Move over Apple, Tag Heuer wants a bite of the connected watch market.
Review: how the Tag Connected stacks up to the Apple Watch
If Apple grabbed headlines early this year, it was left to Tag Heuer to dominate the airwaves in recent weeks with the announcement of its very own smart watch. The TAG Heuer Connected is the brand's 21st-century foray into timekeeping and more, the first watch developed by a Swiss watchmaker to feature Android Wear with Intel inside.
It was announced not in Switzerland but in New York, by Jean-Claude Biver, chief executive of Tag Heuer and president of the LVMH Group's watches division, along with Intel CEO Brian Krzanich and the director of engineering of Android at Google, David Singleton – a clue to the expertise each company brings to the watch and its intercontinental nature.
Connect to eternity
Tag Heuer was responsible for the design, Intel the technology and Google the features that come from its Android Wear universe. According to the colourful Biver, the resulting watch "gives you the means not only to connect to the future, but also to connect to eternity". Not that it's merely a smart watch with no thought for the past.
Biver is anxious to point out: "It is a luxury Swiss watch and benefits from over 150 years of Swiss expertise. Since the 18th century we've been creating incredible watches that have built a worldwide reputation for quality and exclusivity. For more than 150 years, Tag Heuer itself has been inventing and manufacturing some of the most accurate chronographs produced by the Swiss watch industry. This is the unique savoir-faire and heritage we're bringing to a new generation of wrist-wear."
So how does the watch look?
The result is a large watch that at first glance looks like a regular Tag Carrera but is operated via either a touch screen, wrist movement or voice activation. A customisable dial has three display zones, at 6, 9 and 12 o'clock, for applications, activity information and alerts.
For the launch, Tag has developed three dial options: a chronograph, a three-hand and a GMT dial, all of which show the date and are available in a choice of three colours – black, deep blue or pearl white. In addition, you'll find timer and alarm functions. The dials look real, thanks to clever touches such as simulated shadows under the hands.
Other dial options will follow – Tag plans to release some designs in collaboration with its brand ambassadors – and you can customise your own via a Tag Heuer app that can be downloaded from the Google Play Store.
The case, back and lugs of the watch are made from grade 5 titanium, meaning lighter weight with greater resistance to dings, handy given that the case spans a not inconsiderable 46 millimetres. Did we mention it was large?
It's mounted on a textured rubber strap with a deployant buckle, available in six hues: stealth black, Arctic white, racing red, bright yellow, neon green, electric blue and volcanic orange. It's water resistant for everyday use, meaning it can be worn in the shower but is hardly recommended for diving.
The watch has a small microphone so you can communicate with it, while its sapphire crystal touch screen works with the crown at 3 o'clock to deliver on your commands. The package, Biver says, "has all the elegance, characteristics and level of finish expected from a fine Swiss wristwatch".
Exclusive apps
If that's the impression in terms of its initial appearance, the watch manages to maintain the look even when bringing up its connected functions, thanks to the way in which apps are displayed. The dial and hands remain visible, even after you tap on them. The pertinent information is displayed inside the three zones at 12, 6 and 9 o'clock. Touching the zone in question then opens the app in full screen mode.
Apps already available on an exclusive basis are My Insiders (lifestyle), Golfshot Pro (golf) and RaceChrono Pro (motor racing), which will be offered with free subscriptions. Android Wear gives the watch access to more than 4000 native applications available for downloading, with Google Fit, Google Translate and OK Google voice activation already on the watch.
Rather than cogs, the power is generated by a miniature computer designed by Intel, running on the Android Wear operating system developed by Google. This combination provides the watch with what is claimed to be unrivalled performance and modularity. It boasts 4GB of memory, equivalent to 20 hours of music and more than 25 hours of "autonomy", thanks to its power source, the latest-generation lithium battery. Recharging is via a contact charger, whereby you simply place the watch on top to power it up.
The watch connects to both Android and Apple phones and will continue to calculate, display and exchange information even with the phone off, thanks to its Wi-Fi connection. It's designed to remain in contact with a remote server and the Cloud, while on-board applications (music, chronograph, alarm etc) stay active even when no connection is available.
Each way bet
In something of a twist, Tag is offering anyone who purchases the Connected a chance to exchange it for a mechanical watch of identical design at the end of its two-year warranty period. Made from the same grade 5 titanium, it's been developed and reserved for owners of the Connected and its dial will bear the motto "Connected to Eternity". Whether you stick with the original for eternity or trade it in, the price is the same: $2000. We're wondering, is that having a bet each way? As always, time will tell.
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The AFR Magazine Summer issue is out Friday December 11 inside The Australian Financial Review.
