TAG Heuer has launched the Connected smartwatch at $1,500. The first real competitor to the Apple Watch. When the Apple Watch was announced, it was supposed to be a worthy competitor to the celebrated Swiss watchmaker that manufactures entry-level watches for first-timers keen on buying Swiss watches.
For example, the quartz-powered stainless steel TAG Formula 1 is priced right under the $1,000 mark. The Apple Watch features a similar price tag once you add the stainless-steel bracelet priced at $450.
However, that is an option that you can choose to ignore while buying the Apple Watch. The Apple Watch also does a lot more than tell time, which is the only function of the TAG Formula 1.
However, once you plan on moving to a Rolex or Omega that have interesting features such as automatic movements, you are looking at a greater status appeal and $4,000 – $8,000 deducted from your bank account.
The Apple Watch will never be as expensive. However, when properly maintained, a TAG will last forever, so will an Omega or a Rolex, but an Apple probably won’t. Hence, you need to weight your options!
However, before the Apple Watch was conceived, the general mood of the potential buyers was something along the lines of ‘a TAG won’t last forever. It’s better to wait and invest in a Rolex than buy a TAG.’
Jean-Claude Biver, CEO, TAG Heuer, was hurt by this dilemma and set TAG on a new course. The result, the TAG Connected, the first real competitor to the Apple Watch.
Biver claimed with astonishment that the Apple Watch sold in million units just a few weeks from launch. A company that had no previous experience in making watches managed to achieve such a feat.
Biver further commented that the Apple Watch has no existence without the iPhone and the company might not even be sure what to do with the device on the longer run.
The TAG Heuer Connected is a decent smartwatch, which has all the traits of a typical Swiss watch. The TAG does not pretend to be something it’s not and has a premium fit and finish to it.
It even feels a great deal more exclusive than the $15,000 gold-plated Apple Watch. The TAG Heuer Connected features a lightweight titanium case and a rubber strap in various colors to choose from.
There is nothing fancy about the design and the device has a premium feel to it. The Connected feels complete with the small TAG logos and other such embellishments proving its Swiss heritage.
The Connected does not say “Swiss Made” on the body since it is built in Asia, but it says “Swiss Engineered” on the case. The clincher on the deal, however, is the dial, where TAG Heuer has the chance to push back at Apple.
On close inspection, it is clear that the TAG Connected draws inspiration from the 1963 TAG Carrera Chronograph, which is undoubtedly one of the greatest designs of all time.
Designed by Jack Heuer, the Carrera was in commemoration of the Carrera Panamericana, a motorsport event held in Mexico in the 1950s. The chronograph on the Carrera meant that the watch could be used to calculate close timings precisely.
The TAG Heuer Connected is not exactly cheap, but the company has a trade-up option for the buyers if they are interested. Users can trade-in the Connected for a mechanical Carrera after two years for an additional payment of $1,500. Sounds like a deal?
Spending $3,000 for two premium Swiss watches is a good deal if you think about it from that perspective. However, after using a smartwatch for two years, you might want to upgrade to the next version of Connected for $1,500 instead of opting for a mechanical Carrera. However, this is a personal decision and will vary from one person to the next.