Victorinox sets out to make the Swiss Army knife of wearables

Victorinox is going smart for 2016. Photo: Victorinox

Victorinox is going smart for 2016. Photo: Victorinox

Swiss Army knife maker Victorinox is gearing up to launch its first smart wearable built with the help of Acer. The device will work alongside existing watches from the company’s I.N.O.X. collection, and we’ll get our first glimpse at it at Mobile World Congress.

Both companies are keeping the details under wraps for now, so we don’t know what it will look like, when it will be available, or how much it’ll cost. However, Victorinox is promising high-end Swiss build quality, and advanced functionality.

“Our first collaboration with Acer is a wearable device that makes your watch smart, giving it multi-functionality much like our iconic Swiss Army Knife,” said Alexander Bennouna, CEO of Victorinox Swiss Army SA.

“Our partnership with Acer enables us to introduce a unique solution that combines the best of both worlds – an innovative wearable accessory that adds technology and functionality to an existing I.N.O.X. watch, without compromising its Swiss-made integrity and durability.”

It’s an add-on for your existing watch rather than an entirely new smartwatch for now, then — but Victorinox suggests there will be other products spawned from its new partnership with Acer, so maybe we’ll get a smartwatch later.

Victorinox wouldn’t be the first Swiss company to embrace smart wearables; TAG Heuer last year launched the Connected, a $1,500 smartwatch modeled on the iconic Carrera that runs Android Wear. Swatch has also launched its Touch Zero One fitness tracker.