Fossil is officially done making Wear OS smartwatches

Ben Schoon | Jan 26 2024 - 3:44 pm PT

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After over a year of silence, Fossil has officially confirmed that it will not be making any more smartwatches based on Google’s Wear OS, or at all.

Fossil has been making smartwatches based on Google’s Wear OS for several years at this point, and was the most notable name in Wear OS during the platform’s “dark ages.” However, when Wear OS 3 debuted in 2021, Fossil was quickly overshadowed by Samsung and, later, Google’s own Pixel Watch. The company’s last Wear OS release was the Fossil Gen 6 Wellness Edition, which was met with middling reviews.

Late last year, we noted that Fossil has been heavily discounting its only remaining watches, and many models from Gen 6 had disappeared entirely. Around that same time, rumors started popping up that Fossil’s retail employees were saying that the company wouldn’t release anymore smartwatches.

Well, that turned out to be true.

Fossil, speaking to The Verge, says that it won’t be making smartwatches going forward. That includes both the company’s Wear OS watches as well as the “Hybrid” models that combined classic watch components with e-paper displays.

As the smartwatch landscape has evolved significantly over the past few years, we have made the strategic decision to exit the smartwatch business. Fossil Group is redirecting resources to support our core strength and the core segments of our business that continue to provide strong growth opportunities for us: designing and distributing exciting traditional watches, jewelry, and leather goods under our own as well as licensed brand names.

It’s added that Fossil will continue to support its existing smartwatches “for the next few years.” The company launched its Wear OS 3.5 update late last year (which was full of bugs).

Fossil Group’s Wear OS offerings extended through brands including Fossil, Citizen, Skagen, Diesel, Michael Kors, Kate Spade, and more.

For those with an existing Fossil smartwatch, Best Buy has shockingly high trade-in values for select models.