Swiss watch brand Tag Heuer has returned to the world of smartwatches, after first embracing the technology in 2015 with the Tag Heuer Carrera Connected. The new model, called the Connected Modular 45, makes the Carrera Connected look like a tentative, exploratory first step. For the new watch, Tag Heuer will offer 11 standard models, with another 45 available to special order, and a huge range of interchangeable parts for a total of 500 different style possibilities.
Intel worked with Tag Heuer on the Connected Modular 45, providing its Atom processor and technical abilities to engineer a full titanium metal body, yet still include Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS, and NFC. The watch will run Android Wear 2.0 and support Android Pay, plus a companion app provided by Tag Heuer will expand the range of features accessible on the device. A microphone built into the watch will enable voice activation. You can even use the watch without a smartphone, at least for tracking exercise and location. The app also boasts an unusual calendar feature that works with certain watch faces, reminding you if you’re running behind by still showing past due appointments.
A 1.39-inch screen covered in a 2.5-inch piece of sapphire glass will dominate the water resistant body, while the battery inside provides a day’s worth of use before it needs a recharge. The body itself comes in polished or satin finishes, and the customization options range from different bracelets, straps, buckles, modules, and even watch dials. It’s a shift away from the handful of options buyers had with the Carrera Connected, and a move into the direction pioneered by the Apple Watch and Fossil’s Android Wear lineup.
This is a Tag Heuer watch, so you’ll pay a premium for owning one, and the Connected Modular 45 will start at $1,600. Don’t worry about splashing out on a piece of technology that will one day be out of date, as Tag Heuer will swap the Connected Modular 45 for a Heuer 02T Tourbillon Chronograph, or just change the guts for a mechanical watch if you’d prefer to keep the body, when you think that day has come.
Head over to Tag Heuer’s website from March 14 to start customizing your Connected Modular 45. The watch will be on display at the Baselworld 2017 watch show in Switzerland, so look out for further coverage at the end of March.
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