Gaming giant Razer may be known for its cutting-edge laptops and RGB-infused peripherals but it’s also a keen collaborator and its latest partnership with Fossil has given rise to a new limited-edition smartwatch.
Most will likely be fawning over the new line of Razer Blade laptops that just dropped at CES 2022 but for those who truly want to live that Razer lifestyle, the company already offers up a whole range of branded wares: from gaming chairs to apparel; there’s even a collapsible Razer-branded drinking straw.
As such, a smartwatch makes a lot of sense and in many ways, it’s a surprise that one hasn’t launched sooner. 2016’s Razer Nabu Watch is the closest thing to a smartwatch Razer has put out to date; a Casio G-Shock lookalike with some ‘smart’ abilities, including activity tracking and mobile notification support.
This latest Razer x Fossil Gen 6 collaboration is a little different. As the name suggests, the hardware is being supplied by Fossil; using its fresh-faced Gen 6 platform, which launched toward the end of 2021.
It relies on Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon Wear 4100+ chipset, sports a 1.28in circular AMOLED display set within a 44mm stainless steel casing and runs Wear OS 2 out the box (with the promise of an upgrade to Wear OS 3, later this year).
In its official release, Razer speaks to the watch’s fitness and wellbeing features: “The Razer X Fossil Gen 6 Smartwatch also boasts top wellness features, confirming the commitment of both brands to well-being, and comes only a few months after the launch of Razer’s dedicated wellness initiative for gamers, Champions Start From Within.” But as is often the case with consumer tech collaborations, the company’s involvement is primarily cosmetic in this instance.
The watch comes complete with a pair of 22mm Razer logo-embossed interchangeable silicone straps (one in black and one in Razer’s signature bright green), along with a trio of pre-loaded watch faces, dubbed ‘Analogue’, ‘Text’ and ‘Chroma’.
It would have been nice to include a Razer Chroma tile or widget – letting gamers control their Chroma-compatible lighting effects from their wrist – but that looks to have been a step too far.
Where the Razer x Fossil Gen 6 aims to stand out is with its exclusivity. Despite international availability kicking off from 10 January, the company is only releasing 1,337 units, meaning if you manage to snap one up, you’ll be part of an elite group.
The smartwatch will be available from both Fossil’s and Razer’s online stores, as well as “select retail stores,” priced at £319/€339/US$329/AU$549, meaning it comes with a slight premium, compared to the standard Fossil Gen 6 series.
Skagen Falster Gen 6 launched
Along with the Razer collaboration, “Danish-inspired” Fossil Group brand Skagen also pulled the wraps off its updated Wear OS watch line, with the Skagen Falster Gen 6 joining the Fossil Gen 6 and Michael Kors Gen 6 that were introduced last October.
While the design should be familiar to those who’ve worn a Falster before, this year’s model comes with all the Gen 6 trimmings found on counterparts from its sister brands, including that all-important Snapdragon Wear 4100+ chip, fast charging (80% charge in 30 minutes) and SpO2 tracking; set within a 42mm casing that supports 20mm straps.
The Falster Gen 6 arrives a little sooner than the Razer watch, directly after its unveiling on 5 January, priced from £279/€299/US$295 and available from Skagen’s own online store.
Want to see what all these Fossil-made entries are up against? Check out our best smartwatch roundup for more.