Why it matters to you
2017 is bringing a lot of options for Android Wear enthusiasts. Movado is the latest watchmaker to partner with Google, after Swarovski.
While we already know Swarovski will announce an Android Wear smartwatch “for her” at Baselworld 2017, Movado just announced it will unveil a slew of devices at the annual watch and jewelry trade show. These devices won’t launch until the fall of 2017.
Qualcomm hinted early this year that more and more Android Wear smartwatches are on the way, and what better place for them to be unveiled than at one of the largest watch trade shows in the world? Movado’s Android Wear lineup has been designed for version 2.0 of Google’s smartwatch operating system, which launched on the LG Watch Sport and Watch Style in February. The new version is expected to roll out to a handful of current smartwatches over the coming months.
More: LG Watch Sport (Android Wear 2.0) review
Movado Connect is the name of the watchmaker’s Android Wear 2.0 lineup of smartwatches, and there will be five men’s styles “with a starting price of $495.” These smartwatches will be available in the United States, the Caribbean, Canada, and the United Kingdom.
The company said smartwatches under the Movado Connect brand will feature “five unique customizable dials” that will each also have three to four customizable elements — such as backgrounds, watch hands, and complications. Complications are like widgets that sit on the watch face, offering a shortcut and a brief glance into specific apps, such as your calendar or your fitness activity. It seems as though Movado will offer further customization of these dials than what’s currently possible on other Android Wear 2.0 smartwatches.
More: Swarovski partnering with Qualcomm, Google on an Android Wear smartwatch
They will all likely feature NFC, as Movado specifically mentions Android Pay compatiblity. Google Assistant, which was introduced in Wear 2.0, will also be present. The watchmaker said the devices will have an always-on display, round screens, improved fitness tracking (which is likely the Google Fit improvements introduced in Wear 2.0), and iOS and Android compatibility.
Tommy Hilfiger and Hugo Boss are also two brands in the Movado Group that are also partnering will Google to introduce new devices in the fall of 2017, though nothing specific was mentioned.