Swiss watch brands have always faced competition from other firms at some point in their histories. In the 1970s, quartz watches from Japanese brands such as Seiko and Citizen proved to be one of the Swiss watch industry’s most significant competition. This event was called the quartz crisis since the popularity of these new timepieces became detrimental to the success of Swiss watch manufacturers. Nowadays, the quartz crisis is just an entry in the history of watchmaking. But Swiss watch companies face new competition from tech companies like Apple, Samsung, and Garmin.
Today, smartwatches are the quartz watches of the 21st century, especially for producers of Swiss mechanical watches. These watches don’t only tell the time but could also tell the weather, receive notifications, and even track exercise and other data such as steps and heart rate.
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It’s The Swatch Group’s First Smartwatch
Some Swiss watch manufacturers continued to resist the smartwatch trend just like they did during the quartz crisis. But Tissot is different. Most Swiss watch companies started upgrading their existing offerings, releasing limited editions of specific watch models, or introducing new watch models in response to increasing competition from smartwatches. On the other hand, Swiss watch companies like Tissot gave in to the trend by introducing a model of smartwatches called the Tissot T-Touch Connect Solar. It would also be the first smartwatch from the Swatch Group, a conglomerate that owns some of the most renowned brands in the watchmaking industry, such as Omega and Tissot.
Many people have anticipated the Swatch Group’s entry into the smartwatch market. Despite this, however, the conglomerate’s entry into the industry was anything but easy. But while the Swatch Group’s journey to making smartwatches has been arduous, the conglomerate still became successful. And they happily announced its release during an online conference. For some people, The Tissot T-Touch Connected Solar seems like a response to the falling sales of Swiss watches in general. Strategic Analytics reported that Apple sold 30 million smartwatches all over the world in 2019. Compare that to 20.6 million watches that Swiss watch companies sold globally over the same period. With such sales, manufacturers like Tissot have all the right to fear the rise of smartwatches and the effects they could bring into the Swiss watch industry.
It Functions As A Hybrid Smartwatch
The Tissot T-Touch Connect Solar, as mentioned earlier, is Tissot’s (and Swatch Group’s) first ever smartwatch. But it is different from the smartwatches you will see from companies like Fitbit and Garmin. It’s because the T-Touch Connect Solar is a hybrid smartwatch, unlike the Apple Watch, which is just a smaller version of the iPhone that you can wear on your wrist. For those who do not know what a hybrid smartwatch is, it’s when you mix the classic mechanical watch with a smartwatch’s technological features. A hybrid smartwatch is an automatic watch that works as a smartwatch. It’s like a smartwatch but without a touchscreen.
Hybrid smartwatches are not new to the market. Companies such as Amazfit and Withings have hybrid smartwatches with varying designs and specifications. Other Swiss watch luxury watch brands like Fossil and more established smartwatch companies like Garmin released their hybrid smartwatches. But there is a good reason for a luxury Swiss watch brand to release a hybrid smartwatch instead of a typical touchscreen smartwatch. For one, hybrid smartwatches have the best of both worlds. They possess the technological prowess of smartwatches and combine it with the classic, beautiful design of mechanical watches. Hybrid smartwatches also ensure that Swiss watch companies such as Tissot will not stray away from their roots as producers of mechanical watches. Hybrid smartwatches will help firms like Tissot enter the smartwatch market while retaining access to the automatic watch market.
This Smartwatch Has Two Modes
Creating a hybrid smartwatch instead of a full-fledged smartwatch also benefits the Tissot T-Touch Connect Solar. It’s because, unlike most smartwatches from Samsung and Apple, the T-Touch Connect Solar has two modes, a watch mode and a connected mode. The difference between these two modes lies in the number of features it can use. Let’s start with the watch mode. When the T-Touch Connected Solar is on watch mode, the watch is not connected to your phone and employs the essential functions of the watch, such as date and time, chronograph, compass, timezone, and alarms. The Tissot T-Touch Connected Solar will function as a regular mechanical watch when this smartwatch is in watch mode.
However, the Tissot T-Touch Solar Connect watch will function differently once it’s on connected mode. Because in this mode, you can use more features with this watch. For instance, you can receive notifications on the T-Touch Solar Connect from your mobile device once it’s in connected mode. In addition, you can track activities using this timepiece when it’s on watch mode using its activity tracking and accelerometer feature. But you can track and sync steps, distance, and energy you used with the T-Touch Solar Connect on your mobile device once it’s on connected mode. The T-Touch Solar Connect does not intend to compete directly with companies like Fitbit and Garmin regarding activity-tracking. But this feature is excellent to have if you want a luxury mechanical timepiece that could do more than just tell the time.
The T-Touch Connect Solar Runs On Solar Power
One main issue that most people have with smartwatches has to do with their batteries. At best, some smartwatches could last for weeks after a full charge. In worst scenarios, some could last for only two days or even less. But the Tissot T-Touch Connect Solar intends to solve this problem through its proprietary Sw-ALPS operating system and solar energy. Regarding its operating system, Swatch made the Sw-ALPS operating system specifically for this watch, and the timepiece also uses a Bluetooth Low Energy chip. This tiny component ensures that the hybrid smartwatch will not consume much data while syncing them to the user’s mobile device. The T-Touch Connect Solar will also power primarily through solar power, which means that you wouldn’t need to charge your watch often. But in case you need to boost the battery life of your timepiece quickly, the Tissot T-Touch Connect Solar still comes with a charger.
Conclusion
The Tissot T-Touch Solar Connect may be Tissot’s first smartwatch, but it would not be the last. It would also be entering an intense competition with well-established smartwatches such as the Apple Watch. And it would also face competition with other mechanical timepieces. Nonetheless, the Tissot T-Touch Solar Connect uses a different approach to both smartwatches and automatic watches. It’s both a sleek, beautiful watch with a classical design and sturdy craftsmanship. But it’s also a powerful smartwatch that can receive notifications and even track your activities and other vital data, such as your steps.
