Two new TAG Heuer Connected models lead the way for luxury smartwatches

The two new models, in 45mm and 42mm, aimed at both male and female consumers, has been redesigned with a new look and an easier-to-manipulate crown. The Android watch also features technical improvements such as a 30 per cent improved battery life and Bluetooth 5.0 for faster data transfers, as well as significant updates to TAG Heuer’s growing collection of dedicated apps.

TAG Heuer’s bespoke apps for timing and sport offer design nods to the company’s long heritage in sports timers, as a means of differentiating their watches from other Android devices. The biggest new addition is a fitness app offering animated guided workouts in which a 3D animated ‘trainer’ guides users through a seven-minute workout. The watch vibrates on the wrist to remind wearers that it’s time to move on to the next exercise.

TAG Heuer says 60 per cent of customers use the company’s sports app, with one in five customers interested in golf in particular.

According to TAG Heuer’s CEO, Frederic Arnault, ‘Since the beginning, we knew that the the smartwatch was going to be a revolution that would change people's lives and habits. We also know that watches are a very important object, a very personal object that represents one's identity.

‘Our customers today wouldn't want to compromise on the emotion they have wearing a watch, while still having all the benefits and features that you can expect from a smartwatch. This was the vision from the beginning.’

Arnault says the Connected smartwatch has since become a ‘pillar’ of TAG Heuer alongside Aquaracer and Carrera – highlighting the importance of the device to the Swiss watch company.

TAG Heuer has also created new bespoke dials created from CAD scans of classic TAG Heuer watches, another way in which the company seeks to differentiate itself from technology brands.

The new model also features two customised digital displays, with a ‘Wellness’ dial offering information on exercise, directly from the watch’s home screen including live heart rate and the number of steps taken per day. Meanwhile ‘Riverside’ features an animated futuristic effect designed to evoke time elapsing.

Discover more from TAG Heuer here at Goldsmiths.

Author credit: Rob Waugh is one of Britain's leading technology journalists, and has written about smartwatches, business and emerging technology for dozens of newspapers, magazines and websites over the past 20 years.