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watch, the Swiss watchmaking giant, says it will sell an analog watch next year with an NFC payment chip linked to the Visa payment network.
The Bellamy line of watches will be sold in the United States, Switzerland, and Brazil starting next year. The first two countries are pretty obvious; Brazil is the home of the 2016 Olympics, of which Visa is a global sponsor. The Bellamy watches were first announced last month in China.
Pricing and precise availability information was not disclosed.
The company did not say how payment information would be linked with the watch’s NFC chip, or if MasterCard or American Express cards could be linked to it. Previous Swatch connected watches have included apps that interpret data collected by watch sensors.
Swatch’s press release said that the NFC chips do not require additional power and would therefore have no impact on the watches’ battery life; Swatch batteries typically last six to 12 months, and are replaced free at the company’s retail outlets.
Despite initial reluctance, Swatch has begun making inroads in the connected watch business; earlier this year, the company introduced the first in a promised line of sport-specific watches.