Fossil launched its first Android smartwatch in 2015.
Fossil was one of the first traditional watchmakers to enter the Android smartwatch scene, but it is now sunsetting its smartwatch category. Here’s why.
Fossil has announced that it is going to stop making smartwatches moving forward as it looks to double down on its “core segments.”
For those uninitiated, Fossil, alongside the usual time pieces, has been making Wear OS smartwatches for a while now and was one of the first few OEMs that launched the initial batch of Android Wear Watches.
In a statement shared with The Verge, Fossil’s CEO Jeff Boyer said, “As the smartwatch landscape has evolved significantly over the past few years, we have made the strategic decision to exit the smartwatch business.”
He added, “Fossil Group is redirecting resources to support our core strength and the core segments of our business that continue to provide strong growth opportunities for us: designing and distributing exciting traditional watches, jewelry, and leather goods under our own as well as licensed brand names.”
The Verge also notes that Fossil’s Gen 6 watch will be its last smartwatch, but that doesn’t mean the company will abandon them. Boyer said that Fossil will continue to support the Wear OS watches for the next few years. Also, the watchmaker failed to deliver a Gen 7 last year powered by the Qualcomm W5 Plus, but it never materialized for launch. Its eventual decision to pull out of the smartwatch market could have been the likely reason.
Furthermore, lately, we have seen increased efforts from both Google and Samsung towards their Pixel and Galaxy smartwatches, respectively. This has only resulted in more competition in the Wear OS smartwatches category.
