One of the biggest challenges faced by early smartwatch manufacturers was to combine the idea of a smart wearable and a fashionable item in a single package. In some cases, this might still represent a challenge, but over the past couple of years the majority of smartwatch makers have overcome this difficulty either by adopting refined design cues with round dials or by partnering with renowned watch or jewelry manufacturers in order to create more desirable items. Samsung’s latest creation seems to try and combine both schools of thought in a single smartwatch dubbed the Samsung Gear S2 by de Grisogono.
Samsung Electronic has announced a new Gear S2 smartwatch variant which was created in collaboration with de Grisogono. The latter is a privately held company and a jewelry manufacturer headquartered in Switzerland, so in other words, de Grisogono wasn’t involved in developing the smartwatch’s internal hardware, but instead the two companies have co-created a fashion statement. Although the smartwatch seems to retain its digital roots, its exterior has been treated with various precious materials. The timepiece will be available with a 41 mm dial and features a black DLC-coated stainless steel case with 71 black diamonds (1.8 cts), along with rose gold elements accommodating 56 white diamonds (1.2 cts). The smartwatch also comes with a studded bracelet featuring de Grisogono’s signature galuchat.
Aside from the striking changes in design, the Samsung Gear S2 by de Grisogono is very similar to the standard version of the watch. It features a circular 1.2-inch Super AMOLED display with a resolution of 360 x 360 and 302 pixels per inch, 4 GB of internal storage, 512 MB of RAM, a 250 mAH Li-Ion battery rated at up to 2-3 days of typical usage, NFC, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n/, and Bluetooth 4.1. The smartwatch also incorporates a handful of sensors, including an accelerometer, a gyroscope, heart rate monitor, a baromenter and an ambient light sensor. Software-wise it runs Samsung’s proprietary Tizen OS, which happens to have been enriched by a couple of new watch faces. The Samsung Gear S2 by de Grisogono will be a limited-edition timepiece, but as yet its price remains unknown. The smartwatch is set to debut at Baseworld 2016 (March 17 – 24) in Messe Basel, Switzerland, where more details on pricing and availability should be officially announced.
