EyeOnMobility

Google buys upcoming smartwatch technology from Fossil Group

Watchmaker Fossil Group this week revealed that it is selling some smartwatch technology it is currently developing to Google. The transaction is valued at $40 million (about CA$53 million). It will see Google acquire both new smartwatch intellectual property and and a portion of Fossil’s R&D team.

Greg McKelvey, EVP and chief strategy and digital officer of the Fossil Group, provided little…

Chanel acquires stake in Kenissi Manufacture

Chanel is kicking off 2019 with the acquisition of a 20% stake in Switzerland-based movement manufacturer Kenissi Manufacture. The news came as the company published its earnings for the first time in its more than 100 year history. Chanel provided few details about its plans but the move clearly suggests that it is looking to strengthen its luxury watchmaking business and perhaps expand into…

Concept Sunday: Day One Glass Watch #ConceptSunday

Not everyone makes typical New Year’s Eve resolutions like getting to the gym more often or eating better. Thomas Radenne, currently attending the Institut Supérieur de Design Rubika in France, has decided instead to come up with a collection of concept watches. His first creation is the aptly named Day One Glass Watch. The idea is simple: Radenne wanted a watch that you could see through.

So I…

The five most expensive watches sold on eBay in 2018

While eBay may not immediately spring to mind when it comes to buying high-end watches, collectors and aficionados know that some some real treasures can surface on the online auction site (especially now that it offers a program that authenticates watches from selected sellers). The website this week released its list of 20 most expensive purchases of 2018 and two watches made the list. A third…

Timex and Huami to build smart watches together

Timex may not be a household name when it comes to smartwatches and connected watches but a new partnership could soon change that. The Timex Group will partner with Chinese biometrics company Huami Corp to develop “a new generation of smart watches that deliver on performance, style, craftsmanship and price.”

Timex previously developed connected watches like the Timex Metropolitan+, an analogue…

Countdown to Christmas begins with Nomos Glashütte advent calendar

The Nomos Glashütte advent calendar back for another year! While there may not be any chocolates to be found (that we know of), the German watchmaker’s calendar promises lucky winners a selection of gifts including some of its beautiful timepieces.

Starting December 1, we will be holding our annual holiday giveaway—with gifts such as specialties from Glashütte that cannot be found in stores,…

Nixon launches #Metallica watch collection

Watch company Nixon is partnering with the famed heavy metal band Metallica for its latest watch collection. Eight watches, each inspired by one of the band’s albums, are now available. Among the albums represented are “Kill ‘Em All”, “…And Justice For All” and “The Black Album.” A limited edition “Sanitarium” watch was also offered by quickly sold out.

According to Metallica:

They are the…

Richard Mille opens first Canadian boutique

It just got easier for Canadians looking to strap a new Richard Mille watch to their wrist. The Swiss watchmaker recently opened its first Canadian boutique in Toronto’s upscale Yorkville neighbourhood. The new location is operated by jeweler Louis Black under a licensing agreement.

Much like Richard Mille timepieces themselves, the store layout is quite unique. It features a number of smaller…

Swiss OS smartwatch operating system coming by early 2019

Swiss Swiss watchmaker Swatch has dabbled in the smartwatch space since it introduced the Swatch Touch Zero One touch watch back in 2015. The company now expects to launch its own smartwatch operating system and accompanying watch within months. A spokesperson recently confirmed to Wareable that it would launch by the end of the year or early 2019 at the latest.

Swatch Group CEO Nick Hayek first…

Pebble stopped manufacturing and selling its smartwatches as soon as key personnel and intellectual assets were acquired by Fitbit back in December 2016 for about US$23 million. Support for existing Pebble smartwatch owners continued uninterrupted but the end of the road is now in view. Fitbit has now confirmed that support for Pebble smartwatches will end on June 30, 2018. Pebble users are…

IWC Portugieser Chronograph Rattrapante Edition “Boutique Canada”

Is there a better way to celebrate Canada’s 150 birthday than to get a new watch? Better yet, one released to commemorate this Canada’s sesquicentennial anniversary. If this sounds like a good idea, the IWC Portugieser Chronograph Rattrapante Edition “Boutique Canada” is for you. Announced earlier this year at the opening of IWC Schaffhausen’s new boutique at Toronto’s Yorkdale Shopping Center,…

Paul Newman’s own Rolex Paul Newman Daytona sells for US$17.8 million

Hundreds gathered at the Phillips auction house in New York earlier this week for the latest wristwatch auction. By the time the dust settled, Paul Newman’s own 1968 Rolex Paul Newman Daytona had become the most expensive wristwatch to be sold at auction. Including the buyer’s premium, it sold for US$17,752,500. The watch was the eighth lot of the evening. Bidding started with a $1 million…

ASUS to discontinue its line of ZenWatch smartwatches?

Google may be about to lose one of its original Android Wear hardware partners. The hit-and-miss Digitimes reports that ASUS may be about to discontinue its line of ZenWatch smartwatches due to disappointing sales. According to supply chain sources, ASUS is only shipping between 5,000 and 6,000 units of its ZenWatch family of devices per month. Asus unveiled the original ZenWatch back in 2014.…

New Tag Heuer Smartwatch collection coming in May

Tag Heuer CEO Jean-Claude Biver is “satisfied” with sales of the TAG Heuer Connected smartwatch sales so far. Some 56,000 units have been sold since its launch in November 2015. He also confirmed in an interview with Switzerland’s Neue Zürcher Zeitung that a new collection will be unveiled in May. Biver first mentioned a second generation of Tag Heuer smartwatches back in late 2015. When…

Android Wear 2.0 to launch in "early February" #AndroidWear

When Google announced its decision to delay the launch of Android Wear 2.0 back in late September, it only promised that it would launch sometime in “early 2017.” Thanks to an email sent out to Google Play developers today, we now have a better idea of when this will be. The new version of Android Wear is now scheduled to arrive in “early February.” Unfortunately, no specific date in February was…

Fitbit acquires smartwatch maker Vector Watch

The smartwatch market is going through rough times. Plummeting sales have hurt a number of manufacturers. It has also proven to be an opportunity for some other players. Just last month, Fitbit acquired Pebble in a bid “to accelerate the expansion of our platform and ecosystem to make Fitbit a vital part of daily life for a wider set of consumers.” The company today made a second acquisition,…