Back in 2014, I once opined that TAG Heuer had already made a Swiss smartwatch. Designed in 2002 by Jorg Hysek, I had considered the TAG Heuer Kirium Formula 1, worn ably by Colin Farrell as a spy-trainee in The Recruit as a vision for watchmaking technology grounded in acknowledgement of the past with an eye to the future. I had predicted that skeumorphic design or the application of aesthetic elements which serve a function in vintage design, keeps us emotionally connected (no-pun intended) to mechanical watches it was intended (at least at first) to replace.
When TAG Heuer, Intel Corporation and Google finally announced their connected watch this week (9 November 2015), the trio of Jean-Claude Biver, CEO of TAG Heuer, Brian Kranich, CEO of Intel Corp and David Singleton, VP of Engineering for Android; I was only half right. Because TAG Heuer did a whole lot better.
“We are incredibly proud to be unveiling the first connected watch, bringing more than 150 years of history firmly into the future. The TAG Heuer Connected watch gives you the means not only to connect to the future, but also to connect to eternity.” – Jean Claude Biver, CEO, TAG Heuer
While they eschewed the analog hand pointer interface I had hypothesised for my concept, TAG Heuer developed three specific digital watch dials replete with iconic design codes of their Carrera collection watch faces: the chronograph dial, the 3-hand and GMT in a series of three colours (black, deep blue or pearl white), each faithfully reproducing the appearance and functionality of a real dial from hands, index, counters, date window, minute track, right down to the shadows under the hands. The kicker: it displays time via digital hands and indexes even when the watch is in energy-saving mode.
This attention to skeumorphism is a key foundation in eventual adoption for many watch idiot savants. The La Chaux-de-Fonds manufacture even extends this focus on detail to ensuring that the dial and hands remain even while partner applications display pertinent information within the three counters of the chronograph dial thus keeping the illusion and suspension of disbelief: in other words, complete digital integration.
The second foundation, lies in case design, the 46mm case with back and lugs made from grade 2 titanium bequeaths the connected watch with a physicality and tactile component never before seen in other smartwatches. More importantly, the light impact resistant architecture is fully consistent with the elegance, characteristics and level of finish expected of a traditional timepiece, further enhancing the emotional and physical realism of your typical well-made Swiss watch.
Even the crown at 3 houses controls in addition (or in spite of) the sapphire crystal touchscreen.
IP67 water resistant and endowed with an Intel Atom processor Z34XX and running Android Wear, there’s little doubt that the TAG Heuer Connected watch is “smart” – equipped with the myriad of mods and cons from audio streaming to bluetooth and WiFi, the Connected Watch runs enduringly for an entire day on a full charge. But what makes the watch even smarter is the underpinning philosophy behind it.
Having interviewed Mr. Biver, he admitted that the biggest conundrum a Swiss watchmaker faces is dealing with the mutual exclusive philosophies of an “eternal” work of mechanical artistry and the “ephemeral” execution of software and quickly-obsolete microchips. At the time, publication of his words would have made Biver look like your average CEO looking to hop on the smartwatch bandwagon but in this context, his genius is evident: at the end of the connected watch’s two year warranty period, customers have the option to exchange their TAG Heuer Connected watch for a mechanical Swiss Made Carrera with similar design exclusively developed and reserved for the owners for only a top up price at USD 1500, Euro 1350, CHF 1400 and GBP 1100.
TAG Heuer Connected Watch retails at USD 1500, Euro 1350, CHF 1400 and GBP 1100.
Filed under: Watches Tagged: Connected, featured, luxury, smartwatch, tag heuer, watchmaking
