Cindy Livingston, CEO of the fashion brand Guess Watches, wrote a letter to Apple head Tim Cook to welcome his company into the timepiece industry, Tech Crunch reported.
The introduction of the Apple Watch stirred the tech community to speculate as to how the wearable device will revolutionize the market. Luxury watchmakers, on the other hand, were not so impressed with its design and high-tech features.
In the letter, Livingston reminded Cook that like Apple, Guess also received a lot of criticisms when it first entered the watch industry in 1984.
"I wanted to write to you and welcome you the Watch Industry and also to offer my personal thanks to you," she wrote to the Apple CEO.
"In the early 80's, there was really only Swatch (the brand) and Guess Watches," she continued. "At that time, we had many critics who thought we were crazy. No one thought that anyone would want this new type of 'novelty' timepiece."
Livingston noted that back then, people considered Swiss watches as the only acceptable models. Fortunately, the consumers embraced Guess' new line of products, according to Larrieforbes.
Aside from welcoming Apple, the letter also served as a way for Livingston to announce that Guess will enter the smartwatch market. According to Livingston, this is a way for the company to keep up with the growing tech trend.
"The proliferation of smartphones and the demand of consumers for round-the-clock connectivity have changed the way people access time," she wrote.
"We personally welcome this new challenge to remain relevant to our young, sexy and adventurous consumers who see as much importance in the device they carry and the messaging app they use, as the clothing and accessory brands they buy," she added.
The CEO revealed that for its latest products, the company has partnered with Martian Watches, a California-based firm that produces fashionable smartwatches, iPhonehacks reported.
"In today's connected world, consumers deserve the next level of combining fashion and function," Livingston stated. "We've always been much more than a watch. Now we are ging to take that concept even further."
"As we look forward to the launch of our own connected timepiece for Guess...'Powered by Martian,' we're happy to have another tru brand innovator in our industry that confirms the wrist as the dominant place for self-expression," she added.