Movado Group, a well-recognized fashion brand in watches, is joining the Android Wear family this month with the launch of a "smartwatch collection" that will be branded as Movado Connect. The watches, which will start with five men's styles, will hit the market this fall starting at $495.
Unfortunately, Movado is holding off on specific details — and even pictures — of the watch to unveil it all at Baselworld 2017, a trade show for watches and jewelry, on March 23. But what can we expect? Well, probably the same type of internals we've seen on the LG Watch Sport — Movado specifically calls out Android Pay, too. This is all about the design (including custom watch faces) and brand name, which Movado can definitely deliver.
Efraim Grinberg, Chairman & CEO, Movado Group, put it succinctly:
The launch of Movado Connect marks another new milestone in Movado's longstanding history of creativity and innovation in watch design. We are very proud of our collaboration with Google and for the opportunity to provide our customers with an incredibly designed timepiece, powered by the latest, cutting-edge technology platform.
Perhaps bigger than this single watch collection — which, of course, we have no photos of yet — is that Movado Group also owns the brands Tommy Hilfiger and Hugo Boss. Android Wear watches from these two brands will also come later in the year to further expand Android Wear's offerings in the "fashion" realm rather than coming from traditional smartphone companies.
Press release:
MOVADO PARTNERS WITH GOOGLE TO LAUNCH A NEW SMARTWATCH COLLECTION
NEW YORK, NY, MARCH 8, 2017, MOVADO GROUP, INC. (NYSE:MOV) - Movado announces a partnership with Google to launch Movado Connect, a smartwatch collection powered by Android Wear 2.0, Google's newly redesigned platform. Movado Connect is one of the first watches designed specifically for Android Wear 2.0 and will launch fall of 2017 introducing five men's styles with a starting price of $495 available in the US, the Caribbean,Canada and the UK. The collection will be unveiled at Baselworld 2017.
"The launch of Movado Connect marks another new milestone in Movado's longstanding history of creativity and innovation in watch design," stated Efraim Grinberg, Chairman & CEO, MovadoGroup. "We are very proud of our collaboration with Google and for the opportunity to provide our customers with an incredibly designed timepiece, powered by the latest, cutting-edge technology platform. Movado Connect, with our proprietary edge-to-edge crystal design, is iconically Movado."
This collaboration showcases each company's respective expertise in building brand-relevant hardware and software capabilities in the connected category. Movado Connect features five unique customizable dials designed and inspired by Movado's iconic museum dial that empower the wearer to tailor their experience through multiple expressions of Movado's innovative approach to design. Each dial design also includes 3-4 customizable elements including features such as a wide array of complications, backgrounds, and watch hands creating a multitude of possibilities for consumers to create the look they desire. With access to thousands of apps, including Android Pay, these new watches meet the demands of today's digital age with an updated user interface optimized for round screens, an 'always-on' display, improved fitness tracking, iOS and Android compatibility and the powerful Google Assistant for per forming tasks and getting answers, directions, and timely reminders.
"We are thrilled to partner with Movado, a longtime leader and one of the most iconic brands in the watch industry," said David Singleton, Vice President of Android Engineering at Google."With our combined expertise in watchmaking, design and software, we are able to create a beautiful yet functional timepiece that helps people live their everyday lives."
Tommy Hilfiger and Hugo Boss, two brands in the Movado Group portfolio, are also partnering with Google. Collections will launch fall of 2017.
