Fossil announces it will no longer make smartwatches

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Fossil is finally calling it quits on its Wear OS smartwatches. 

Besides manufacturing traditional timepieces, the Fossil Group is also known for manufacturing stylish smartwatches. However, after continuing the fight for several years, the company is giving up. 

According to a statement delivered by the company to The Verge, the Gen 6 will be the last Wear OS watch from the company.

The company has been integral to the development of Wear OS, with Google having previously paid good money for its smartwatch IP.

Fossil is closing its Wear OS smartwatch division

According to the statement provided by the company’s Executive Vice President and CEO, Jeff Boyer,

As the smartwatch landscape has evolved significantly over the past few years, we have made the strategic decision to exit the smartwatch business,” said a Fossil spokesperson. “Fossil Group is redirecting resources to support our core strength and the core segments of our business that continue to provide strong growth opportunities for us: designing and distributing exciting traditional watches, jewelry, and leather goods under our own as well as licensed brand names.

Fossil isn’t a newcomer to the smartwatch industry.

In fact, the company been considered a major player that initially introduced the hybrid models but later embraced the full-fledged smartwatches and employed Google’s Wear OS to power them. 

But with the latest development, it seems the company is ready to drop the stutter to its shop. There’s no more hope for its Gen 7 series. The Gen 6 will be the last of its kind Wear OS timepieces from the watchmaker.

A spokesperson from the company has added,

Fossil Group is redirecting resources to support our core strength and the core segments of our business that continue to provide strong growth opportunities for us: designing and distributing exciting traditional watches, jewelry, and leather goods under our own as well as licensed brand names.

However, the owners of Gen 6 or other smartwatches shouldn’t worry. Boyer has promised that the company will continue to roll out Wear OS updates for existing smartwatches for the next few years – without specifying an exact number.

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