American luxury watchmaker Fossil has entered the Indian wearable market. The company has launched Misfit Shine 2 and Ray, and Q series of smartwatches among other products.
Fossil is investing heavily in the country because it believes India is the fastest growing market in Asia Pacific, and that smartwatches will constitute 40 percent of wearable market by end of this year,” said Jack Quinlan, APAC, Senior Vice President, Fossil Group.
“Indians are quick to adopt the latest in the world of technology. That, in combination with an Indian population that is relatively young – 56 percent of 1.2 billion people are aged 30 or under – has convinced Fossil that its push in the wearable market will come good,” said Sonny Vu, president and CTO for Fossil Group’s Connected Devices division.
The Misfit Shine 2 was originally launched in October 2015, while the Misfit Ray was announced in January 2016. The Shine 2 is priced at Rs. 7,495 and comes in Carbon Black and Rose Gold colour variants. The Misfit Ray comes in Carbon Black, Rose Gold, Navy, Forest, Stainless Steel, and Stainless Steel Gold options with an option of sports or leather band.
The new Misfit products come with fitness tracking features such as automatically tracking steps, distance, calories, and sleep. They also offer alerts for calls and messages. There is also a smart button for home automation. The new wearable are swim-proof. The display less wearable can last for up to 6 months on a single charge.
The Fossil Q series include Q Wander and the Q Marshal smartwatches. Both are IP67 water resistant and use interchangeable straps (leather or metal). The new smartwatches are powered by Android Wear. They allow you to respond to messages using the screen, receive navigation alerts, or even listen to music using the built-in microphone and speaker. Fossil promises a battery life of 24 hours and 80 percent charge in less than 2 hours. The Fossil Q Wander and the Q Marshal smartwatches are priced at Rs. 21,995 and Rs. 22,595, respectively. These are now available for pre-order in India.
Fossil also announced several other smartwatches for the Indian market, including Michael Kors, Skagen, Emporio Armani, and Chaps.
The Michael Kors Access comes in two variants called Bradshaw Access and Dylan Access. Both run Android Wear and sport activity tracking, voice activation, water resistance, wireless charging features. Both come with multiple strap options including silicone and rose gold tone. The prices range from Rs. 25,995 to Rs. 29,495.
The Skagen series includes the Hagen Connected hybrid smartwatch and a Skagen Connected activity tracker. The Hagen doesn’t run on Android Wear. Features include filtered email and text notifications. It offers a battery life of 4-6 months. The prices range from Rs. 14,295 to Rs. 15,495.
The Emporio Armani Connected wearable is also a hybrid smartwatch. It comes in Rose Gold, Black, Gunmetal, and Stainless Steel metal finish along with either a three-link bracelet or a leather strap. Prices range from Rs. 17,495 to Rs. 27,995.
The Chaps hybrid smartwatch offers the functionality of a world class tracker with notifications, within the beautiful frame of a traditional watch. Prices range from Rs. 9,995 to Rs. 10,495.