TAG Heuer Connected - How to identify each of the 4 generations

dtf
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neowatch neowatch
Great post showing the history of design and development, they all have their good and bad points. For pure classic looks and innovative deign the modular gen 2 remains a big favourite even today.

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
 
Albert-AMG
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Akineton Akineton
Since I wrote this a while ago, I remember reading somewhere that yes, but they had to ship the parts. As far as I know, it does not have the 'Made in Switzerland' famous engraving of the E2s (anyone can confirm this?) - which demands a certain percentage of work done in-house. But that's something that merits further clarification indeed. Is anyone up for some research? 😉
3D4ED076-3053-4B45-9AA6-95D2AE154BFD.jpeg

Exactly, Gen1 has a 'Swiss Engineered' engraving, so it was not Swiss enough to wear the 'Swiss Made' label like Gen2 Modular, but I don’t think it was assembled in China -like E3 and E4- either. Maybe we could say it was 'made somewhere' then 😁
 
Robert Simony
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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
 
Albert-AMG
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Akineton Akineton
I found something, and it has to do with that Intel processor being manufactured in a facility in China. However, the E2s have the same processor, and do have the engraving 'Made in Switzerland'. So either the processor manufacturing facility changed (unlikely) or TAG made a move to reach the percentage threshold for it to be legally considered made in Switzerland -- which the Swiss are very anal about (understandably). Perhaps for the E2s the parts stayed in-house and instead the processor was shipped to them for qualifying? (In that way only one part, albeit an important one, would be non-Swiss-made). In any case, if anyone has more *references* on this interesting bit, do share.

https://fashnerd.com/2015/11/swiss-made-tag-heuer-smart-watch-made-in-china/
There is more info in the Calibre 11 article about Gen2 Modular 45:

67435BFD-ED7C-471D-A3A3-374E91705553.jpeg 05D7D2EE-B2F1-48F2-9BBC-B997CAC7EB1F.jpeg D6077B4D-2AF8-4712-84A0-F14BFB7FC03C.jpeg


The complete article here:
https://www.calibre11.com/in-depth-review-tag-heuer-connected-modular-45-android-smartwatch/
 
Akineton
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Albert-AMG Albert-AMG
3D4ED076-3053-4B45-9AA6-95D2AE154BFD.jpeg

Exactly, Gen1 has a 'Swiss Engineered' engraving, so it was not Swiss enough to wear the 'Swiss Made' label like Gen2 Modular, but I don’t think it was assembled in China -like E3 and E4- either. Maybe we could say it was 'made somewhere' then 😁

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...
 
Akineton
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Robert Simony Robert Simony
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

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).
 
Akineton
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Akineton Akineton
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...

@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/
Edited:
 
Akineton
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Akineton Akineton
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).

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/
 
EmJay
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neowatch neowatch
The gen 2 will be collected and spoken about for years to come, helped by its modular design and mechanical heads. The others however will be here then gone. Please read the gen 2 combinations are discover for yourself

I dont hear much about F1 from the 90s although they looked trendy back then. Some people like it even today tho.

Same thing here. E2 is already outdated on the hardware side and on the bulky design side as well. Its like Hublot.
 
Albert-AMG
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EmJay EmJay
E2 is already outdated on the hardware side and on the bulky design side as well. Its like Hublot.
I disagree 😉

The E2's hardware still works flawlessly, and better than ever after the latest Wear OS updates (it gets the same updates as the E3 and as the E4 still on Wear OS 2). Currently the battery in my 2018 E2 Modular 45 -weared many times- is lasting around 25 and 35 hours with AOD and WatchMaker watch faces, something I have never seen before in the 5 years that I have the watch!. And of course, thanks to the mechanical modules, E2 is the generation that has the most future ahead of it 👍

07BA92BF-6339-441C-80C7-00B7277A694D.jpeg A57DCD57-C1FE-4107-AB33-51372B5D7B26.jpeg


As for the design, of course it is a totally subjective matter, and in my case I like the powerful, personal, and sharp design of the E2 (shared with the 2015 Carrera Heuer 01, Heuer 02, and Tourbillon… that you may also call “bulky”) much more than the impersonal and -I would call it “soft” in comparison- design from E3 and E4 that can be confused with a Huawei or other smartwatches... not to mention the infinity of straps, lugs, and the possibility of different combinations that an E2 Modular 45 can offer, which has no possible comparison with the other generations, to which it also exceeds in number of Limited and Special Editions, high end materials (like diamonds and true gold, being all of them made in titanium while basic E3 and E4 are steel), and of course in the E2 'Swiss Made' label vs the 'Made in China' stamp from E3 and E4
 
neowatch
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EmJay EmJay
I dont hear much about F1 from the 90s although they looked trendy back then. Some people like it even today tho.

Same thing here. E2 is already outdated on the hardware side and on the bulky design side as well. Its like Hublot.
What you need to appreciate about the E2 is that it is so much more than a smart watch.
 
EmJay
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neowatch neowatch
What you need to appreciate about the E2 is that it is so much more than a smart watch.

No. Its a smartwatch. All components are made in China, like in E3 and E4. You can change straps for the majority of watches out there, these are not "modules". But we discussed this before on here. I appreciate that some people like E2 although this "modular" system was discontinued due to poor sales obviously, but E3 and E2 are also great watches. Its annoying that some people are saying that E2 is great and the rest is crap. Simply not true.
 
Albert-AMG
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EmJay EmJay
No. Its a smartwatch. All components are made in China, like in E3 and E4
I don’t agree 😉
Through a free app, we can get this info directly from the watch: from the 15 total sensors of E2 Modular 45, 11 are from STMicroelectronics (Swiss), 2 are from Tao, ltd. (?), 1 is from ams, ltd. (Austria/Swiss), and 1 from AOSP (?).

997922BA-A0F1-42DF-BCA5-2A3737CEA82C.jpeg 571140F9-BCCD-4627-88BC-0F1A051DE92D.jpeg


Unlike the 'Made in China' E3 and E4, E2 Modular is the only 'Swiss Made' smartwatch by TAG Heuer and it had to follow the 'Swiss Made' rules to achieve that label. So most of its sensors are from Swiss companies, and the motherboard was also produced in Switzerland (see attached info from the TAG Heuer press release when E2 was launched):
478B7102-61F4-43C4-A1C5-AE92D75CAF8B.jpeg


EmJay EmJay
You can change straps for the majority of watches out there, these are not "modules"
It is not only a question of being able to change straps quickly, but also buckles, lugs, and the watch head itself (with three types of mechanical modules available, and numerous different digital modules), all of which can be interchanged in a few seconds and without the need of any tool. E2 is much more special and unique for being 'Modular' than for being a smartwatch

EmJay EmJay
I appreciate that some people like E2 although this "modular" system was discontinued due to poor sales obviously
“Obviously”? Do you have sales figures for E2 compared to E1 to confirm that?

I believe that abandoning the Modular system and moving production from La Chaux-de-Fonds to China may have more to do with lowering manufacturing costs (the Modular system was undoubtedly expensive to produce) and therefore increasing the profit for each Connected sold, since the retail price was not reduced when moving from E2 to E3.

EmJay EmJay
but E3 and E2 are also great watches
Of course they are. I guess you meant “E3 and E4”, but I also agree 😉
EmJay EmJay
Its annoying that some people are saying that E2 is great and the rest is crap. Simply not true.
Of course I don’t say that E1, E3, and E4 are crap! They are great smartwatches, the best looking smartwatches of its time, but they are just smartwatches (at least E1 had the exchange program for a mechanical watch after 2 years of ownership, origin of the #connectedtoeternity motto which was followed by the E2 mechanical modules)

It was you who said that E2 is “outdated on the hardware side and on the bulky design side as well” 😉

It’s just that E2 is more than just a smartwatch thanks to its unique Modular concept which makes it different to any other smartwatch. Additionally, under the management of J.C. Biver, TAG Heuer made a big investment in E2 to make it so special: high-end materials, many available accessories, production in their headquarters, many Special/Limited Editions… but they changed Biver and with him the concept of the Connected from E3. Goodbye to the #connectedtoeternity spirit 🤔
 
EmJay
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You do not discontinue the product that sells well. Obviously. Anyway, I don't want to go any further, its just interesting, I think, how people can get this marketing so seriously. Whatever, let it be modular with mechanical heads.
 
Albert-AMG
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You do not discontinue the product that sells well, but you modify it -even losing some of its most differentiating characteristics- to reduce manufacturing costs if you think the profit margin is too small
 
neowatch
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EmJay EmJay
No. Its a smartwatch. All components are made in China, like in E3 and E4. You can change straps for the majority of watches out there, these are not "modules". But we discussed this before on here. I appreciate that some people like E2 although this "modular" system was discontinued due to poor sales obviously, but E3 and E2 are also great watches. Its annoying that some people are saying that E2 is great and the rest is crap. Simply not true.
I’ve never said the others are crap, indeed I have the E1 and E3 also and wear them too. What sets the E2 apart is that you can have a smart watch,a cal5 and a cal16 as a set and swap between them lugs, straps and buckles. It has by far the highest amount of accessories of any of the E series. I would love them to make a module for it with E4 hardware, ofcourse that would be fantastic. 😀
 
neowatch
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EmJay EmJay
You do not discontinue the product that sells well. Obviously. Anyway, I don't want to go any further, its just interesting, I think, how people can get this marketing so seriously. Whatever, let it be modular with mechanical heads.
The problem was the cost with the E2, it was over engineered (which is not a bad thing for us end users), but tag hoped to make money on the accessories made from expensive materials . The lugs alone for example were 600, 900 and well over 1000 for the gold, and the diamond lugs well forget it. The bracelets were 600 or 900 to buy retail depending on materials. Far too much, so they did not sell many at these levels. In comparison the E3 straps with Buckle you can get for 150, for E2 the equivalent was 450 pounds. They build a Rolls Royce to drive to the supermarket effectively.
 
A
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Hi all can anyone give me an idea of the value of this box set. I’m slowly building a collection of all connected models.
 
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