There was a time when smartwatches were seen as geeky trinkets that had no place on ordinary people’s wrists. It took the success of the Apple Watch and the collaboration of fashion brands to bring this piece of wearable technology to the masses. But while smartwatches have finally found their legs, that doesn’t necessarily mean that it has been a profitable business either. It seems that those brands that have made smartwatches literally fashionable are starting to reconsider their strategies, especially with only a few successful products that are unsurprisingly still dominated by consumer electronics companies. Fossil has apparently decided to just pull the plug and call it quits on the smartwatch market, preferring to focus its resources on the designer products that actually bring in the money.
When smartwatches first came to the market, it was smartphone manufacturers that took the lead. Compared to the selection we have today, it’s not surprising why most people shied away from having them on their wrists. They were large, clunky, and visually unappealing. And they required charging almost every night.
While the Apple Watch would always be an exception, it took negotiations with brands like Fossil, TAG Heuer, Mont Blanc, and Michael Kors, just to name a few, to really bring smartwatch designs to the same level as traditional timepieces, at least on the outside. To some extent, there was a successful push to turn these pieces of wearable technology into true fashion accessories and, given some of the prices, luxury items. Now smartwatches are more or less more common, but that doesn’t mean the market for the more fashionable smartwatches is actually growing. In fact, you could almost say that the top smartwatch vendors are Apple, Samsung, and Google on the higher end, and Xiaomi, Mobvoi, and smaller manufacturers on the opposite end.
Confirming rumors that were already going around the Internet, Fossil announced that it was exiting the smartwatch business. It was a “strategic decision” and would focus on the “core segments of our business that continue to provide strong growth,” namely traditional watches, jewelry, and leather goods. Reading between the lines, it means that its line of smartwatches isn’t providing that kind of growth and it doesn’t foresee that changing in the future.
This makes the Fossil Gen 6 that was launched in 2021 the last smartwatch the marque will ever make. Fossil does promise to continue supporting its existing smartwatches for the next few years, though it probably really means only one or two years moving forward. Fossil is the first brand to make this big announcement, but it probably won’t be the last as the designer smartwatch market continues to stagnate or even shrink, leaving smartphone manufacturers to take the helm once more.
I assure you you haven’t quite seen a watch like this anywhere.
With a terrazzo finish on the outside and a holographic glass on the inside, Fossil’s latest collaboration with streetwear brand STAPLE is far from conventional, but it does celebrate both brands in its own unique way. The watch sports a sundial molded into its outer flap – a detail that Fossil popularized in the past, and right in the sundial sits a cutout of a pigeon in flight – the STAPLE logo.
“We are excited to partner with Jeff Staple, a streetwear pioneer, who shares the Fossil team’s love of product innovation,” says Melissa Lowenkron, General Manager of Fossil Brand. “Jeff’s creativity is inspiring, and our design team loved working with him to create a unique watch, digital smartwatch dials, and NFT for a new generation of Fossil fans, watch wearers and collectors.”
Designed to be a memorable experience from the time you receive the watch to the time you wear it, the STAPLE x Fossil timepiece arrives to you in a dinosaur-ish egg (a fossil if you will) that you need to crack open to reveal the wristwatch inside. The watch is made from a rather unique terrazzo-patterned silicone material and is available in red, gray, and white finishes. Each terrazzo pattern is unique to the watch you own, making it one in a million.
The watch sits concealed under its silicone cover, which comes with a sundial design molded onto it. Sure, you could use the sundial to read the time, although it would be much easier to hit the button at the 3 o’clock position and pop open the cover to reveal the watch’s face below.
The watch face is itself designed to be hypnotic and alluring too. The glass which covers the dial comes with a holographic print that’s visible when the light shines on it at a certain angle As the light changes direction, the holograph moves too, creating a watch face that not just tells the time, it captivates with its vivid design and details. On the underside of the sundial lies the STAPLE logotype, embossed into plastic.
“The exclusive design mixes retro-futurism and mid-century elements in a nod to the history of both brands,” says Fossil. The watch, although with its terrazzo silicone housing, comes with a stainless steel caseback that’s designed to be 10ATM water-resistant. The rear of the timepiece reveals an exhibition back that lets you see its automatic movement, underneath the STAPLE pigeon logo screen-printed onto glass. The watch comes with matching terrazzo straps, although Fossil allows you to customize your timepiece with interchangeable 22mm straps too. The limited-edition collection starts at $280 while the additional straps go for $40, and are all available on Fossil’s website.
I’ll be honest, it’s a little refreshing to see some Batman merchandise that ISN’T a LEGO Batmobile. Meet the latest official Batman drip, courtesy of the franchise’s collaboration with Fossil. The two watches released as a part of the Batman x Fossil collection are based on the theme of the Dark Knight and one of his nemeses, The Riddler.
The Batman watch is a dark timepiece with a certain brutish mystique that’s typical of Bruce Wayne’s alter-ego. It comes in an all-black design and a 43mm stainless steel case, sporting an automatic movement within a 10ATM water-resistant design, a date-window on the watch-face, and glowing markings and Batman’s insignia on the front face. The watch comes equipped with a silicone strap, but ships with two more interchangeable straps in the box set, and costs $300 for the entire kit.
The second timepiece in the kit, however, isn’t as highly equipped as the first – makes sense considering how much gear and tech Batman carries around with him. The Riddler watch is far simpler in build, but makes up for that with its intricate watch face, covered with question marks that are molded right into the dial. The Batman logo is retained, although in signature Riddler fashion, is vandalized with a question mark right over the logo. While the Batman watch had a date window at the 6 o’clock position, the Riddler watch as a 6-hour spinning subeye. The watch sports a quartz movement within the 44mm case that’s just 5ATM water-resistant and is finished with a svelte leather strap.
What better way to show someone you love them than getting them a gadget that they can wear on their person all day? Okay, maybe there are plenty of better ways, but a wearable can not only convey how much you care, but it can also help the user take better care of themselves.
Our list of the best wearables includes not only obvious things like smartwatches and fitness trackers, but also a touch-sensitive backpack that will let the hiker on your list keep their hands free while trekking through the mountains. Though the typical price here of about $200 to $300 might be steep for some, it might be a good range for those looking for something that a few friends can all chip in on. But we’ve also included budget-friendlier options if you prefer.
Apple Watch SE
Will Lipman Photography for Engadget
A smartwatch is a great gift for anyone that’s trying to stay on top of their busy schedules, keep tabs on their health or remain connected without having to look at their phone every 30 seconds. The Apple Watch SE is a solid choice for any first timer — it has all of the core features of the more-premium Series 7, but costs significantly less. Your loved one will be able to use it to track their workouts and sleep while getting their iPhone alerts and messages on their wrist. The watch will also detect if they’ve fallen and alert the user’s emergency contacts, not to mention warn the wearer of any heart rate irregularities. Of course, no smartwatch is meant to replace a consultation with a doctor, so think of it more as a way to get some data than as a tool for diagnosis.
If you believe your friend could benefit from a bigger screen, longer battery life, ECG readings and an always-on display, the $400 Series 7 is a better choice. But you’ll have to decide if those main differences are worth the premium.
The Apple Watch is the best smartwatch around. Unfortunately it won’t work with Android phones. Thankfully, there are plenty of options for those over in Google-land, and the best of them is the Galaxy Watch 4. It runs the new Wear OS co-engineered by Samsung and Google, marrying an intuitive side-scrolling interface and great health-tracking with a plentiful third-party app library. That means your friend can reply to your texts from their wrist, get updates on their cab rides or takeout orders, track their calorie intake or log workouts through their favorite apps. Those who are into their physical and muscular composition will also appreciate the Watch 4’s body fat-scanning tool.
If the person you’re shopping for prefers a more classic-looking timepiece and doesn’t mind a chunkier device, they might enjoy the Galaxy Watch 4 Classic. It features a spinning bezel that lets the user whiz through widgets quickly and easily, and the etchings on the frame lend a traditional look to the smartwatch.
Those looking for something with a lower profile will prefer a Fitbit band. Despite its relatively small size, the Fitbit Charge 5 packs a ton of hardware including a heart rate monitor, onboard GPS and an electrodermal activity (EDA) sensor. Altogether, it can help your loved one track their pulse, fitness and even stress levels. Fitbit also has one of the more insightful sleep-logging tools around, using cardio readings to determine if they’ve entered deep, REM or light sleep zones.
The company also made its touchscreen full-color on the Charge 5, which is a vast improvement over the last model’s greyscale version. This does diminish battery life, but the Charge 5 still manages to last up to seven days (though, that drops to two with the display set to Always On).
For the Android smartwatch user who wants a little more fashion cred on their wrist, the Fossil Gen 6 is a worthy option. These are the company’s first to run the new Wear OS, but with some custom watch faces and tweaks for health-tracking. They have bright, crisp 1.28-inch AMOLED screens and offer continuous heart-rate monitoring, as well as a blood oxygen sensor.
Battery life has always been a big shortcoming of smartwatches, and Fossil is attempting to make up for that by offering fast charging on the Gen 6. It promises you can get up to 80 percent in 30 minutes, so your giftee doesn’t have to spend too long waiting around for their watch to power back up. And since this is a Fossil wearable, there are plenty of attractive strap and case options that will suit your loved one’s tastes.
Not all wearables are watches: there’s been a recent surge in speaker-glasses hybrid devices. The Amazon Echo Frames are the most comfortable, though. Like the Bose Frames and Razer’s Anzu, they offer open-ear style speakers built into the arms of the eyewear so that the wearer can hear what’s playing on their computer or phone without blocking out the rest of the world. Amazon’s version also offers easy access to Alexa, so the user can get hands-free help with setting timers or turning on their smart lights.
The Echo Frames can be fitted with prescription lenses and come in an inoffensive style that should fit most faces (there’s only one size available). Those who don’t need glasses can also opt for blue-light filtering lenses or shades instead. If you know someone who wants to listen to music or their favorite YouTube livestream at work, while still being able to hear when their boss calls them into the office, the Echo Frames are a good option.
Some diehard watch aficionados don’t like the idea of a black mirror staring up at them when smartwatch batteries die, but still want a timepiece that can track basic health metrics. For these folks, the Withings Steel HR is an attractive, well-rounded product. It has a traditional analog watch face with a tiny round black-and-white screen that shows step counts and small status indicators. A sub-dial displays progress towards the wearer’s daily move goal, and runners can link the watch to their phone’s GPS to map their routes.
The device’s onboard heart rate and blood oxygen sensors help the user gauge their cardio performance, and swimmers or divers will appreciate the water resistance of up to 50 meters. Best of all, since this doesn’t have a large, battery-draining screen, it can last up to 25 days on a charge.
The hardcore runner or marathoner in your life will most likely have heard of Garmin. The company is known for its GPS and heart rate monitors, and athletes swear by their running watches. The Forerunner 55 is a great device for those looking for something that excels at sports-tracking with long-lasting battery. It’ll last up to two weeks, while monitoring the user’s respiration, heart rate, step count and more. The wearer can also get basic notifications, music playback controls and apps on the watch.
But it’s Garmin’s robust sports features that will win your giftee over. These include comprehensive run coaching with cadence alerts, pace suggestions, estimated finish time and recovery guides. The Forerunner 55 also tracks stress and menstrual cycles and offers emergency contact tools when the wearer feels unsafe.
Who knew a backpack could be smart? The Samsonite Konnect-i bag features touch-sensitive fibers woven into its strap to enable Google’s Jacquard technology. This lets the wearer tap and swipe on the surface to do things like answer phone calls, play or pause music and more by connecting to their phone. For those who need to pay attention to their commute instead of fumbling around with a phone when they’re on the go, the Konnect-i backpack can keep their hands free and eyes alert. If you have the money to spare and want to give your friend a serious style upgrade, Google also teamed up with Saint Lauren on a $1,150 branded version.
Because who doesn’t like pretending they’re a weekend paleontologist, purveyor of eccentric home and garden decor Design Toscano has created these giant dinosaur bone lawn sculptures. I can already imagine myself brushing some dirt off in front of guests and telling them I unearthed it this morning. “I think it’s a Brachiosaurus femur,” I’ll casually mention like I have any clue what I’m talking about.
Available on Amazon (affiliate link), each bone is handmade using crushed stone set in resin for an authentic fossilized look. They measure 43″ long, 17″ wide, 16″ tall, and weigh approximately 20 pounds. Obviously I’m going to bicep curl one in each hand as part of a new prehistoric workout fad I’m developing called Fit as a Caveman.
My dog is going to lose her mind when sees what’s in the box. Granted she only weighs 13 pounds, but her eyes have always been bigger than her stomach. One time she ripped a hole in her dog food bag and tried to eat what was left in it. Tried to – and succeeded. She’s a true testament to trying hard and believing in yourself.
Fossil is single-handedly keeping the Wear OS dream alive as the platform languishes while we wait for Google to complete its acquisition of Fitbit. At CES 2021, the fashion giant is announcing several new smartwatches and hybrid watches from its fam...
Smartwatches and wearables are finally finding their place in tech. They’ve become robust health-trackers in recent years, and what better way to help your loved ones care for themselves than with a gift that will help monitor their wellbeing? Smartw...
The Wear OS-powered Gen 5 touchscreen smartwatches Fossil rolled out last year are about to get some upgrades. Their phone apps include avatars for contacts and quick access to key tools, as well as new battery modes that include custom profiles for...
Developments in the land of Wear OS may have been a little scarce of late, but that doesn't mean Google's most fanatic smartwatch partner doesn't have new products to share. Fossil Group is here at CES 2020 showing off some new devices, like th...
Fossil has acted on its promise to show more love to iPhone users with its Gen 5 smartwatches. An in-progress software update now lets the wristwear make calls using Apple's handsets, making them some of the first Wear OS devices with calling suppor...
Developments in the land of Wear OS may have been a little scarce of late, but that doesn't mean Google's most fanatic smartwatch partner doesn't have new products to share. Fossil Group is here at CES 2020 showing off some new devices, like th...
Fossil has acted on its promise to show more love to iPhone users with its Gen 5 smartwatches. An in-progress software update now lets the wristwear make calls using Apple's handsets, making them some of the first Wear OS devices with calling suppor...