Swatch has teamed up with China UnionPay and Bank of Communications to introduce a watch with inbuilt contactless payments functionality.
The Swiss watchmaker first outlined plans for a payment-enabled timepiece earlier this year, as it seeks to compete with a host of smartwatch rivals, notably Apple, moving in on its patch.
The new offering is called the Bellamy after the author Edward Bellamy who in his 1888 novel 'Looking Backward 2000-1887' envisioned a utopian world in which cash has been replaced by payment cards.
The Bellamy watch comes in four designs, each with built-in NFC chips hidden under the dials that can be used to make contactless payments.
In China, Swatch has partnered with UnionPay to activate the system, and with Bank of Communications, where customers will be able to purchase the new watches. Partnerships are also in place for imminent launches in Switzerland and the US.