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Tag Heuer, Breitling, Swatch & others usher in Swiss smartwatch movement ahead of Apple Watch

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The Swiss watch market is bracing for the smartwatch movement, with many fearing another downturn for traditional mechanical timepieces much the same as when low cost Quartz movements were first introduced.

Industry players don’t intend to sit around and see how Apple Watch sells against traditional watches, however, as many of the watch world’s biggest luxury watchmakers— Tag Heuer, Breitling, Swatch, Frederique Constant—are showing off their first smart watches at Baselworld 2015 this week, the premier tradeshow for the jewelry industry where most Swiss watchmakers choose to unveil their latest creations each year.

A few on the list below were announced in the weeks leading up to Baselworld which officially starts today, but this week will be the first time anyone actually gets their hands on these new Swiss smartwatches that hope to compete with the Apple Watch. We’ll be updating this list as more luxury smart watches get unveiled in Basel, Switzerland.
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Apple agrees to meet with Swiss Rail Firm over Clock trademark dispute

Swiss Federal Railways SBB said it would soon meet with Apple representatives to discuss an agreement over its classic clock face design found in the new Clocks app for iOS devices.

“There’s been no agreement so far, we’re going to talk about it,” announced SBB spokesperson Patricia Claivaz to global news agency AFP, noting SBB’s lawyers first requested the sit-down.

SBB was unable to provide an exact date for the gathering, but its spokesperson added, “We’re rather proud that a brand as important as Apple is using our design, it’s already on show in exhibitions in places like New York.”

The clock face design, created in 1944, was originally a copyright and trademark of engineer Hans Hilfiker, but watchmaker Mondaine licenses the design these days, and is considering legal action. It is obvious the Clocks app resembles the railway’s design, so Apple will likely bring a check to the upcoming meeting.

[via Phys.org]


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