Totally agree, the gen2 is the only one that seems like it moves the smartwatch needle at all, the e3/e4 seem like generic Chinese smart watches with a hefty price tag

 

If it is correct, I find it a rather curious choice to decrease the RAM from 1 gig on the Gen1 to 512K on thee Gen2

 

So they pulled an Apple (Designed in California)
It'd be interesting to find out where it was made, or whether it was assembled in Switzerland but with an amount of parts that did not allow them to put Swiss Made...

 

Not only that, but to revamp it to 1GB of RAM for the Gen 2 41 that came out a year later (2018) -- an increase in RAM over the Gen 2 45 that more than one review highlighted back then. Perhaps due to the case-battery sizing ratio? Really strange and an interesting bit to find out.

I'm still amazed how both my Gen2 41s (black and silver) are between Snapdragons 3100 and 4100 in terms of performance. That Intel chip can supposedly run smartphones and tablets, and the extra RAM is a gift. That differentiating factor not present in the current E4 42 (with a Snapdragon as any other Wear OS smartwatch) is partly what holds me from purchasing it (the other part being the form factor -- for dressy, not sport, I prefer my various Montblanc Summit 2 -- and to some extent the fact that it is no longer a Swiss watch -- still for $2.5K).

 

@Albert-AMG You were mostly right: I found the quote that basically explains the 'why' of the 'Swiss Engineered' engraving instead of 'Swiss Made'. Basically, it's due to the processor, which Switzerland (and most developed countries for that matter) obviously cannot make. Intel chips, particularly those these small, are made in Taiwan, since only that country and South Korea has the foundries capable of such nano tech (Biggers chips can be made elsewhere in East Asia). Thus, 'Swiss Made' could not be stamped there:

"Oh, and to answer your #watchnerd question: the watch cannot be "Swiss Made" because the movement is digital, but the case is indeed Swiss made – a nice touch, certainly."

https://www.hodinkee.com/articles/the-tag-heuer-connected-smartwatch

Which begs the question: How could TAG pull it off for both the 2017 Connected 45 and 2018 Connected 41? My guess is that they worked on the legality of the claim, where past a certain threshold of percentage of parts made within Switzerland the item could legally qualify as 'Swiss Made'. @gmetrail shared an interesting link regarding this threshold: https://www.gearpatrol.com/watches/a596884/swiss-made-watches/

 

Calibre11 itself solved all these for us in their own review of the 2018 Connected 41, including a very useful table with the differences between that one and both the 2017 Connected 45 and 2015 Connected. What we were writing is not far off. The 2017 Connected 45 got somewhat 'punished' and then 'redeemed' with the Connected 41 the next year (save for the battery):

https://www.calibre11.com/first-look-2018-tag-heuer-connected-modular-41-smartwatch/