In a recent report by Strategy Analytics, a retail data firm, in the fourth quarter of 2015, 8.1 million smartwatches shipped worldwide, while the Swiss shipped only 7.9 million watch units. Apple and Samsung shipped eight out of 10 smartwatches worldwide in the first holiday season for Apple Watch sales.
Strategy Analytics defines Swiss watches as wristwatches made and shipped from Switzerland.
American companies are increasingly trending toward smartwatches, with Fossil Group Inc. FOSL, -0.94% basing the future of its company on connected products. Fossil acquired wearable fitness company Misfit in November 2015 and said it planned to produce more than 100 connected products in 2016. Fitbit Inc., another wearable fitness company, plans to ship its new, sleeker smartwatch, the Blaze, in March, according to marketwatch.com.
“The Swiss watch industry has been very slow to react to the development of smartwatches,” Neil Mawston, executive director at Strategy Analytics, said in the company’s news release.
