2017 proved to be a landmark year for Android Wear, as the platform was picked up by dozens of designer and luxury watch brands. 2018 looks like it won’t be letting up on that front, as the Fossil Group announced a number of new Android Wear-powered smartwatches, all running under 3 of its various sub-brands. Each has its own unique style, with some big firsts for both Skagen and Kate Spade. The Skagen Falster marks the company’s first big full-fledged smartwatch, which features Android Wear 2.0 out of the box alongside the company’s trademark styling. It’s fairly basic features wise, but it’s still a reasonable price tag at just under $300 for the brand.
Kate Spade is going for a little more of a customized look to the company’s Android Wear powered smartwatches. The watch of course looks like a Kate Spade design, featuring a scallop edge to go along with the name, the Kate Spade Scallop. The watch will ship in a number of different colors and bands, all of which Kate Spade New York calls “playfully sophisticated, feminine style.” A 1.19-inch AMOLED display with 390 x 390 resolution looks fantastic, with a snappy Qualcomm Snapdragon 2100 processor underneath and an ambient light sensor to automatically adjust the screen when needed. Aside from the color and band differences, Kate Spade will be shipping the Scallop watch with a new “choose your look” watch app, which helps the wearer better match the watchface to their current outfit.
Last but not least is a pair of hybrid watches from Fossil itself, the Fossil Q Machine and Q Annette. These are hybrid watches that can hook up to your Android or iOS powered phone via Bluetooth, and while they can deliver notifications like a smartwatch, they don’t have a touchscreen to display them. They do have a 6 month battery life though, unlike smartwatches which generally can’t last more than a few days at best. These can also be used to track steps, distance, calories burned and monitor sleep. Both should be available later this Spring or in early Summer for between $155 and $175. Check out the video below to see all of them in action!