Swiss watchmaker Swatch has been toying with the idea of a smartwatch for some time, and now CEO Nick Hayek is saying that we can expect in in the next three months. Swatch isn't your typical Swiss watchmaker though — their wares fall on the much more affordable side of the watch spectrum, with retail prices as low as $50. What's most interesting, however, is Hayek's claim of a smartwatch that doesn't have to be charged.
There are two potential paths to take for a watch that doesn't have to be charged. The first is an "automatic" watch with an generator spun by the motion of an eccentric-weighted rotor (itself moved by the motion of the wearer's arm). The other approach would be using a watch cell battery, which would offer a much longer battery life than a rechargeable lithium-based battery. Swatch makes watches in both cell batteries and automatic quartz varieties.
Said Bloomberg on the upcoming watch:
The Swatch smartwatch will also let consumers make mobile payments and work with Windows and Android software.
Swatch's smartwatch will be launching right up against the Apple Watch, which is currently set to debut in April. Of course, it's entirely possible that Swatch's take on the smartwatch will be notably different than Apple's or Google's with Android Wear.
Source: Bloomberg
