TAG Heuer unveils “Connected” smartwatch

New York--TAG Heuer’s new smartwatch, the “Connected,” is here.

The wristwatch measures 46 mm x 12.8 mm and has a $1,500 price tag.

Unveiled yesterday morning at the LVMH Tower in New York, it is the digital version of the Carrera, one of the brand’s best-selling models. It is being sold online, as well as in select retail stores and at TAG Heuer boutiques.

Connected, developed with Google and Intel, is built on the latest release of Android Wear, a version of Google’s Android operating system designed for smartwatches and other wearables, and has up to 4,000 available applications on the Google Play store. The smartwatch also is iOS compatible, meaning it can run with the operating system used for mobile devices manufactured by Apple, such as the iPhone.

If wearers do not have their mobile device with them, the Connected will continue to calculate, display and exchange data. Its resident apps, such as music, timer, alarm and step counter, remain active even when no connection is available. 

It is equipped with a built-in stopwatch, timer and alarm, and features other functions as well, among them directional wind and weather monitoring, RaceChrono pro capability and Google Fit.

The battery life is 25 hours based on typical usage, the brand said. The watch also is equipped with audio streaming, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, as well as a small microphone for wearers to communicate with via Google voice control.

The Connected has the look of a traditional chronograph watch, and has a titanium case, back, buckle and lugs, which makes it lighter and more resistant to impact than a steel or gold watch, TAG Heuer said.

It has a black rubber strap; however, customers also can choose from blue, red, white, yellow, green or orange rubber bands, sold separately. These colored bands are available in stores only; the black strap is all that can be purchased online.

The smartwatch has three dials: chronograph, three-hand and GMT, all of which display the date and are available in either black, blue or white. The digital hands and indexes remain visible at all times, even when the watch is in ambient energy-saving mode.

TAG Heuer said other watch faces will be made available, including one customized by the brand’s ambassadors that consumers can access on the TAG Heuer app on the Google Play Store.

In addition, anyone who purchases a Connected will,