TAG Heuer to unveil smartwatch Nov. 9

Paris--TAG Heuer’s answer to Apple Watch will debut Nov. 9 and is called the “Connected,” the Swiss watch brand revealed recently.

Developed in partnership with Apple competitors Google and Intel, Connected reportedly will retail for about $1,400 and will be a digital version of one of TAG Heuer’s best-selling models, the black Carrera.

Though it is a smartwatch, the Connected will be recognizable as a TAG, CEO Jean-Claude Biver stressed back in March when the brand announced its plans at Baselworld. “Apple Watch looks like Apple,” he said. “TAG Heuer’s will look like TAG Heuer. TAG Heuer will have the DNA of TAG Heuer.”

Other than that, TAG Heuer has neither released nor confirmed many details about its forthcoming smartwatch, though it now has a countdown website for the Connected and gave a glimpse of it on Twitter Monday with this Death Star-esque photo.  

Get ready to experience the next step in innovation. #connectedtoeternity http://t.co/nViLajHIUw pic.twitter.com/MmX56NbPP9

— TAG Heuer (@TAGHeuer) October 12, 2015

TAG Heuer’s Connected teases coincided with the release of parent company’s LVMH latest year-to-date financials, which showed strong sales growth for both its watch and jewelry brands.

LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton reported Monday its Watches & Jewelry division recorded 10 percent organic (with comparable structure and constant exchange rates) revenue growth through the first nine months of the year. As reported, sales were up 22 percent, from $2.25 billion to $2.73 billion.

LVMH reported that Bulgari performed “remarkably well” while Hublot “grew rapidly” and opened its second production facility in the Swiss town of Nyon. TAG Heuer, meanwhile, “continued the development of its core offering.” LVMH also mentioned the unveiling of the brand’s smartwatch next month, but only briefly.

Total sales for the Paris-based luxury goods conglomerate reached $28.80 billion through the first nine months of the year, up 6 percent with comparable structure and constant exchange rates.

Watches & Jewelry was the top performer among all business groups, topping Wines & Spirits and Perfumes & Cosmetics (both up 7 percent), as well as Fashion & Leather Goods (up 5 percent), which sells the iconic Louis Vuitton handbags.