Opinion on smartwatches: TAG Heuer’s legitimacy

The Apple Watch is rather a computer designed to be worn on the wrist than a smartwatch. Whilst it seems that nothing can stop its commercial success, it is definitely not a leading product, unlike the iPhone. In fact, the Cupertino giant has brought no vital change to the watchmaking world since it did not really orient its smartwatches towards watchmaking but limited them to Information technology, its specialist field.

Watchmaking smart products set to launch in 2016

TAG Heuer, and by extension the LVMH Group, does not intend to miss this historical moment and is preparing for it. They will undoubtedly introduce cutting-edge smart watches in early 2016.

The HEUER Carrera Calibre 18, a brand's novelty

The brand has everything it needs to take up this challenge in the best conditions. First off, its watchmaking Research and Development department is already able to design and implement eccentric watchmaking innovations. Take as proof the research it has carried out on high frequency in the last few years. Those concepts make mentalities evolve and push the boundaries of the unexplored. Secondly, the recent establishment of “Haute Technologie”, a second department in its R&D unit, is all in all the illustration of TAG Heuer’s capacity to implement innovating methods. It also proves its ability to work with and adapt materials or technologies from other fields.

Psyched up men

Added to this organizational configuration, there is also the refreshing fact that the executive committee seems to be showing laudable realism regarding the brand’s in-house skills. That is why the brand is set to use the skills of some dedicated partners with which it will team up.

And last but not least, a crucial factor: the new team in charge of rising to the challenge of producing smartwatches is made of an executive team where everyone is assigned a specific task and has the uncanny ability to see beyond traditional watchmaking standards. Guy Semon’s appointment as Managing Director already goes to show that TAG Heuer is taking the innovation challenge seriously. Semon, who has outstanding professional experience and other skills he has acquired from different fields, often says: “our imagination is the limit”.

HEUER Carrera Calibre 18 & Carrera Calibre 6

JCB: the asset of all probabilities

Mastermind Jean-Claude Biver is the sort of entrepreneur who is able to lead their team to go beyond their limits and onto territories prone to excellence. In the past, he who puts products above everything else was successful at identifying and valuing what made brands stand out in order to make the most out of them. His realistic approach he seems to be taking when analyzing the current situation will allow him to make the right decisions at the right time. As he explained, he knows exactly what he wants to do: “We will only produce smartwatches if we are first, different and unique”. This digest of values matches well with TAG Heuer’s legacy. Indeed, let’s not forget that TAG stands for “Techniques d’Avant-Garde” (avant-garde techniques), as the legendary Carrera still illustrates today.

A small jog down memory lane: at the time, its readability and time display made the watch an amazing revolution in the world of chronographs.

--

HEUER Carrera Calibre 6 price: 3200 CHF / 2750 Euros / 3500 USD
HEUER Carrera Calibre 18 price: 5900 CHF / 4900 Euros / 6400 USD