Skip to main content

Swatch thinks it can’t compete with the Apple Watch, sticking to low-end smartwatches for now

swatch_watches

Swatch seems to have acknowledged the difficulty of competing with the Apple Watch, announcing today that it would be focusing its smartwatch efforts on its low-cost plastic models before making a move into its more expensive brands. The WSJ notes that the Swatch Group owns Omega, Longines and Tissot.

Swatch Group AG on Thursday said it would focus its smartwatch technology on its plastic Swatch brand in response to devices launched by Apple Inc. and others before considering installing it in its pricier brands […]

The Swatch Bellamy, a version of its eponymous plastic Swatch watch that uses near-field communication technology, sells for €80 ($88) to €100.

This is hardly a smartwatch at all, comprising a dumb watch with an NFC payment chip embedded beneath the dial. The company plans to make further low-end smartwatch launches in the U.S., Brazil and Switzerland.

“We are not talking about competing with Apple,” said the colorful Mr. Hayek, who was dressed in a plaid shirt and scarf, occasionally donned a pair of Swatch sunglasses and puffed on a big cigar during the news conference. “They are consumer-electronics people and we don’t want to get into that sector.”

Swatch hasn’t exactly set out to make friends with Apple. It’s believed that the company’s trademarking of ‘iSwatch’ prevented Apple using iWatch as the name for the Apple Watch, and the company last year trademarked ‘One More Thing.’

FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.

You’re reading 9to5Mac — experts who break news about Apple and its surrounding ecosystem, day after day. Be sure to check out our homepage for all the latest news, and follow 9to5Mac on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn to stay in the loop. Don’t know where to start? Check out our exclusive stories, reviews, how-tos, and subscribe to our YouTube channel

Comments

  1. Alex_dlc - 8 years ago

    All I would want in a modern watch would be a display, where I can customize and change the watch face in any way I want, but also have a good battery life so I don’t have to charge it every night. I dont need any sms/email notifications, or heart rate sensors, or music controls or even a touch display…etc. No extra bullshit, just a watch with a display that I can customize.

    • twelve01 - 8 years ago

      I think a lot of people are of the same mind. It wouldn’t be as hard to build either. This may change in a few years when the capability of the smart watches gets some momentum

    • cm477 - 8 years ago

      The market is large enough to handle most types of consumers. Individual consumer preferences change as well. I went from a dumb IWC automatic that always seemed to be 5 minutes off each month, to no watch, to pulling out iPhone constantly, to Pebble (too early for prime time), back to no watch and/or iPhone, and now to Apple Watch. My biggest complaint about the Apple Watch is that my arms are not long enough to view some of the text when I am not wearing my reading glasses. It’s great when you are in a meeting and you get a message that you can quickly glance at without pulling out your phone.

Author

Avatar for Ben Lovejoy Ben Lovejoy

Ben Lovejoy is a British technology writer and EU Editor for 9to5Mac. He’s known for his op-eds and diary pieces, exploring his experience of Apple products over time, for a more rounded review. He also writes fiction, with two technothriller novels, a couple of SF shorts and a rom-com!


Ben Lovejoy's favorite gear