Fossil, the makers of the popular hybrid watches, is partnering with Google. The company today announced that Google is spending $40 million for Fossil’s intellectual property.

The deal will see a portion of Fossil’s R&D team joining Google to work on the computer’s own smartwatch-related products like Wear OS, and the long speculated Pixel Watch. Fossil says Google is buying a smartwatch tech the company is currently building, though it won’t exactly say what the technology is.

“The addition of Fossil Group’s technology and team to Google demonstrates our commitment to the wearables industry by enabling a diverse portfolio of smartwatches and supporting the ever-evolving needs of the vitality-seeking, on-the-go consumer,” said Stacey Burr, the Vice President of Product Management at Google’s Wear OS team.

The $40 million deal is a big deal for Google’s future investment on Wear OS. Google’s Wear OS devices are obviously falling behind Apple Watch, and maybe the deal will help push Google ahead. The company is believed to be working on its own smartwatches powered by Wear OS, and this new tech that’s currently being built by Fossil could play a huge role in its success. For now, it’s a little too early to tell.

Tagged with Fossil, Google, Wear OS