In his fascinating 1888 novel "Looking Backward 2000-1887," American writer Edward Bellamy envisions a utopian world in which cash has been replaced by credit/debit cards — Bellamy was the first to write about such cards, forty years before anyone else.
Fast forward to early 2016, where eligible Visa cardholders in the U.S., Switzerland and Brazil will have the ability to tap and pay with Swatch’s new "pay-by-the-wrist" watch, SWATCH BELLAMY. The new SWATCH BELLAMY can be used globally, anywhere contactless, NFC-based (near-field communications) Visa payments are accepted.
The SWATCH BELLAMY watches have all the fun, color and great design that Swatch is famous for – and a built-in NFC chip hidden under the dial. Like a prepaid bankcard, a SWATCH BELLAMY watch allows customers to pay for items using merchants' contactless POS terminals.
Contactless NFC technology uses high-frequency radio waves to enable electronic devices to communicate over short distances, usually less than 10 cm. Pay-by-the-wrist transactions require absolutely no energy at all from the watch itself, meaning customers can expect the usual battery life of a Swatch.