Last month in March, Samsung officially unveiled a new limited-edition Samsung Gear S2 smartwatch, dubbed the Gear S2 by de Grisogono. Obviously, the gadget has been designed in collaboration with Swiss jewelry maker de Grisogono, and while it featured the same hardware specifications as the standard model, the limited-edition Gear S2 was created as a luxury watch and fashion item for smartwatch enthusiasts. Now, according to new reports from Korea, Samsung has already decided to form a new partnership with de Grisogono in anticipation of the Samsung Gear S3 smartwatch.
Although no official details on the matter have emerged thus far, the industry expects the Samsung Gear S3 smartwatch to be officially unveiled at IFA 2016 in Berlin, one year after the Gear S2 was introduced to the public. However, while Samsung’s collaboration with de Grisogono for the creation of the limited-edition Gear S2 may have taken the smartwatch market by surprise, this time around early reports suggest that Samsung already got in touch with the Swiss jeweler for setting up the release of a limited-edition Gear S3 smartwatch in March 2017 during the Baselworld trade show – the same place where the Gear S2 by de Grisogono was unveiled last month. According to sources in Korea citing a de Grisogono official, the Swiss company is “currently collaborating with Samsung to develop its next-generation smartwatch”. However, whether this means that de Grisogono is also somewhat involved in designing the standard, non-limited-edition model is unknown.
The Samsung Gear S2 by de Grisogono was announced and released internationally last month. Only 100 units are handcrafted every month, and each luxury, digital timepiece costs roughly $15,000. Although the standard Gear S2 is wrapped in metal, the limited edition by de Grisogono boasts a touch of exclusivity with the addition of white and black diamonds, rose gold inserts on a black DLC-coated stainless steel case, and a studded bracelet flaunting the Swiss jeweler’s signature galuchat. No changes have been made to the internal hardware but the limited-edition model does include a couple of exclusive digital watch faces. In any case, it’s likely that the fabled Samsung Gear S3 by de Grisogono will follow the same path and introduce exclusive changes only in the exterior design and software.