Swatch Developing Own Watch Operating System To Compete with Android Wear and watchOS

Corinne Gretler:

Swatch Group AG said it’s developing an alternative to the iOS and Android operating systems for smartwatches as Switzerland’s largest maker of timepieces vies with Silicon Valley for control of consumers’ wrists.

The company’s Tissot brand will introduce a model around the end of 2018 that uses the Swiss-made system, which will also be able to connect small objects and wearables, Swatch Chief Executive Officer Nick Hayek said in an interview Thursday. The technology will need less battery power and it will protect data better, he said later at a press conference.

The problem with Swatch’s OS will be the same thing that limits Android Wear on iOS — no meaningful possibility to integrate with the iPhone. Android users could potentially benefit more from this, but I don’t see Swatch making any serious dent in the market in the near future.