Veldt Brings Citizen’s Riiiver Wearable Tech to U.S. Market

New approaches to smartwatches are on the horizon, and now another one has landed. As the tech sector ponders the meaning of Google’s acquisition of Fitbit — and how it squares with the giant’s acquisition of Fossil’s hybrid watch technology — another player has quietly brought a new platform to the U.S. market. On Friday, Japan-based Veldt launched its latest premium watch, the new Luxture Aarde. The device line, which costs $650 to $750, is carried through b8ta, both online and through its select brick-and-mortar locations in New York’s Hudson Yards, as well as California’s Silicon Valley, San Francisco and Santa Monica shops. Unlike the numerous array of smartwatch startups, Veldt boasts a unique design and tech pedigree. Not only has it won several awards — including the 2015 Museum Selection Award by Japan Industrial Designers and 2016 Grand Prize Nikkei Trendy Startup Product Awards in the Fashion Category — but the seven-year-old company is also a key partner for watch giant Citizen in Japan. Veldt created Citizen’s Riiiver technology, an “Internet of Things” platform for wearable devices. “Citizen actually didn’t have the technology system development functionality,” Jin Nonogami, Veldt’s chief executive officer, told WWD. “Our company designed the system and also concept of the Riiiver platform

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