CES 2019: The fashion house returns with tracking smarts and contactless payments
Kate Spade has unveiled the Scallop Smartwatch 2 at CES 2019, becoming the latest fashion house under the Fossil Group banner to release a next-gen smartwatch.
Like the Skagen Falster 2 and Emporio Armani 2018 before it, the New York Scallop’s successor will come with a range of new exercise-centric features, including heart rate monitoring and GPS tracking. There’s also room for contactless payment technology, too, meaning users can make purchases directly from the wrist using Google Pay.
Hands on: Kate Spade Scallop Smartwatch 2 review
The smartwatch, like the rest of its Fossil Group friends, will continue to run on Google’s Wear OS, though there are the odd exclusive software features that help the Scallop 2 stand out from its siblings. The ‘Choose your look’ micro-app returns from the first generation, asking users a series of questions to help pick out a watch face that matches their outfit.
However, while things certainly seemed to have improved on the spec sheet, the Scallop 2 is only marginally different to its predecessor in its design. Largely, the changes here have come to the new straps and watch dials, as the smartwatch still measures 42mm and is offered in rose gold or a silver-and-gold case. As the name suggests, the scallop design around the bezel is also retained, though 3ATM water resistance means users can now shower and swim in shallow water with the watch.
Another thing that has been retained is the processor used to power the device. Kate Spade has decided to stick with the Qualcomm Snapdragon Wear 2100 chip from the previous generation, despite the new 3100 chip featuring inside a number of Fossil’s latest smartwatch collections. We suspect foregoing the new chipset won’t necessarily strain the smartwatch in a significant way, though we’ll only know for sure once we get our hands on it for further testing.
Planning to get your own mitts on the Scallop 2? Well, you won’t have to wait long, with Kate Spade indicating the new smartwatch is available to pre-order now ahead of a full release in late January.
The most expensive of the trio will be the $325 stainless steel model shown above, while the standard straps will see the device drop to $299. Pricing details outside the US have yet be released, but we’ll update this story when we have them.
