Swatch prepping Apple Watch, Apple Pay competitors, CEO says

Posted:
in General Discussion edited February 2015
Swiss timekeeping giant Swatch is planning a new smartwatch and mobile payment system to compete with the forthcoming Apple Watch and the already-established Apple Pay, the company's CEO has said.


Tissot's T-Touch Expert Solar "tactile" watch.


Swatch's smartwatch will sport an NFC antenna for mobile payments and will not need to be charged, company chief Nick Hayek told Bloomberg. The watch is currently slated for release in two to three months, and the company is in talks with unnamed retailers about its payment plans.

Hayek revealed no other details about the upcoming device, though a look at the company's existing products can offer some clues.

The Swatch Group is one of the largest timekeeping companies in the world, and counts among its subsidiaries electronics firms EM Microelectronic-Marin and Renata. EM manufactures ultra-low power integrated circuits and LCDs, while Renata is a major manufacturer of micro batteries.

As noted by Bloomberg, Tissot --?a Swatch brand -- sells a diving watch that displays functions such as a thermometer, compass, and logbook on an integrated LCD. Divers can switch between the options by tapping on the watch's glass.

That watch is part of Tissot's T-Touch line, which also includes the T-Touch Expert Solar that can recharge its built-in battery using solar power.

Swatch's Autoquartz movements, meanwhile, include a tiny pendulum that spins as the wearer moves, turning a miniature pinion that generates electricity and stores it in an on-board capacitor. This allows the watch's crystal oscillator to operate without traditional batteries.

It remains to be seen which, if any, of these technologies Swatch will employ in its new product. Powering a quartz crystal is much easier than running a device with a larger, color display and on-board radios, for instance.

Hayek did say that the company would look to work with Windows and Android devices, seemingly ruling out compatibility with Apple's iOS.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 58
    sflocalsflocal Posts: 6,092member
    Don't even try.... guys. You just don't have the chops to do both hardware and software and the multitude of challenges that goes with keeping the two humming smoothly.
  • Reply 2 of 58

    Of course it wouldn't work with iOS - Apple wouldn't open up the system that far.

     

    The thing is...yes, Swatch is cheaper than Rolex. But how many Droidsters would even pay the cost of a Swatch? Gotta be an insanely small market.

  • Reply 3 of 58
    I like Swatch watches. I own a bunch of them. But this report makes me go: :lol:

    The only thing I can think of is that they're gracefully putting themselves in play to be acquired by the likes of a Google.
  • Reply 4 of 58
    freerangefreerange Posts: 1,597member
    "Hayek did say that the company would look to work with Windows and Android devices, seemingly ruling out compatibility with Apple's iOS. "

    How many ways can you say fail?
  • Reply 5 of 58
    nasseraenasserae Posts: 3,167member
    If they weren't sleeping for the last few years they may be in better position now. Maybe they have experience in watch hardware but they don't have the experience in software and with 3rd party developers. just forget about it Swatch.
  • Reply 6 of 58
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by anantksundaram View Post



    I like Swatch watches. I own a bunch of them. But this report makes me go: image



    The only thing I can think of is that they're gracefully putting themselves in play to be acquired by the likes of a Google.



    Right now the Googlers are telling Mountain View they need to buy Radio Shack so they have a retail presence.

     

    Which kinda fits Google's image.

     

     

    Yep, a few thousand of those and Apple's doomed for sure.

  • Reply 7 of 58
    solipsismysolipsismy Posts: 5,099member
    Of course it wouldn't work with iOS - Apple wouldn't open up the system that far.

    The thing is...yes, Swatch is cheaper than Rolex. But how many Droidsters would even pay the cost of a Swatch? Gotta be an insanely small market.

    Don't mistake Swatch Group with an inexpensive Swatch watch.

    700 700
  • Reply 8 of 58
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by SolipsismY View Post





    Don't mistake Swatch Group with an inexpensive Swatch watch.




     

    Their inexpensive models are still more than $100 if I'm not mistaken. These Droidsters are people who feel that a tablet should cost $220. You really think they're going to spend $100 on a watch? And since Swatch is not a tech company, they'll either have to partner with someone like Samdung, or they'll release a horrendously expensive and underpowered toy.

  • Reply 9 of 58
    jonljonl Posts: 210member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by SolipsismY View Post



    Don't mistake Swatch Group with an inexpensive Swatch watch.




    He looks kind of sad. :( 

  • Reply 10 of 58
    banchobancho Posts: 1,517member

    I'm more curious about how they intend to implement their payment system.

  • Reply 11 of 58
    sflagelsflagel Posts: 803member
    Thank you Swatch. You heard my pleas.
  • Reply 12 of 58
    I like Swatch watches. I own a bunch of them. But this report makes me go: :lol:


    The only thing I can think of is that they're gracefully putting themselves in play to be acquired by the likes of a Google.


    Right now the Googlers are telling Mountain View they need to buy Radio Shack so they have a retail presence.

    Which kinda fits Google's image.

    <img alt="" class="lightbox-enabled" data-id="55111" data-type="61" src="http://forums.appleinsider.com/content/type/61/id/55111/width/500/height/1000/flags/LL" style="; width: 314px; height: 213px">


    Yep, a few thousand of those and Apple's doomed for sure.

    I heard on CNBC this morning that it was Amazon that was interested in Radio Shack retail space?
  • Reply 13 of 58
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by jonl View Post

     

    He looks kind of sad. :( 


    Brilliant! :)

  • Reply 14 of 58

    I agree with all the above posts...what a waste of time! :)

  • Reply 15 of 58
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by anantksundaram View Post



    I heard on CNBC this morning that it was Amazon that was interested in Radio Shack retail space?

     

    Oh Amazon is interested, but the folks at 9to5Google are saying that Google needs to buy them.
  • Reply 16 of 58



    These guys should make some of their watch faces available for the AppleWatch and make a killing.

     

    With the retina resolution on the AppleWatch, these faces would look nice.

    I am not sure if Apple would allow a third party watch app to display watch faces beside the built in one.

  • Reply 17 of 58
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Bancho View Post

     

    I'm more curious about how they intend to implement their payment system.


    Exactly. What would they do about stolen watches? Require it to be on a wrist? How will they know it's your wrist? And can you shut of their payment remotely via Find my Swatch? My understanding is that the Apple Watch will need to be authenticated each time it's put on a wrist, ideally though the iPhone although it seems a 4 digit pin might be an option.

  • Reply 18 of 58
    pazuzupazuzu Posts: 1,728member
    $350 AWatch to express pay out of Duane Reade when your IPhone will do the exact same thing. What a joke!
  • Reply 19 of 58
    slurpyslurpy Posts: 5,382member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by pazuzu View Post



    $350 AWatch to express pay out of Duane Reade when your IPhone will do the exact same thing. What a joke!

     

    How the **** is that non-sensical statement even relevant to this thread? And yeah, all that Apple Watch does is make wireless payments to Duane Reade, that's it. Not like it does a few hundred other things, from fitness, to medical, to 3rd party apps. Nope. 

     

    Why do you find the need to shit up EVERY SINGLE thread with your nasty, rock-bottom trolling? You're the only joke here. Or, maybe the bigger joke is that you never get banned, while people who call you out on your posts do. 

  • Reply 20 of 58
    mstonemstone Posts: 11,510member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by pazuzu View Post



    $350 AWatch to express pay out of Duane Reade when your IPhone will do the exact same thing. What a joke!

    There is a lot of crossover with Apple products. That is sort of the idea behind "Continuity". The ?Watch does some things that other Apple products do, and also does some things that the other products don't. Many people have multiple Apple devices so the ?Watch will just fit in with the ecosystem. Some people will buy it and some people won't but it will sit nicely in the Apple line up.

     

    Disclaimer: I still don't think I will buy it. Or if I do, I probably won't be an early adopter.

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