Fossil, renowned for its aesthetically pleasing smartwatches, has decided to discontinue its smartwatch business. As reported by The Verge, Fossil is now shifting its attention to its core strengths. It has been announced that the Gen 6, initially introduced in 2021, will mark the conclusion of Fossil’s smartwatch line.
A spokesperson from Fossil explained, “With significant changes in the smartwatch landscape, we’ve decided to step away from the smartwatch business. Our focus now turns to our core strengths and segments with strong growth – designing and distributing traditional watches, jewellery, and leather goods under our own and licensed brand names.”
This might not be a big surprise if you’ve been following Fossil lately. Some people on Reddit stated that Fossil shop staff mentioned the company was quitting the business. Others, claiming to have insider information, said Fossil was waiting for a new chip. Fossil usually released smartwatches even during tough times for Wear OS and always showed up at CES, but this time, they didn’t.
Moreover, Fossil stuck around when others weren’t interested in Wear OS. But in 2021, Google and Samsung working together on Wear OS 3 changed things, making it stable and exciting again.
Fossil was expected to announce a new Gen 7 smartwatch with the Qualcomm Snapdragon W5 Plus platform in 2023.
While Fossil promises to continue supporting and updating its existing smartwatches for the next few years, its departure leaves a void in the industry. Fossil’s distinctive minimalist and fashion-first approach to smartwatch design set it apart. The closest contender in the current market may be the Pixel watch, but it’s not easily available in India, and the search giant doesn’t place much emphasis on fashion.
