Tag Heuer's Carrera Connected Smartwatch Launched; CEO Disses Apple Watch!
Swiss watchmaker Tag Heuer has launched the Carrera Connected in New York, Monday. It is the company's first luxury smartwatch, according to The Guardian.
The $1500 watch is an Android wear device created for Heuer by Google and Intel. The watch measuring 46mm, has six customizable rubber straps and a titanium case, reports Tech Crunch.
The company "cannot lose the wrist," said Tag Heuer's chief executive officer, Jean-Claude Biver, cited by BBC.
Also, the $10,000 Apple watch as a competitor is "expensive, but not necessarily luxurious," added Biver.
The CEO continued to explain that the next generation wanted wearable technology.
The Connected watch runs on a slightly customized version of an Android Wear smartwatch operating system by Google. This would be similar to LG's Urbane, Huawei Watch and Motorola Moto's 360.
Tag Heuer was founded in 1860 by Edouard Heuer and began as Uhrenmanufatktur Heuer AG in St. Imier, Switzerland.
In 1985, the company was bought by Techniques d'Avante Garde and the brand became Tag Heuer. Today, the company is based in La Chaux-de-Fonds,Switzerland, led by Biver.
Jack Heuer, the founder's great grandson is the Honorary Chairman.
A few traditional watchmakers like Swatch and Mont Blanc have already created connected watches. Recently, Fossil has also released a $300 Android wear watch, the Q Founder.
Tag Heuer will not compete on technical features with its 25-hour battery life and low-resolution screen but on materials and the brand.
"With the wearables market set to be worth $25 billion by 2019 and a decline in traditional watch sales, it is little surprise that watchmakers such as Alpina, Frederique Constant, Fossil, Guess and Tag Heuer have started adding smartwatches to their portfolios," says Giorgi Janiashvili, a wearables analyst at CCS Insight.
The Carrera Connect smartwatch by Tag Heuer, running on an operating system shared by others is a first for traditional, high-end Swiss watchmakers.
