Fossil has been one of the foremost companies when it comes to adopting and pushing smartwatches. The brand also has a more unique offering that brings the best of analogue watches and smartwatches into one sleek, customisable hybrid experience. These Hybrid watches – as the company calls them – bring all the benefits of having a smartwatch with the complexities stripped. The new 6th Generation Hybrid smartwatches are the company’s sixth iteration of their successful lineup.
The Hybrid Smartwatch lineup will consist of two smartwatches: the Fossil Machine and the Fossil Stella. Both come with similar specifications but are aesthetically designed with different appeals. The Fossil Machine is a more rugged, hardy device aesthtically. It comes with a very industrial finish with a machined metal finish with an industrial, bevelled ring around the watchface. It’s also bigger with a 45mm stainless steel case. The Stella, on the other hand, has a more refined finish with smooth bezels. It also comes with crystal studding for those of us that need some bling. The Fossil Stella is also smaller with a 41mm stainless steel casing. Both come with silicone, leather and stainless steel options for the strap.
The new sixth generation of Fossil Hybrid Smartwatches bring an improved SPO2 sensor for better blood oxygen monitoring. They also come with an E-Ink display which is always on in the center of the watch face. The Stella comes with a smaller 0.94-inch display while the Machine comes with a 1.1-inch display. The display will display your activity tracking and also notifications. In addition, the hyrid smartwaches are water resistant up to 3ATM.
It’s worth noting that these Fossil Hybrid Smartwatches are not running on Google’s Android based Wear OS. They have, and continue to be, running on Fossil’s own proprietary software which comes with connects to your smartphone via a Fossil Hybrid Smartwatch app which is available on both iOS and Android. This also means that their features are very stripped down. They don’t provide the robustness of functionality we expect in smartwatches. However, they do provide a way for you to consciously disconnect. You can’t interact with your smartphone nor reply messages but you will get notifications.
This generation of the Fossil Hybrid Smartwatches also brings compatibility with Amazon’s Alexa. This will allow you to use voice commands to interact and get things done on your phone.
Pricing & Availability
The Gen 6 Hybrid Smartwatches are already available in Malaysia and the rest of the world. The Stella and the Machine costs MYR1,079/USD229 for the Silicone and Leather strap versions. The stainless steel band version costs MYR1,129/USD$249.