Head of marketing for Fossil fashion and sports, Judith Staples, made sure to point out that, “Fossil puts fashion first.” But the watch and lifestyle company is obviously so much more than that because Fossil was one of the first fashion brands to introduce a surprising level of technology to their (surprisingly vast) watch collection.
Fossil entered the smartwatch market a couple of years ago to fill its growing desire for tech. But the brand did it with an ace up its sleeve: Fossil wanted to prove that consumers didn’t have to sacrifice fashion for optimal function. And after the launch of the Generation 4 Fossil Q line in Uptown Mall last November 6 it looks like they’ve succeeded.
Powered with WearOS by Google and the Qualcomm Snapdragon Wear 2100 Platform, the new 40 mm Fossil Q Venture HR and 45mm Fossil Q Explorist HR provides users with one all-inclusive vintage-inspired device packed to the gills with relevant everyday-usable hardware like Heart-Rate Tracking, which features Exclusive-to-Fossil watch dials with heart-monitoring graphs that allow users to access manual readings directly from the watch face across multiple types of workouts using Google Fit; and NFC, which securely allows users payment and transit capabilities directly from their watches curbing the need to pull out a credit card to complete any transaction.
And then there’s Untethered GPS, which allows users to track walks, runs, hikes, bike rides and more via Google Fit and third-party fitness apps without having to bring a smartphone along. Indeed, the Fossil smartwatch will map and track a user’s location and distance during logged workouts. But wait there’s more.
Generation 4 smartphones also feature a bright and stunning touchscreen digital display; interchangeable straps and bracelets (18mm for the Venture, 22mm for the Explorist); Bluetooth connectivity; wireless syncing and magnetic charging; and sensors for heart rate, NFC, GPS, Altimeter; Accelerometer, Gyroscope; ambient light, and a microphone.
Best of all, the stainless steel cases of the Q Venture HR and Q Explorist HR have added swimproof functionality in the form of 30-meter water resistance, meaning users can track swim workouts, hang poolside or hop in the shower without worrying about damaging their smartwatch. Further, users can download music directly from third party apps directly to the device. And did we mention Generation 4 is compatible with iOS 9.3 and up, as well as Android 4.4 and up?
Indeed, with 36+ function-based and novelty dials (which allows personal photos to be used as watch face backgrounds), social media sharing, and an unprecedented amount of personalization capabilities, the Generation 4 Fossil Q line brings a unique, fun take on technology. And with its smart looks to boot, Generation 4 is a handsome, feature-packed WearOS smartwatch that comes in a surprisingly affordable package. And really, who wouldn’t want that?
