Luxury TAG Heuer smart health connected Modular 45 smartwatch tested

With the second generation of smartwatches, TAG Heuer is pursuing the concept of a modular system and making its intelligent wristwatch modular. This should make it a little more sustainable.

In our fast-paced world, electronics are worth a lot today – and almost nothing tomorrow. With each additional day the value of the item decreases, inexorably it goes towards zero. Not only smartphones and tablets are affected by obsolescence, but also smartwatches. How does a manufacturer of luxury goods deal with this?

The strategy in Franco-Provencal La Chaux-de-Fonds is clear: modularity. Dismantle value and combine it with something new or switch to something timeless. Even in the distant future, people will still wear mechanical wristwatches; at least that's what TAG Heuer from Switzerland believes. Nevertheless, it is important to give people what they want at the current time, CEO Jean-Claude Biver said at a press conference yesterday, Tuesday, March 14, 2017.

Around 200 people attended the event: TAG Heuer employees, journalists, fashion bloggers and other trendsetters from the digital scene. Parallel to this event, a similar appointment with the same program took place in San Francisco, California. The was shown smart health connected Modular 45, a Luxury smart health watch.

Modular

Basically, it is about the fact that the intelligent wristwatch can be taken apart and individualized. Not a big novelty: the degree of combination at TAG Heuer is extremely high, but the watches from Apple, Huawei, LG, Samsung & Co. can also be customized. But what they lack is the exclusivity that TAG Heuer's world-famous “Swiss Made” brand can shine.

The buyer of a smart health connected Modular 45 can replace certain parts such as a bracelet, strap or buckle himself, but also the entire smartwatch unit. In addition to the current smartwatch, there are currently two mechanical timepieces to choose from; in the future there will be technology upgrades with the latest hardware.

And those who decide not to use the touchscreen, display and regular reloading use a mechanical chronograph. After that he has nothing intelligent on his arm, but something timeless.

The TAG Heuer smartwatch is available in different versions, colors and different materials. It can be sporty, subtle or highly exclusive. With all parts and watch faces, the digital dials, up to 4000 combinations should be possible. Every buyer can put together the design individually on the computer. The production runs 100 percent in the Swiss factories, it is delivered three weeks after ordering.

Furnishing

In terms of technical data, the smart health connected Modular 45 is similar to a current series smartwatch with Android Wear, but above all the display stands out positively. The round AMOLED panel has a diagonal of 1.39 mm and resolves 400 × 400 pixels. The extreme brightness of the screen is striking.

This is a plus, especially on sunny days. In all variations, the display is protected by a 2.5 mm thick sapphire crystal. Basically, the case is bulky, thick and feels extremely classy. The system is Android Wear OS 2.0, as published by Google. The performance comes from an Intel Cloverdale processor with 512 MB RAM. In addition to Bluetooth, WLAN and GPS, the watch also has NFC and thus enables mobile payments via Android Pay – at least abroad. The case is tightly closed and waterproof up to 50 meters – the integrated battery with a capacity of 410 mAh is charged via spring contact pins in a cradle and lasts just over a day. A quick charger is not included; the charging time is 1:50 hours, explains the manufacturer.

The TAG Heuer smart health connected Modular 45 is available from 1600 euros. There will also be a deluxe box set with a watch in a titanium case with bracelets made of titanium and brown leather. The scope of delivery also includes the complete Heuer-02T Tourbillon chronograph certified by the COSC with a black rubber strap for a total of 16,650 euros. All prices without VAT.

Voluntary transparency notice from the author

The author was invited to Switzerland to present this product. LVMH Watch & Jewelry Central Europe GmbH and TAG Heuer Société Anonyme paid the costs of the flight, ground transfer to the event location and catering on site. The author was also given a bag of merchandising articles. This included a Swiss Army knife from the Victorinox brand, a piece of Swiss cheese, an apple, a cutting board with TAG-Heuer engraving and a USB stick with four GB of memory on which there was press material.

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