also carries 3ATM water-resistant rating making it fit swimming too.
However, the Gen 6 smartwatch remains powered by the old version of WearOS and not the new Wear OS 3 that runs on the newest Samsung Galaxy Watches. Fossil says the new WearOS 3 will come to the Gen 6 smartwatch in 2022, though the precise release date hasn’t been revealed.
At a time when Fossil competitors including Apple and Fitbit, are adding medical-grade features to their smartwatches, the narrative is that the wearables aren’t just limited to watch your steps but are going to be equipped to medical conditions within the future. But Verghese features a different combat the longer term of wearables. “We don’t want to sell a medical device, we’re selling a smartwatch,” he said. “We would really like to supply wellness features that the buyer can use,” he added.