Tag Heuer Carrera Connected UK price and put in to context
It looks like Android Wear has a new poster-child in the recently released Tag Heuer Carrera Connected which was announced yesterday.
Finally, after many months, Tag Heuer officially announced and released their first foray in to smartwatches.
Tag Heuer is a well renowned Swiss watch brand whose wristwear commands a premium but what can the 155 year old company bring to the wearable technology scene?
Well, if the lovely-looking LG Watch Urbane isn’t flash enough and the Apple Watch Edition a bit too… well… Apple-y, where else can you go?
Granted, most Apple products sell on their perceived desirability and the Apple Watch isn’t any difference – JJ Abrams was seen wearing one during the Star Wars: The Force Awakens interviews, not to mention all the other clever product placement thanks to celebrities such as Beyonce flashing their fruity bling.
Tag already has the name and has built up desirability through is quality of product, not to mention names such as Steve McQueen and Ayrton Senna are linked to the brand – a bit higher up the scale than Beyonce, in my opinion.
Also, as this is an Android Wear device, it will work both with Android and iOS devices.
The new Carrera Connected shares a lot of its DNA with the celebrated Swiss watches found in the company’s current range and this has to be a good thing.
The Connected’s large 46mm face still looks comfortable to wear – having a century-and-a-half’s worth of experience must help in designing such a thing, surely?
The smartwatch is also made from Grade 2 Titanium, which means that it will not only be durable, but incredibly light at 52g and the Connected watch is IP67 splash-proof.
The device is modelled on the company’s Carrera family of timepieces and comes with three digital watch faces not legally available to other Android models.
When in time mode, the display always shows its digital hands and hour markers – unlike many other models that turn off the screen to save power – and the built-in lithium battery is said to last a day between charges.
The Connected screen measures 1.5-inch and is based on transflective LTPS LCD with a resolution of 360×360, 240ppi.
The watch case is finished with horizontal and vertical fine-brushed titanium lugs, 3D-raised and fine-brushed numerals, and TAG Heuer Connected lettering engraved with silver lacquer. The Black, sandblasted, carbide-coated titanium bezel with anti-fingerprint coating is matched by a titanium single push-button with black, carbide-coated line fine-brushed and raised with TAG Heuer shield.
The bracelets for the Connected watch are made from Vulcanised rubber with a grade 2 titanium folding clasp and safety push-buttons. Available sports bracelet colours are blue, orange, red, white, black, yellow.
The CPU is a 1.6Ghz dual-core with 1GB of RAM. Storage space is 4GB and the Connected is fitted with a gyroscope, tilt detection sensor, microphone and haptic engine.
Tag Heuer Carrera Connected smartwatch is compatible with Android 4.3+ and Apple iOS 8.2+. The connectivity of the Connected Watch include Bluetooth 4.1 and Wi-fi b/g/n.
Owners are offered a range of sports-themed exclusive apps, including golf, motor-racing and trail walking-focused titles, as well as software available to other Android Wear models.
Where Tag is able to trump the likes of Apple, however, is that that if you buy a Carrera Connected, you are able to switch to a more traditional watch at a later point should the novelty wear off. Or, as chief executive Jean-Claude Biver put it:
The Tag Heuer Connected watch gives you the means not only to connect to the future, but also to connect to eternity,”
The upgrade will cost a further $1,500 and involves trading in the Connected timepiece for a special edition analogue model.
Price in the United States is $1,500. In Europe the Carrera Connected sells for 1,350 Euro or £1,100 in the UK.
Check out the video below and let me know if you think it’s worth £1,100.
[youtube id=”M3-8GMTAr64″]
