The last year has been a significant one for smartwatches. With so many stuck in a lockdown, working out has become something for more than staying fit but a necessity for one’s wellbeing. One brand that had already established itself as a major player in this industry was TAG Heuer and their luxury range of smartwatches known as the TAG Heuer Connected. For 2021, the storied Swiss marque further fine-tuned this model to include even better functionality including a wrist based heart rate monitor, new dial designs and a wellness app.
“Within a timeframe of a year, the TAG Heuer Connected has established its status in elegance and sports,” explains TAG Heuer CEO Frédéric Arnault. “In addition to elegance and performance, our users also expressed a strong interest for tracking their wellness. We value their input; we know how important it is to remain active these days. And we created the TAG Heuer Connected Wellness app for them.”
CASE & STRAP OPTIONS
One of the major advantages of the TAG Heuer Connected when compared to other luxury smartwatches like the Garmin MARQ or Montblanc Summit is its overwhelming selection of choice, especially when it comes to the case materials and straps. Designed after the Swiss watch manufacturer’s iconic Carrera watch, the cases boast sleek, angular lines engineered from a choice of stainless steel or titanium left bare or coated in an array of PVD colours. The titanium models in particular are incredibly comfortable, sitting lightweight on the wrist and promising better resistance to knocks and scratches.
The case is then topped by a choice of coloured ceramic bezels treated to a micro-blasted finish and scratch resistant sapphire crystal glass treated with an anti-reflective coating. Beneath the glass, the OLED display opts for a 454×454 pixel resolution. Continuing with the Carrera aesthetic, the TAG Heuer Connected impresses with faceted horns, sport-inspired crown and push buttons and a choice of straps that are easily interchangeable depending on your mood or the occasion. Some of the strap options available are stainless steel or titanium bracelets, rubber bands or calfskin leather in an assortment of colours.
CUSTOMISABLE DIALS
Just when you thought the customisation had ended, once you receive your TAG Heuer Connected smartwatch, you then get to choose from a decent selection of dials. Many of the dials on offer tribute the Carrera collection including the popular Heuer 02 model with a skeletonised backdrop and three subsidiary dials that can display whatever information you prefer such as your step counter, calorie count, weather and more. There’s also a display nicknamed the “Orbital” which we’d consider your more classic smartwatch face with large digital numerals at the centre and a cool-looking starry sky as the background. What’s really cool, however, is that each of these dial designs can then be customised further. You can choose the hour marker colours, the complications on offer and even the colour of the seconds hand. There’s something about this vast opportunity for choice that makes the TAG Heuer Connected truly extraordinary.
HEALTH & FITNESS FEATURES
The TAG Heuer Connected for 2021 has not only improved on its customisation levels; there is now a greater focus on fitness and sports tracking too. Much of this has been helped by the built-in GPS and heart rate monitor system designed especially to enhance the wearer’s experience during their favourite sport – whether that be running, swimming, cycling or yoga. You can access activity profiles for sports like these through the two pushers on the right hand side of the case. As default, pushing these will start, pause and end a workout removing the reliance on the touchscreen which can often be aa awkward manoeuvre when exercising. The rubber-coated crown offers a second option for scrolling through the information on the display and is ideal for a mid-workout progress check.
The heart rate monitor is a much-needed addition to the TAG Heuer Connected, made of high-tech resin and integrated nicely into the case back. The built-in GPS function is also a nice add-on allowing you to monitor calories burned while tracking your position, steps, compass director and more. Each case has a water resistant rating of 50 metres which mean’s its perfectly suited to shallow swimming and through the TAG Heuer Sports app, you can read metrics on your performance such as speed, distance, pace, heart rate etc. You can also synchronise this data with other compatible apps like Apple Health, Google Fit and Strava.
SOCIAL & WELLNESS FEATURES
Now let’s talk about the new wellness app. For many, previous TAG Heuer Connected watches fell short of other competitors due to its lack of wellness features, so we have no doubt this addition is going to please many searching for a luxury smartwatch. The premise of the wellness app is to give the wearer a heads-up against your fitness goal by monitoring your overall progress. This can be anything from a step count goal to exercise intensity to calories burned. All these stats are then viewable through the app and indicated by two rings which show how close you are to achieving these goals. On top of this, you have access to all the classic smartwatch social features you’d expect including notifications for calls, emails, message and calendar alerts. You can also make NFC payments using the Google Pay feature, get weather notifications and there’s even an option to stream music.
BATTERY LIFE
The TAG Heuer Connected watch collection for 2021 has also been designed to be more power and battery efficient, now using a low power processor which runs alongside the main processor to handle minor tasks like step-counting and telling the time. The Swiss watch brand claims the Connected watch can last up to 24 hours with standard use, including a one hour workout. Those going a day without working out will likely find it lasts longer than that. Those always on the move should know that the 430 mAh battery is optimised to last up to six hours, but this is based on a wearer using constant sports tracking, GPS, heart rate monitoring and steaming music. For those moments when battery life becomes crucial, you can extend it by switching to ambient mode which means the watch will only show you the time until you change it back.
PRICE & AVAILABILITY
Despite its status as a luxury smartwatch and its overwhelming choice of case, strap and dial designs, the TAG Heuer Connected starts at a reasonable price point of £1,495. If you’d like to order you own TAG Heuer smartwatch and learn more about the collection, head over to the Jura Watches website here. You can also contact the team on 01335 453453 or at help@jurawatches.co.uk.
