Google Fuels 'Pixel Watch' Rumors in $40 Million Deal for Fossil Smartwatch Tech

Google and watchmaker Fossil Group today jointly announced a $40 million deal that will see the search giant take ownership of a portion of Fossil's smartwatch technology.

Fossil Sport

Fossil Sport smartwatch

The deal, which is being described as "transactional" and will see some of Fossil's R&D division join Google, will lead to the launch of a "new product innovation that's not yet hit the market," said Fossil VP and chief strategy officer Greg McKelvey.

Speaking to Wearable, McKelvey said the new product is based on technology that Fossil has been developing out of its $260 million Misfit acquisition in 2015. "It's new to the market technology and we think it's a product that has features and benefits that aren't in the category today," he added.

Google confirmed that the new product line will join the Wear OS family, although neither company revealed when the products that eventually emerge out of the partnership would be launched.

The deal is naturally fueling speculation that Google is planning an own-branded direct competitor to Apple Watch. Tentatively billed the "Pixel Watch" by market watchers, the new line is said to be made up of three models, codenamed Ling, Triton, and Sardine, although the details end there.

Google is known to be working on new fitness and health tracking features for its Wear OS, which could theoretically make their debut in the rumored watch, while Fossil recently diverged from its step-counting wristwatch range by announcing a Wear OS-based dedicated Sport smartwatch with built-in GPS and heart-rate sensor, suggesting today's deal could result in a new fitness-focused device.

Related Roundup: Apple Watch 10
Tags: Fossil, Google
Buyer's Guide: Apple Watch (Buy Now)

Popular Stories

New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 18

18 New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 18.2

Wednesday November 27, 2024 5:05 am PST by
Apple is set to release iOS 18.2 in early December, bringing the second round of Apple Intelligence features to iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 models. This update brings several major advancements to Apple's AI integration, including completely new image generation tools and a range of Visual Intelligence-based enhancements. There are a handful of new non-AI related feature controls incoming as...
iphone 16 pro models 1

12 Reasons to Wait for Next Year's iPhone 17

Friday November 29, 2024 5:17 am PST by
Apple's iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models simultaneously, which is why we sometimes get rumored feature leaks so far ahead of launch. The iPhone 17 series is no different – already we have some idea of what to expect from Apple's 2025 smartphone lineup. If you plan to skip...
iPhone 17 Pro Dual Tone Rectangle Feature 1

iPhone 17 Pro Already Rumored to Have These 8 New Features

Wednesday November 27, 2024 12:19 pm PST by
While the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are not expected to launch for 10 more months, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. An imaginative iPhone 17 Pro concept based on rumors Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models so far: Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro ...
General Black Friday Deals 24 Blue Snowmen

The Best 50+ Black Friday Apple Deals Still Available on AirPods, iPads, MacBooks, and More

Thursday November 28, 2024 1:01 pm PST by
Black Friday 2024 is over, but you can still find great deals on numerous Apple devices this weekend. Right now, this includes big savings on AirPods, Apple Watch, MacBook Air, iPad, and more. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running. Specifically, in...
maxresdefault

The MacRumors Show: iPhone 17 Designs Revealed!

Friday November 29, 2024 9:34 am PST by
On this week's episode of The MacRumors Show, we discuss the recently leaked design of the iPhone 17 "Air" and iPhone 17 Pro. Subscribe to The MacRumors Show YouTube channel for more videos Earlier this week, a report from The Information's Wayne Ma revealed that the iPhone 17 Air will have a thickness of between 5mm and 6mm, which would make it the thinnest iPhone ever. In comparison, iPhone ...
airpods pro 2 gradient

AirPods Pro 3 Expected Next Year: Here's What We Know

Thursday November 28, 2024 3:30 am PST by
Despite being released over two years ago, Apple's AirPods Pro 2 continue to dominate the wireless earbud market. However, with the AirPods Pro 3 expected to launch sometime in 2025, anyone thinking of buying Apple's premium earbuds may be wondering if the next generation is worth holding out for. Apart from their audio and noise-canceling performance, which are generally regarded as...
new streaming black friday

Cyber Monday Streaming Deals Include Big Savings on Disney+, Hulu, Paramount+, and Peacock

Friday November 29, 2024 5:38 am PST by
Black Friday is over, but you can still find great savings on streaming memberships this weekend as we head into Cyber Monday. Some of the biggest services have great discounts for new and select returning members, including Disney+, Hulu, Paramount+, and Peacock. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a...
Apple AI Command Center Concept Mock 3

Apple Expected to Launch This All-New Device Next Year

Wednesday November 27, 2024 1:05 pm PST by
Apple is expected to kick off 2025 by launching an all-new smart home hub, also referred to as a "command center," as early as March. The hub is expected to feature around a six-inch display that can be attached to a tabletop base with a speaker, or mounted on a wall. The device is said to run a new "homeOS" operating system with a customizable widget-focused home screen, and it is expected...

Top Rated Comments

magicschoolbus Avatar
77 months ago
Amazing deal for Fossil.

However, trusting Google with a tracker that monitors my location and body? Nooooooooooooooooo way.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
levitynyc Avatar
77 months ago
Very interested.

I recently switched to a Pixel 3 XL after having an iPhone since 2007. I really like it.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Abazigal Avatar
77 months ago
The iphone faces more competition from older iPhones than other android phones.

I don’t expect anything different here. The Apple Watch market is basically the smart watch market at this point.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
sinsin07 Avatar
77 months ago
Pixel watch phone home.
Will it have advertisements too?
Now every time I raise my hand near my face will I see an advertisement for Kleenex?
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
locovaca Avatar
77 months ago
Android Wear has done nothing but get worse since it’s original release. The Android 2 update made it clumsy to use, watches are still released with missing features (nfc is still hard to find), and the usability of a round screen pales to that of a square. The text density alone makes it hard to use.

I had both an LG G Watch and a Moto 360 sport. The only feature I missed was the transreflective display on the 360 which gave you a low power, always on display. Even in direct sunlight it was 100% readable.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Pupi Avatar
77 months ago
Now Google will only be 8 years behind instead of a decade.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)