While some traditional watchmakers have avoided getting into smartwatches, there are just as many who are eager to hop on board the bandwagon. We’ve already seen efforts from the likes of Swatch, Breitling, and TAG Heuer, and it looks like the latest watchmaker to come on board would be Japanese company, Citizen.
According to a report from Nikkei, the company’s smartwatch is expected to be launched by the end of the year, and the best part is that the watch will be solar-powered meaning that users won’t have to plug it in for it to recharge. However from what we can tell, it won’t be a typical smartwatch like we’ve seen from Samsung, LG, Huawei, and so on.
Instead it is expected to be smart enough to offer certain connectivity features, such as the ability to notify users of incoming calls, messages, and alerts, but at the same time ensuring that at its core, it still maintains the trademark of a well-built watch. Other features of Citizen’s watch include the ability to locate a misplaced smartwatch, automatic correction of time zones and daylight savings, and it is also said to carry a price tag of around $783.
As Nikkei notes, this isn’t Citizen’s first foray into smartwatches. The company had launched a device with “smart” features back in 2006 but it wasn’t particularly well-received, but hopefully with customers being more open to wearables these days, Citizen’s upcoming smartwatch efforts will be more successful.
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