Soon action sports enthusiasts will be able to stay connected while in the water or on the slopes, as today Nixon announced the release of a water resistant smartwatch. Dubbed The Mission, the smartwatch will debut at the jewelry and watch industry show, Baselworld, this week and be available later this year.
The Mission features a 10-ATM (100 meter) water-resistance rating — a category first and the highest waterproof rating of any smartwatch on the market.
Nixon focused on durability when designing The Mission, including features such as a custom-molded case made from polycarbonate and stainless steel with a full round AMOLED display. It is all protected by a 316L grade stainless steel bezel that performs as a roll cage protecting the Corning Gorilla Glass crystal. A dual-layer silicone band will be available in multiple colors.
Noting the active outdoor lifestyle of Nixon’s consumer, Tyson White, Vice President of Product for Nixon said, “All of our watches have to meet a high standard of durability and water resistance and for many of these participants, a fragile smartwatch is useless. With current products splash-proof at best, we knew we had to create a smartwatch that could survive the surf or the first ride down the mountain.”
Nixon partnered with Google and Qualcomm Technologies in developing their smartwatch. The Mission is built on the latest technology from Google’s Android Wear smartwatch platform and the Qualcomm Snapdragon Wear 2100 system-on-chip (SoC). It is one of the first watches announced to be based on the Snapdragon Wear 2100 SoC, which enables smart sensing, connected experiences and long battery life.
Of course, The Mission will also feature custom apps geared towards the action sports enthusiast, in addition to the full capabilities of the Android Wear platform and apps.
Nixon’s CEO, Nick Stowe, commented, “We wanted to make our entrance into the smart category in a disciplined and purposeful way by bringing functions that are useful and true to our DNA and action sports heritage.”
The Mission smartwatch will come with Nixon’s custom Mission app powered by Surfline and Snocountry. The app aims to keep users updated in real-time with worldwide surf and snow conditions information available with just a glance at their wrist.
The Mission will also feature a custom activity-tracking app developed in partnership with Trace. Users will be able to track their sessions and view their details and stats during an activity by using the Nixon Trace app.
When The Mission becomes available at select retailers later this year, Nixon will also offer customization options through its e-commerce site.
