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Tag Heuer, the Swiss watchmaker, has confirmed the next part of its 155-year history is a step into what it’s calling “the future”: a watch that is the result of a partnership with Silicon Valley stalwarts Intel and Google.
The Tag Heuer Connected watch – to give it its full name – is a combination of Swiss engineering and US software, bringing together two generations of wrist wear that have until now only slightly overlapped – until this “marriage” as Tag Heuer executive Jean-Claude Biver described it.
Given that this is the first smartwatch to have been created by a “traditional” watchmaker, it perhaps isn’t too surprising that this is something of a departure from the wearable norm.
The first thing you’ll notice about the Tag watch is that it is chunky. It’s huge in fact, and the partners behind it are quick to point out this is a man’s watch. Indeed, on smaller wrists it looks ridiculous and frankly uncomfortable. But, having said that, it is surprisingly light.
This is a very good thing considering there’s grade two titanium in the bodywork. Though luxury watches do tend to have a weightiness that signifies their value, clearly Tag have gone the more common smartwatch route and kept it light.
The band is rubber, with a metal clasp to secure the watch in place. There’s some nice detail on the crown too – the Tag Heuer logo that you find on all their watches.
This has also been extended to the software with Tag watch faces built in to show that this is not your normal Android Wear-carrying piece of technology. Google also confirmed that some small tweaks have been made to Android Wear especially for the Tag – so notification Cards don’t stay at the bottom of the screen for example – the entire space is left clear so you can appreciate the full face at all times.
The themes are all also slightly darker, and mature – this is after all a more serious take on the smartwatch genre.
The watch faces also contain a more traditional, but digital, version of a stopwatch; so pressing the crown will stand an analogue second hand on the display. It’s the 21st century honouring the late 19th.
Beyond this, Android Wear and the wider watch specs are much the same. But there are two other aspects of the Tag Heuer Connected Watch that are worth noting.
The first is the price tag of £1,100. This is above and beyond the existing top end for a smartwatch – excluding the 18-karat Apple Watch Edition of course. But Tag Heuer are quick to point out that they’ve always been a luxury, exclusive brand, and that won’t be changing now.
What’s also interesting is the trade-in deal Tag is offering around the Connected watch. After two years, if the watch is not for you, you can trade it it for traditional version of their premium Carrera watch on which this smartwatch is based. Though you will have to pay another £1,100.
It’s an intriguing new take on the smartwatch market for a company that’s a new name to it all – a disruptor, yes, but one that is coming in above the existing premium tier. It’s a bold move in a marketplace that is still so young, especially with a product that intrigues on the surface but offers little in the way of extra functionality or performance to smartwatches a quarter of the price.
