Apple has reportedly hired a former executive from a luxury Swiss watch maker to work on its upcoming iWatch.
Smartwatches are gaining momentum and a number of companies have already joined the race and launched exciting wearables. Just recently Google launched its much-touted Android Wear OS for wearable devices, along with two new smartwatches: the LG G Watch and the Samsung Gear Live. Motorola's Moto 360 will also be rocking Android Wear, but it's set to launch later this summer.
Apple's iWatch, meanwhile, remains unconfirmed at this point, but news and reports keep surfacing ahead of its highly-anticipated debut. According to the latest news from CNBC, Apple has just made another major iWatch hire, poaching the sales director of Swiss luxury watch brand TAG Heuer.
Previous rumors had claimed that Apple tried to collaborate with Swiss watch makers for its upcoming iWatch, but without much success. That seems to have changed now with the new hire, revealed by none other than Jean-Claude Biver, head of Jewelry and Watches at TAG Heuer's parent company LVMH. For those unfamiliar with the ropes, LVMH owns Swiss watchmakers TAG Heuer, Hublot, and Zenith.
It's also worth pointing out that earlier this year Biver said that Apple had been trying to poach some of its employees, but none of them agreed to join its crew at the time.
Biver told CNBC that TAG Heuer's sales director left the company last week "to take a contract with Apple," as part of the Cupertino giant's iWatch effort.
"Biver said he was happy for the employee as the new role represents a great opportunity for him," CNBC reports. "'If it had been a direct competitor, I would have felt a bit betrayed, but if he goes to Apple I think it is a great experience for him,' he said."
Apple is reportedly looking to launch its iWatch in October this year, and the company is striving to build a top-level team with notable experience in the industry. The company has also been adding several high-profile figures from the fashion industry to its iWatch team. Last month, Apple hired Burberry's Angela Ahrendts as its new retail chief, while last year it hired Yves Saint Laurent CEO Paul Deneve. The latter is reportedly working on "special projects" for Apple, but the rumor mill suggests it's all related to the iWatch.
The highly-anticipated iWatch is rumored to come in two versions, one designed for sports and fitness, while the other is said to be a "designer" version.
With the iWatch still in the rumor sate for now, however, it remains to be seen what it will have to offer. All signs point to a powerful wearable, but take everything with a grain of salt until Apple makes an official announcement.
