Swatch and Visa Team Up for Pay-by-the-wrist

Swatch Bellamy Payment SmartwatchWatch manufacturer Swatch has partnered with Visa to give eligible Visa cardholders in the US, Switzerland and Brazil the ability to tap and pay with the companys new Swatch Bellamy pay-by-the-wrist model, which is slated to launch in early 2016.

The device uses contactless NFC technology to enable payments, and will be usable globally, but only available to customers in a limited number of countries to begin with. The Swiss watchmaker had previously announced a launch for the timepiece in China through partnerships with Bank of Communications and UnionPay.

Swatch has limited its entry into the smartwatch sector, and beyond the NFC capability, the Bellamy is a regular analogue watch without any extra functionality. However, this does mean that the Bellamy has the same battery life as any other watch, a factor that may make it appeal to those looking for a quick NFC pay solution without the constant charging of a smartwatch.

The Bellamy is named after American science-fiction writer Edward Bellamy, who wrote a novel in 1888 that described a utopian society where cash had been replaced with credit card-style devices.