Tag Connected | Lumbers

Tag Heuer has finally unveiled the highly-anticipated sequel to their initial smartwatch, the Tag Heuer Connected Modular 45. Since Lumbers received the original both clients and friends have thoroughly enjoyed getting hands-on with this innovative and playful timepiece and both Dominic and his team can happily confirm that it was and still is a big success story here at Lumbers. However today we are proud to announce the release of the brand-new Tag Heuer Connected Modular 45, the second generation to the original smartwatch from Tag Heuer.

TAG Heuer's first attempt at a smartwatch, in 2015, sold 56,000 units and was deemed a success by the Swiss manufacturer. For its new version, the company's CEO has set a more ambitious target. "We will work to sell 150,000 pieces," Jean-Claude Biver, TAG Heuer CEO & President of the LVMH Watch Division, said at the launch of the Tag Heuer Connected Modular 45 in Switzerland. "It's my objective at least. We have to own your wrists". TAG's latest device, Biver says, is made with Swiss tradition in mind. It carries the Swiss Made label and had most of its parts made in the country despite partnerships with Silicon Valley giants Google and Intel. Biver went onto suggest,

“After the huge success of the first TAG Heuer Connected watch, today I am very proud to present the Connected Modular 45. This is a Swiss watch which embodies the luxury codes of tomorrow, and which not only enables you to connect to the future, but also to connect to eternity thanks to its simple and smart modular design. This innovative, unique and distinctive watch is at the forefront of the latest technologies available in Silicon Valley and, at the same time, a genuine Swiss watch, bearing the Swiss Made label. It is the incarnation of our leading position with luxury connected watch and with this high level of technology.”

Tag Heuer has attempted to make the watch stand-out from an increasingly congested high-end smartwatch market. To do this it has turned to a modular design where almost every part of the watch can be replaced and customised - the touchscreen watch head can even be replaced by a classic mechanical watch. Across the TAG Heuer Modular Connected 45 there are up to 4,000 different variations of watch that can be created, the firm says. Although most of the varieties involve customisable screen displays there are physical straps, lugs, buckles, and, importantly, the ability to switch between a digital and mechanical module. Most importantly however, just like the brand's famous mechanical chronographs, the Connected Modular 45 has been designed, developed, and assembled in the TAG Heuer Manufacture, in La Chaux-de-Fonds in Switzerland, in the same spirit and with the same high standards as a luxury product with Swiss Made quality. The same techniques, the same meticulous finish, the same attention to the minutest detail, the same exacting standards. This Swiss rigour and accuracy, this watchmaking expertise has earned it the "Swiss Made" label, the guarantee of the highest standards of Swiss quality. The TAG Heuer Connected Modular 45 is therefore the first luxury connected watch bearing the Swiss Made label, a fantastic achievement.

The new timepiece has multiple new hardware features that should also be highlighted the Modular 45 is water-resistant to 50 meters, it features GPS, obtains NFC sensor for payments, a stunning high definition AMOLED screen and its new updated software features Google’s Android Wear 2.0.

Overall, the gamble for TAG is whether a modular watch will appeal to its customers. Creating modular products is not a new phenomenon; both modular mobile phones and houses are produced.

Biver's later speculation that: "one day all the watches will be modular" is something that will be put to the test in the watch's sales figures.