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'Smart' move: Watchmakers add electronic functions to products
(MENAFN- Arab News) NEW YORK: Swiss watch shops will be stocked with a whole new range of smartwatches in coming weeks as producers race Apple to get a lead in Switzerland the home of brands such as Rolex and Patek Philippe.
Montblanc showcased an 'e-Strap' which can make a watch receive e-mails and control music playlists at a press briefing. The device which is clipped into the band of a watch will go on sale at the end of this month.
The Apple Watch enters Switzerland June 26 and Swiss watchmakers are scrambling to add electronic functions to their products. Elmar Mock one of the inventors of the Swatch said in March that the Californian company's device may cause an 'ice age' for the Swiss watch industry.
Other experts feel it will take time before tech companies pose a threat.
'Swiss players depend 50 percent on the Chinese and about 70 percent of Chinese want their watch to be Swiss-made' Luca Solca an analyst at Exane BNP Paribas wrote in note. 'High-end watches are passed down to future generations. But Apple's move puts the pressure on.'
Frederique Constant's smartwatch will reach stores in the US and Switzerland next week.
Mondaine's first Helvetica Smart model will be available for pre-order online mid-July while four other models will go on sale by October according to CEO Andre Bernheim.
Movado Group Inc. plans to introduce wearable technology in its namesake brand ahead of the Christmas gift-buying season Chairman and CEO Efraim Grinberg told analysts on a recent conference call.
Swatch Group AG will start selling a namesake timepiece that can make mobile payments around July or August while LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton has said it will introduce a $1400 TAG Heuer smartwatch later this year.
Montblanc's e-Strap accompanies the brand's TimeWalker watches and will also allow users to track physical activity.
The brand is owned by Cie. Financiere Richemont whose chairman Johann Rupert has said it will probably only introduce electronic functions into straps and not the case of a watch so the timepiece doesn't become outdated.
Montblanc showcased an 'e-Strap' which can make a watch receive e-mails and control music playlists at a press briefing. The device which is clipped into the band of a watch will go on sale at the end of this month.
The Apple Watch enters Switzerland June 26 and Swiss watchmakers are scrambling to add electronic functions to their products. Elmar Mock one of the inventors of the Swatch said in March that the Californian company's device may cause an 'ice age' for the Swiss watch industry.
Other experts feel it will take time before tech companies pose a threat.
'Swiss players depend 50 percent on the Chinese and about 70 percent of Chinese want their watch to be Swiss-made' Luca Solca an analyst at Exane BNP Paribas wrote in note. 'High-end watches are passed down to future generations. But Apple's move puts the pressure on.'
Frederique Constant's smartwatch will reach stores in the US and Switzerland next week.
Mondaine's first Helvetica Smart model will be available for pre-order online mid-July while four other models will go on sale by October according to CEO Andre Bernheim.
Movado Group Inc. plans to introduce wearable technology in its namesake brand ahead of the Christmas gift-buying season Chairman and CEO Efraim Grinberg told analysts on a recent conference call.
Swatch Group AG will start selling a namesake timepiece that can make mobile payments around July or August while LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton has said it will introduce a $1400 TAG Heuer smartwatch later this year.
Montblanc's e-Strap accompanies the brand's TimeWalker watches and will also allow users to track physical activity.
The brand is owned by Cie. Financiere Richemont whose chairman Johann Rupert has said it will probably only introduce electronic functions into straps and not the case of a watch so the timepiece doesn't become outdated.
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