Preview: TAG Heuer Connected Modular

Tag Heuer’s Android Wear 2.0 Powered SmartWatch To Arrive In May
January 19, 2017 - Written By Kristijan Lucic

Tag Heuer’s new smartwatch will land in May, a recent interview reveals. Jean-Claude Biver, Head of Tag Heuer, said in a recent interview that the company’s new Android Wear 2.0-powered smartwatch will land in May. The company’s Head also confirmed that the watch will become available in two different variants, and the only difference between the two will be their size it seems. Mr. Biver did not reveal names of the company’s upcoming smartwatches, but he did share some other details, though, read on if you’re interested.

Mr. Biver said that the upcoming smartwatch will feature some sort of payment options, he did not elaborate on that, though. The upcoming smartwatch will also pack in a far more accurate GPS module, it seems. This smartwatch will be able to pin down your location within a radius of 1 meter, while you can also expect improvements in some other areas, the watch’s display, for example. A processor that will be used in this smartwatch will be manufactured in Switzerland, and it seems like we’re looking at an Intel SoC here, as Tag Heuer did strike a licensing deal with the company back in December. It is also worth mentioning that Tag Heuer and Qualcomm are actually enjoying a very close cooperation, as Tag Heuer opened up a new branch in Santa Clara, California, they basically sent around a dozen employees to Qualcomm’s campus, and established a small branch over there in order to be able to cooperate with Qualcomm.

Mr. Biver also talked about smartwatch sales as part of his interview with the Neue Zürcher Zeitung. He said that the company had managed to sell 56,000 smartwatches since they launched the Tag Heuer connected, which occurred back in November 2015. These are actually great news for Tag Heuer considering they were planning to ship out ‘only’ 20,000 smartwatches. In case you don’t know, Android Wear 2.0 is expected to land in early February, and it seems like Tag Heuer’s new smartwatch will be amongst the first to ship with Android Wear 2.0 out of the box. In case you’d like to know more about the Tag Heuer Connected, check out our hands-on coverage from last year.

TAG Heuer Connected Sales Almost Triple Expected, New Version With NFC Coming in May
Jean-Claude Biver, head of LVMH Watches and CEO of TAG Heuer, recently sat down for a wave of interviews to discuss his new interim CEO role at watchmaker, Zenith. During one of the interviews with Neue Zürcher Zeitung, Biver spoke at length about his recent dive into smartwatches at TAG Heuer, a move that has turned out to be a successful one. He shared sales details, along with plans for the next generation Connected line.

According to Biver, TAG originally only expected to sell about 20,000 of their $1,500 Connected smartwatches (our Connected review). In fourteen months, they ended up selling 56,000, almost triple their initial forecast. That’s pretty remarkable when you consider the brand, the price, and the fact that we keep hearing that smartwatches aren’t popular. You may recall that TAG Heuer had to stop online sales at one point because they sold through them so quickly and wanted to be able to offer them in-store. They now offer options that include rose gold cases and cost close to $10,000.

For 2017, TAG Heuer will once again sell a new smartwatch or two, which was first reported back in March of last year. The new line, which will be powered by Intel chipsets (like the original Connected), will arrive in smaller (“for women and the Asian market”) and larger sizes, along with “different colors and materials.”

Biver laid out some of the specs and features for the new line of smartwatches outside of the Intel chipset, like a “payment function” (which would mean NFC onboard), GPS, longer battery life, “more powerful displays,” and “better reception.” He also noted that they have an office at Intel’s Santa Clara campus where they plan to employ 8-12 people, so that they can “be close and know what’s going on” in the technology field, as they likely don’t plan to exit the smartwatch arena any time soon.

Biver thinks they can sell 150,000 of these new smartwatches. They arrive in May.

Calibre11

150,000 would be remarkable given that TAG Heuer's total volume a couple of years ago was estimated at 750,000

TAG Heuer Connected Modular to appear March 14, fully customizable and convertible.

By JERRY HILDENBRAND (Android Central)

Back in January 2017, TAG Heuer CEO Jean-Claude Biver said the company wanted to release a successor to the $1,500 TAG Connected in May 2017 during an interview with Swiss paper Neue Zürcher Zeitung. Android Central has learned some details about the coming TAG wearable from one of those people "familiar with the matter."

Our sources tell us the Tag Connected Modular will arrive March 14, 2017, and have a unique set of features that make it a true one-of-a-kind Wear 2.0 smart watch. The TAG Connected Modular will feature fully customizable lugs complete with a choice of straps and clasps to swap at your convenience. A custom automatic watch head module will allow the wear to switch between the digital connected Android Wear 2.0 body and a more traditional automatic movement.

TAG Heuer considers the original TAG Connected a successful product citing strong initial sales that exceeded the original goal of moving 20,000 units of the expensive wearable. Biver noted that TAG considers smart watch technology to still be in "the stone age" and there is plenty of future potential in the market. TAG wants to be part of that future.

We understood that TAG Heuer planned to leverage its strength as a traditional watchmaker by offering to accommodate the variety of styles and wrist sizes found in the different markets it services. A modular customizable timepiece meets and exceeds those goals. With no word on the pricing, we expect this one to be a wearable we can long for and admire from afar. We'll know more come March.

Rumor: TAG Heuer’s New Smartwatch Will Launch Next Month
By Justin Diaz

TAG Heuer’s new smartwatch will launch next month according to the latest rumor instead of launching sometime in May which is the time frame that was originally suspected. In addition to launching next month, the rumor states that the arrival of the watch will happen on March 14th and that it will come with some features and design elements which will set it apart from other Android Wear smartwatch offerings. While the device is said to be coming with Android Wear 2.0, which would set it apart from most offerings if it were available right now, by the time the watch launches it’s likely that all existing devices which are scheduled to get the update will have it.

Where TAG Heuer’s second smartwatch will seek to differentiate itself is with a modular design. The name of the device will be the TAG Heuer Connected Modular, and the modular in the name comes from the use of a swappable watch case that will reportedly allow wearers to switch the Android Wear 2.0 body with one that offers “more traditional movement.” If this is the case, it might serve as a useful feature for those who were interested in the original TAG Heuer Connected but ultimately hung up on its expensive price tag. By offering consumers the ability to swap out the smartwatch body for a traditional movement body, they could essentially turn their smartwatch into a regular watch at a moment’s notice and continue using the device even after the Android Wear 2.0 body gets dated.


In addition to this modular core, the TAG Heuer Connected Modular will also reportedly come with other customization elements, such as swappable watch straps and clasps, presumably with different colors, and customizable lugs. Since this model is rumored to come with customizable watch straps, chances are that there may be different strap materials as well as different colors, and they could be sold separately allowing consumers to pick up multiples and swap them out as they please. There is no word on a price just yet, but if it has numerous customization options it could end up being more expensive than the first model. If the watch does indeed launch on March 14th, then it may end up getting an announcement during Mobile World Congress.

Calibre11

It's the swapping of the digital module for mechanical watch head I was referring to a while back as being the real game changer

Calibre11

It takes the current idea of swapping after two years to the next level- a mechanical watch and when you need or want the smart watch, you just swap watch heads! Brilliant