• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia
Tech100 Best Companies to Work For

Luxury Watchmakers Are Turning to Google to Save Them From Apple

By
Aaron Pressman
Aaron Pressman
Down Arrow Button Icon
March 9, 2017, 10:08 AM ET

Luxury watchmaker Movado says it signed on to use the latest version of Google’s Android Wear software for a new line of smartwatches coming in the fall. The initial five watch collection, starting at about $500, will debut at the Baselworld jewelry show in Switzerland later this month.

While executives at some high-end timepiece makers have derided the Apple Watch as a toy, Movado Group CEO Efraim Grinberg said in a statement that he was proud to add “the latest, cutting-edge technology platform” from Google to his company’s new line of smartwatches that will be “iconically Movado.”

Movado did not release pictures of the designs ahead of the Baselworld show, but said the smartwatch line will combine the traditional Movado (MOV) look for faces, backgrounds, and complications with modern software features like fitness tracking, phone alerts, and the Android Pay mobile wallet.

Two other brands owned by Movado—Tommy Hilfiger and Hugo Boss—will also adopt Android Wear for smartwatches coming later this year, the company added. Google’s 2.0 upgrade to its smartwatch software, which debuted last month, added improved fitness features, easier app loading, and access to the voice-controlled Google Assistant.

Get Data Sheet, Fortune’s technology newsletter.

The announcements come after Apple has taken the luxury watch world by storm with its smartwatch, even as the device is seen as struggling to break out in the consumer tech gadget market. Apple sold an estimated 22 million smartwatches over the past two years, according to IDC, bringing in about $400 to $500 each on average according to analyst estimates. The company doesn’t disclose actual sales.

That’s a drop in the bucket compared to the 3 billion smartphones worth about $1 trillion sold over the same period. But 22 million devices worth $10 billion or more ranks near the very top of the luxury watch charts. Exports of swiss watches, an industry proxy for the high-end market, totaled $21 billion last year. In January, Jean-Claude Biver, who runs LVMH’s watch brands such as Hublot and TAG Heuer, estimated that Apple had a 50% share by number of watches sold.

Apple has partnered with some luxury brands for its watches and watchbands—primarily Hermes—but none that are significant watchmakers on their own.

When Apple (AAPL) revolutionized the smartphone market with its first iPhone, some competitors laughed but others searched for the quickest way to catch up. For most, that meant partnering with Google (GOOGL) on phones to run Android software. The strategy worked brilliantly for Samsung, Xiaomi, and some others.

Now that Apple has its sights set on the watch market, Movado, LVMH, and some of the other big names are turning to the same playbook and looking to Google for help.

About the Author
By Aaron Pressman
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Tech

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • Future 50
  • World’s Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
Sections
  • Finance
  • Leadership
  • Success
  • Tech
  • Asia
  • Europe
  • Environment
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Health
  • Retail
  • Lifestyle
  • Politics
  • Newsletters
  • Magazine
  • Features
  • Commentary
  • Mpw
  • CEO Initiative
  • Conferences
  • Personal Finance
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
About Us
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map

© 2025 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.


Most Popular

placeholder alt text
Success
The scientist who helped create AI says it’s only ‘a matter of time’ before every single job is wiped out—even safer trade jobs like plumbing
By Orianna Rosa RoyleDecember 19, 2025
2 days ago
placeholder alt text
Success
As graduates face a ‘jobpocalypse,’ Goldman Sachs exec tells Gen Z they need to know their commercial impact 
By Preston ForeDecember 18, 2025
3 days ago
placeholder alt text
Economy
James Talarico says the biggest 'welfare queens' in America are 'the giant corporations that don't pay a penny in income taxes'
By Dave SmithDecember 20, 2025
19 hours ago
placeholder alt text
Economy
Sneaking unemployment rate means the U.S. economy is inching closer to a key recession indicator, says Moody’s
By Eleanor PringleDecember 19, 2025
2 days ago
placeholder alt text
AI
Meta’s 28-year-old billionaire prodigy says the next Bill Gates will be a 13-year-old who is ‘vibe coding’ right now
By Eva RoytburgDecember 19, 2025
2 days ago
placeholder alt text
Future of Work
'They'll lose their humanity': Dartmouth professor says he's surprised just how scared his Gen Z students are of AI
By Nick LichtenbergDecember 20, 2025
17 hours ago

Latest in Tech

EnergyData centers
Georgia regulators approve 50% power capacity boost, betting that massive AI data center demand will eventually materialize
By Jeff Amy and The Associated PressDecember 20, 2025
6 hours ago
Big TechCEO salaries and executive compensation
Elon Musk adds to his $679 billion fortune after Delaware court reverses its earlier decision and awards him a $55 billion Tesla pay package
By Michael Liedtke and The Associated PressDecember 20, 2025
7 hours ago
Bill Gates and Phoebe Gates attend the 2022 TIME100 Gala on June 08, 2022 in New York City.
TechBill Gates
Bill Gates identifies the biggest burden being passed on to his children after seeing his daughter harassed online 
By Eleanor PringleDecember 20, 2025
10 hours ago
AIOpenAI
OpenAI vs. Apple? Sam Altman is setting his sights on winning what could be an even higher-stakes AI battle
By Alyson ShontellDecember 20, 2025
13 hours ago
Photo of Elon Musk
TechTesla
Tesla’s chief designer accidentally smashed a $61K Cybertruck’s ‘armor glass’ window with a metal ball. Now he says it was a ‘great marketing moment’
By Sasha RogelbergDecember 20, 2025
16 hours ago
Scott Anthony
Future of WorkColleges and Universities
‘They’ll lose their humanity’: Dartmouth professor says he’s surprised just how scared his Gen Z students are of AI
By Nick LichtenbergDecember 20, 2025
17 hours ago