This article first appeared in The Edge Financial Daily, on June 23, 2016.
JUNE 1 marked the long-awaited launch of the TAG Heuer Connected watch in Kuala Lumpur, which was done in conjunction with the opening of the Swiss watchmaker’s new boutique in Suria KLCC. First unveiled in New York last November by chief executive officer (CEO) Jean-Claude Biver, Intel CEO Brian Krzanich and Android Engineering vice president at Google David Singleton, the TAG Heuer Connected watch is a combination of luxury watchmaking and cutting-edge technology.
“We are extremely grateful with the response both globally and locally for the TAG Heuer Connected. This is an incredible achievement for the brand and a milestone for the Swiss watchmaking industry as the first to collaborate with technology giants, Google and Intel”, said vice president of TAG Heuer Southeast Asia Amelia Sillard at the launch.
Combining over 150 years of Swiss heritage and Intel Inside technology, the TAG Heuer Connected watch is a chronograph measuring 46mm in diameter with the case, back and lugs made from grade 2 titanium — a material that ensures the timepiece is more resistant to impact. The watch is certified IP67 water resistance-rated.
In terms of design, the watch is unique in the way its applications are displayed. For the first time, a TAG Heuer watch has three digital dials — the chronograph dial, the three-hand dial and the GMT dial — that incorporate the Carrera collection’s immediately recognisable design codes, including hands, indexes, counters, date window and minute track. All the dials display the date and are available in a choice of three colours (black, deep blue or pearl white), faithfully reproducing the appearance and functions of a true dial, with shadows under the hands and a beautiful sunburst effect of light. The digital hands and indexes remain visible at all times even during energy-saving mode.
To complete the collection, 11 original dials customised by TAG Heuer ambassadors are now available for download from the Google Play Store. Personalities including footballer Cristiano Ronaldo, DJ David Guetta, American football quarterback Tom Brady, tennis player Kei Nishikori, baseball player Giancarlo Stanton and basketball star Jeremy Lin have found their own individual way to join in with the adventure and success of the TAG Heuer Connected watch.
While the dial and the hands remain, the most pertinent information from partner applications is displayed inside the three counters on the chronograph dial at 12, 6 and 9 o’clock, completely integrated into the watch’s aesthetic environment. To use an application on the watch, the user has to simply open and interact with the application in full screen mode. The Connected watch also features functions such as a timer, alarm and stopwatch, which stay true to the brand’s classic design.
To ensure that you will always stay in touch, the watch has 4GB of memory, all-day battery life and a small microphone that allows users to communicate via Google voice control. The sapphire crystal touchscreen seamlessly connects to the crown at 3 o’clock, which activates all the controls. The watch runs on the Intel Atom processor Z34XX, which also gives it connectivity to audio streaming, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi — great for users to maximise the full range of features offered by Android Wear operating system. A dedicated online platform, tagheuerconnected.com, has been created to share the latest new features and obtain the partner applications available for the interactive counters watch faces.
The launch gave guests the opportunity to use the Connected watch with the Silent Disco concept, which enabled guests to select a playlist transmitted to headphones provided at the event. While moving to the music, guests could easily change songs.
The TAG Heuer Connected watch is priced at RM6,400 and is available at the new TAG Heuer store at Suria KLCC.