SmartWatches at Baselworld 2015

As Baselworld 2015 comes to an end, the smartwatch phenomenon is truly confirmed. Digital Luxury Group Founder & CEO, David Sadigh, and other CEOs of the watchmaking industry share their thoughts of the future of smartwatches with Swiss business magazine Bilan.

Swiss brands start to offer alternatives to meet luxury consumers’ growing interest for connected watches and the launch of the AppleWatch planned in April will without any doubt be followed closely by traditional watchmakers.

Some brands have been enhancing the features of their watches for a few years. this is the case of Tissot . The T Touch Expert Solar is now connected to over 80 cabins in Switzerland and features the temperature and hydrometry among other things.

Other brands bypass the problem of technological obsolescence by suggesting to simply attach a connected strap to their traditional models. This is Montblanc’s proposition with the E-Strap released in January 2015, and an idea that Ricardo Guadalupe, CEO of Hublot would envisage for his brands.

The long awaited announcement on TAG Heuer smartwatch was finally made on day one of Baselworld by CEO Jean-Claude Biver stating a partnership with Google and Intel for a model that will be released towards the end of the year.

Breitling’s CEO Jean-Paul Girardin also introduces the B55 concept watch which is an electronic multifunction chronograph with analog and digital displays, and a host of aeronautical time functions connected to a smartphone app.

CEO of Frédérique Constant, Peter Stas, prides itself on the Horological Smartwatch which keeps a classic design while allowing the user to connect to a smartphone app.

Jean-Claude Babin, CEO of Bulgari, presents the Diagono Magnesium which has a very high level of security and acts as a unique key for each user to access its house, car or bank account for example.

The launch of the Apple Watch planned in April will without any doubt be followed closely by traditional watchmakers who will also play a major role in shaping the development of the smartwatch market.

These insights and many others are featured in the latest edition of the WorldWatchReport.
Learn more about the WorldWatchReport 2015