Fossil announces new Kate Spade and Skagen Android Wear watches

Android Wear isn't exactly taking the world by storm, but it's still kicking with the help of traditional watchmakers like Fossil. There are a couple of new smartwatches on the way from Fossil under its Kate Spade and Skagen brands. Both new watches are launching in the coming weeks, too.

The Skagen watch is called the "Falster," and it has the usual assortment of Android Wear specs with a Wear 2100 SoC and a round OLED (resolution not stated). The hardware is clean and minimalist with exposed wire-like lugs (see above). It comes with both leather and mesh band options, but there's no heart rate sensor on the underside. Pricing for the Falster is $275-295. This watch should be on sale later this month.

The Kate Spade watch (it doesn't appear to have a specific model name) is designed to appeal more to the ladies with its slimmer 16mm band and rose gold scalloped chassis. It has a round OLED screen with a 390x390 resolution and a Snapdragon Wear 2100 SoC. There's no heart rate sensor here, either. This watch is available for pre-order starting today for $295 and will ship next month.

Fossil also made a few smaller announcements about current products—new colors and bands mostly. The only one of consequence is the new metal band version of the Misfit Vapor. You can see that one below.

PRESS RELEASE

kate spade new york Enters the Touchscreen Smartwatch Market with Playfully Sophisticated, Feminine Style in Exclusive Pre-Sale Beginning Today

"Choose Your Look" Watch App Provides Unparalleled Fashion Customization, Allowing Customers to Live Colorfully Every Day

NEW YORK, Jan. 9, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Today at CES, kate spade new york announces the debut of the brand's first touchscreen smartwatch. Available for pre-sale starting today, and launching widely in February, the feminine smartwatches are versatile, multi-functional and playfully sophisticated. The all-new touchscreen smartwatches build upon the existing kate spade new york wearables collection, which also includes hybrid smartwatches designed for women.

The touchscreen smartwatches are available in three styles for her: a rose gold-tone case and bracelet; a rose gold-tone case with a soft vachetta leather strap; and a yellow gold-tone case with a smooth black leather strap. A delicate scallop-patterned case surrounds the full-round 1.19-inch AMOLED display that features 390x390 pixel resolution and an ambient light sensor to enhance battery life. Additional iconic spade detailing on the crown gives these touchscreen smartwatches a distinctly kate spade new york look. Compatible with both iOS® and Android™ phones, the new kate spade new york scallop touchscreen smartwatches are powered by Android Wear™ 2.0, Google™'s smartwatch platform, and the Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ Wear 2100 processor. The smartwatch connects to her phone via Bluetooth technology and offers user-friendly notifications and messaging, downloadable third-party apps, and extra help from Google Assistant. The kate spade new york scallop touchscreen smartwatch also offers the following features:

Receive notifications directly to your wrist, such as calls, texts, and other alerts
Download third-party apps through the on-watch Google Play™ Store
Call up your Google Assistant by pressing the crown or saying "Ok Google;" ask about the weather, set a reminder for happy hour, or get directions
Track steps, calories burned, distance and more with Google Fit
Stream your favorite tunes right from the watch, when you are connected to phone or WiFi, with the Google Play Music app

Unique to kate spade new york, the watch includes the "choose your look" watch app. By answering a few simple prompts about the look she's wearing – including time of day, color of her outfit, tone of her jewelry, and color of her handbag – the watch dial that perfectly complements her outfit will appear. "The kate spade new york girl is connected at all times. And now, with our 'choose your look' watch app, she has access to the most feminine, fashion-forward and customizable smartwatch functionality to-date," said Mary Beech, executive vice president and chief marketing officer, kate spade new york. "Whether she's wearing pink, stripes or dots, our scallop touchscreen smartwatch will match her outfit, tying her look together with a unique kate spade new york twist." The kate spade new york scallop touchscreen smartwatch also features customizable, animated dials that will delight her as she moves through her day. Winking eyes, falling daisy petals and zooming New York City taxicabs keep up the fun with every step. Lastly, exciting weather effects on the dial let the wearer check to see if the weather is sunny, raining or cloudy in her location. The kate spade new york scallop touchscreen smartwatch will be on display at CES 2018 Las Vegas, January 9 – 12. Visitors to CES can view the watches at the Fossil Group booth (Sands Expo, Tech West, booth #43511) and the Google booth ((CP-21 on the Central Plaza). The touchscreen smartwatch will be available for pre-sale starting January 9 and available in-store and online beginning February 2018. About kate spade new york kate spade new york was founded in 1993 debuting with just six handbag silhouettes, combining sleek, utilitarian shapes and colorful palettes in an entirely new way. kate spade new york has grown into a global lifestyle brand, aiming to inspire colorful living through the collection's handbags and clothing, jewelry, shoes, stationery, eyewear, baby, fragrance, tabletop, bedding and gifts. Crisp color, graphic prints and playful sophistication are the hallmarks of kate spade new york. The brand's exuberant approach to the everyday encourages personal style with a dash of incandescent charm. kate spade new york is a company of Tapestry, Inc.

PRESS RELEASE

New for 2018: SKAGEN Launches Its First-Ever Touchscreen Smartwatch

RICHARDSON, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Lifestyle brand SKAGEN is expanding its smartwatch portfolio with the launch of its first-ever touchscreen smartwatch. In four brilliant colorways, including mesh straps in both stainless steel and rose, SKAGEN’s new Falster Smartwatch, powered by Android Wear™ 2.0 and the Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ Wear 2100 platform, launches in January 2018. This watch, like the rest of the SKAGEN wearables collection, is the perfect balance of form and function—modern, minimalist design with added technology that simplifies rather than complicates, and connects rather than distracts. With the same thoughtful approach to style and function in both technology forward and traditional designs, SKAGEN continues to innovate the more wearable wearable.

As a brand rooted in Danish design principles, SKAGEN blends simple, timeless design with modern innovation. The Falster features a full-round touchscreen that allows for expanded capabilities while maintaining an understated design and intuitive, easy-to-navigate interface. Falster offers an edited take on useful functionality and simpler, cleaner interfaces. The dials seek to be simple and visually balanced, showing information in an edited and informative way, without adding unnecessary clutter. True to the spirit of hygge, a Danish concept of comfort and connection, the Falster keeps users connected to loved ones and encourages them to feel more mindful while interacting with technology.

“One of our goals with SKAGEN’s smartwatches is to make technology feel more familiar and approachable. We do this by simplifying and editing our products, but also by humanizing the experience of using them: the dial layouts and the movements are designed for calm and pleasant interaction. We’ve even added personal touches like our ‘mascot’ Dan, who serves as a friendly guide, celebrates your personal goals, and helps bring a daily smile to your face,” says Frederik Thrane, Creative Director of SKAGEN. “We want to take the best of what technology has to offer and create a timepiece that lives up to our belief in good design for better living. We’ve strived to create unique dials only possible in digital, proving it’s not just what’s inside the watch that counts but rather how you choose to use it.”

It boasts a range of smart features, including:

Function-Based Dials, so you can access your favorite features quickly
Battery-Efficient Design, featuring simple dials that maximize your wear
Automatic accuracy, so you never have to set your watch
Smartwatch notifications, so you can effortlessly view incoming calls, texts, and emails from your wrist
Activity Tracking
Customizable Watch Faces, allowing users to personalize their dial’s mode, color, and apps
Touchscreen Functionality
Voice Commands, powered by the Google Assistant
Music Control, through third-party apps like Google Play
Interchangeable Straps
Compatible with iOS 9.0+/Phone 5+ and Android Devices 4.4+
Connects via Bluetooth Technology
Wireless Syncing
Powered by Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ Wear™ 2100 platform

The Falster retails for $275-$295.

“Innovation in smartwatches creates incredible impact for our customers—they have the option to buy a technology product where the hardware is always in style and the functionality can be continuously improved to provide an even more feature-rich experience with every update,” says Anne Cashill, SVP of SKAGEN. “This is why we made dials that conserve battery life and look stunning in their simplicity as well as functional dials that focus on what applications you actually use without adding unnecessary complications. We are confident we are making the more wearable wearable, which will continue to differentiate SKAGEN in the fashion-tech marketplace.”

About SKAGEN

Founded in 1989, SKAGEN was inspired by the Danish coastal town from which we borrow not just a name, but a warm spirit and a minimalist mindset.

We create watches, wearables, jewelry and leather goods, always driven by our guiding principle: Good design for better living. The key, as we see it, is simplicity—capturing only what’s truly essential in an uncomplicated, great-looking way.

SKAGEN operates five retail stores in the U.S. and Europe, with wholesale distribution in nearly 80 countries worldwide. SKAGEN is a division of Fossil Group, with headquarters based in Richardson, Texas.

For more information please visit www.SKAGEN.com/Falster