Carrera Connected

TAG Heuer has not been short on opinions about smartwatches over the past 18 months. After the company’s outspoken CEO, Jean-Claude Biver, finally conceded late last year that something interesting could be done in the space, Tag Heuer has launched their first wearable device. Clearly positioned as a luxury item, the $1500 connected watch is based on the company’s iconic Carrera line of watches. The appropriately named Carrera Connected is the result of a partnership with both Intel and Google (the same companies that aided Fossil in the creation of their Q series of wearables).

TAG Heuer calls it the first “connected watch” that looks like a traditional timepiece and it is no surprise that the device has a luxury feel and a handsome, traditional design (if you ignore the rubber watch band). Crafted from titanium with sapphire glass, the Connected looks like a thick version of a traditional watch with a screen instead of a watch face; but I am not sure I would go as far to say that it is visually more like a traditional watch than other devices on the market. There is a key difference though, the TAG Heuer wearable is truly nearly identical to a Carrera; in fact, the electronics can be replaced with a traditional watch mechanics.  

After over a year of publicly ping-ponging on their view of smartwatches, TAG Heuer will officially launch their Carrera Connected today at 11am ET. You can follow along and watch the unveiling live via the embedded YouTube feed after the break. Besides a partnership with Intel and Google (who also worked on Fossil’s Q series), little is known about the device. One of the only rumors thus far about the smartwatch is that it will likely include upgradable internals. This would push the Carrera Connected closer to being a true keepsake device versus a fashionable consumer electronic.

Besides a statement from almost a year ago that TAG Heuer would not enter the smartwatch market unless they were able to offer something completely unique, a quote from the company’s CEO, Jean-Claude Biver, in this Sunday’s edition of Swiss newspaper Le Matin is one of the only official comments on features. Biver states that, “Our watch will have almost the same features as an Apple Watch, but I don’t want to say too much.” We find it odd that Biver would declare the TAG Heuer device is almost like an Apple Watch after the company dismissed it as a “toy” last fall.

We can’t wait to see what TAG Heuer has up its sleeve! Head past the break to watch the unveiling live at 11am ET.