Google, Swiss Luxury Brand Planning Rival To Apple Watch

(RTTNews) - Google, Inc. (GOOG, GOOGL) has Thursday tied up with Intel Corp. (INTC) and Swiss luxury watch brand Tag Heuer in a bid to launch an Android Wear-based smartwatch later in the year.

The wearable device will be seen as a rival to the highly anticipated Apple Watch.

Google, Intel, and TAG Heuer announced the collaboration to launch an Android Wear-based smartwatch at the Baselworld international trade show for watches and jewelry in Basil, Switzerland.

"Swiss watchmaking and Silicon Valley is a marriage of technological innovation with watchmaking credibility. Our collaboration provides a rich host of synergies, forming a win-win partnership, and the potential for our three companies is enormous," TAG Heuer CEO Jean-Claude Biver said in a statement.

Google's Android Wear software was launched a year ago, and is already used on a half-dozen smartwatches such as Motorola Moto 360, LG G Watch R, or Sony Smartwatch 3. However, these are from traditional consumer electronics and smartphone makers and are priced cheap between $200 and $300.

Google's Android Wear-watch will be based on the luxurious watches from Tag Heuer, one of the largest Swiss watchmakers. Tag Heuer will provide the design, Intel the processing components, and Google the software for the luxurious and seamlessly connected smartwatch.

The move is seen as move to keep up with tech giant Apple's(AAPL) launch of its own smartwatch, and another Swiss watchmaker Swatch Group Ltd.'s announcement in early February that it is planning to launch its own smartwatch within next three months.

The Android Wear-watch is expected to be an elegant alternative to Apple Watch, which will be available in stores from April 24 at a price range of $349 to north of $10,000 for a luxurious gold edition.

"By fusing beauty with technology, the Swiss watch has inspired generations of artists and engineers alike—including us at Google. So we're thrilled to be working with TAG Heuer and Intel to bring a unique blend of emotion and innovation to the luxury market. Together, and using the Android Wear platform, we can imagine a better, beautiful, smarter watch," said David Singleton, Director of Engineering for Android Wear.