Huawei has launched its first smartwatch at the IFA show in Berlin and announced a marketing campaign focused on the fashion market. The watch, with a "classic design, inspired by Swiss timepieces", will go on sale in Canada, Germany, France, Spain and Italy this month priced between EUR 399 and EUR 699 depending on the design features chosen. The Huawei watch will also be available for pre-order in the US from 2 September and go on sale in the UK, Japan and the UAE in October. Information on further regions will be released later this year.
The watch features a fully circular 1.4-inch touch-sensitive Amoled display, coated in scratch-proof sapphire crystal and a stainless steel frame. Its runs the latest version of Google’s Android Wear, meaning users with both Android and iOS phones can receive notifications on the watch from their smartphones. Huawei offers a choice of gold, silver and black frames and watch faces such as classic, luxury, business, feminine, modern and simple aesthetics. The choice of 22mm straps includes stainless steel mesh, stainless steel links, rose gold and black-plated stainless steel links, and brown and black leather.
The Huawei watch was first announced at the Mobile World Congress earlier this year, and its launch was delayed from an initial target of mid-2015. The device can download music for offline playback, comes with Bluetooth for wireless headphones and includes a heart rate monitor and 6-axis motion sensor to track fitness activities.
Huawei is working with fashion photographer Mario Testino and the models Karlie Kloss and Sean O’Pry on the marketing campaign for the watch. The Testino advertising campaign will feature on across a range of communication channels globally in the coming weeks, including fashion magazines, out of home and digital, as well as TV at a later stage.
