TAG Heuer will be joining the smartwatch bandwagon. After 155 years of traditional methodology, the luxury watchmaker is finally innovating to keep up with the current trend.
"TAG Heuer is pushing the Swiss avant-garde limits even further with the TAG Heuer Connected. Tradition meets innovation, craftsmanship meets savoire-faire, and bold style meets breakthrough technology. The clock is ticking to the major breakthrough." TAG Heuer Connected stated on its website.
Android Police reported that the silhouette of the upcoming smartwatch was featured, which appeared to be predominantly matte black with silver accents. The device is said to be powered by an Intel chipset, which the company claims to be upgradeable in the future. It will also run on Android Wear. Not a lot of details were revealed by the company, so the rest of the specifications and features will most likely be unveiled at the big launch in November.
The TAG Heuer smartwatch will retail at around $1800, based on an interview TAG CEO Jean-Claude Biver on CNBC. The company will be focusing on fashion-conscious luxury collectors who may have found some advantages in wearing the gold Apple Watch, although they would have preferred it more if its aesthetics have been improved. Biver said that they were somewhat concerned about the price but were reassured when Apple told them that they can sell the device at $1500 or more.
Biver added that he was pleased that the smartwatch has entered the luxury watch market. He said that he admired the deal between Apple and Hermes which will appeal to more luxury clients. The TAG CEO said that it would be ridiculous to attempt to go after Apple, which introduced its smartwatch in April 2015. He also stated that he had the best partners in Google and Intel.
Currently, the best variant of the Apple Watch Edition is priced at around $17,000, while the midlevel version retails at $1099.
So far, people have mixed responses to the news. Traditional luxury collectors and wearers preferred that the company stay with its roots and not to get involved with digital and OS-based technology. Others were more receptive, stating that it could be an interesting change for the Swiss watchmaker, after being in the industry in the past one and a half centuries.
TAG Heuer set up a countdown timer online to remind fans about the smartwatch launch date on Nov. 9, 2015. More news and updates on the upcoming device are expected soon.
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