LAS VEGAS — Fashion-timepiece brand Fossil is making a big push into the connected wearables space here at CES 2016, with a new smartwatch that will track your fitness activities and send you filtered notifications. The Q54 Pilot will be available in early spring for $175 to $215, depending on band options.
Fossil declined to let us photograph the Q54 Pilot during our meeting, which is unfortunate, because the chunky timepiece looked beautiful on my wrist. The only physical differences between the Q54 Pilot and the regular Pilot 54 watch that Fossil already makes are a disc on the underside of the watch face and a Q on the face.
MORE: Our Favorite Smartwatches of the Year
The disc at the base of the watch is what adds the smart features to the watch, while the Q on the face indicates that this watch is a connected wearable. Although the Q54 Pilot felt heavy to me, Fossil told me that the extra weight was due to the five extra band links on the unit we had, and that the disc at the bottom actually made the Pilot lighter than its analog counterpart.
Two band options were available at our meeting, one a stainless-steel link version and the other a khaki leather option. The latter was noticeably lighter than the former, but both made the watches handsome, solid timepieces.
Using the Fossil Q app, you can set the Q54 Pilot to buzz you (or light up in different colors) when a specific app or contact sends notifications, or if a certain word is detected in your incoming messages. It will also track your steps and calories and display that information on your phone.
The Q54 Pilot joins Fossil's existing line of Q connected wearables, which includes the Q Founder Android Wear smartwatch, Q Grant smartwatch and Q Dreamer fitness bracelet. Fossil also released a series of new interchangeable straps for its Q wearables to give customers more fashionable options for the spring fashion season.
