Engineered with Intel Inside and powered by Android Wear, the TAG Heuer Connected watch is the first smartwatch developed by a Swiss luxury watchmaker, fusing Swiss heritage and modern connectivity.

#ConnectedToEternity. That is the hashtag used by TAG Heuer to promote its new watch, which was released on 9th November at the LVMH Tower in New York City. Not only is this the first connected watch made by a Swiss luxury watchmaker (if we do not count the Horological Smartwatch by Frederique Constant and the Diagono Magnesium by Bulgari), but its release was on Apple’s home turf, to boot.

The troika which released the watch to the public consisted of Jean-Claude Biver, CEO of TAG Heuer & President of the LVMH Group’s Watches Division, Brian Krzanich, CEO of Intel Corporation, and David Singleton, VP of Engineering for Android at Google.

And the #ConnectedToEternity hashtag says volumes about the intentions of TAG Heuer, as well as its partnership with Intel and Google. From a marketing perspective, the pitch is that this watch will, of course, be able to keep you connected using the latest mobile technology. But you also get the expertise, quality, and history associated with TAG Heuer and Swiss watchmaking heritage. As Jean-Claude Biver explained:

“We are incredibly proud to be unveiling the first connected watch, which brings more than 150 years of history firmly into the future. The TAG Heuer Connected watch gives you the means not only to connect to the future, but also to connect to eternity."

The price of the new watch is set at 1’500 USD (1’350 Euros, 1’400 CHF, 1’100 GBP), which is interestingly enough right in the price range of an Apple Watch Hermès. So what do we get for our money with the TAG Heuer Connected?

Based on a first impression, the TAG Heuer Connected looks a true chronograph. Coming in at 46 mm in diameter, it is made from grade 2 titanium, which makes the watch lighter and more resistant to impacts than a traditional steel or gold variant. It is complemented by a textured black rubber strap, which comes in six bright colours. So far, everything we might expect from a fine Swiss wristwatch.

But for the first time with this watch, TAG Heuer has developed three digital watch dials which feature the immediately recognizable design codes of TAG Heuer’s Carrera collection. Available in either the chronograph dial, the 3 hand dial or the GMT dial (the brand plans to make other options available soon), the watch faces faithfully reproduce the appearance and functions of a true dial, with shadows under the hands and the beautiful sunburst effect of the light.

Because the TAG Heuer Connected is first and foremost a watch, the digital hands and indexes remain visible at all times. The unique way in which its applications are displayed - through "interactive counters”- is also reminiscent of a true watch. The principle is simple: the dial and the hands remain, while the most pertinent information from partner applications is displayed inside the three counters on the chronograph dial at 12, 6 and 9 o’clock. If something shown in a counter really interests you, just touch it to open and interact with the application in full screen mode.

The watch is also equipped with a small microphone to communicate with via Google voice control and the sapphire crystal touchscreen. This feature is an indispensable complement to the crown at 3 o’clock which, which like the Apple Watch, also houses controls.

The watch also doesn’t play favourites in terms of devices: it can be easily synced with a phone running either on Android 4.3+ or iOS 8.2+. And if your phone is not with you, the watch will continue to display and exchange data and as long as you have a WiFi connection and are connected to the cloud.

A customized set of apps exclusive to TAG Heuer are available for the watch, including your favorite applications, sports updates and alerts. In fact, thousands of other Android apps are already available for download. Benefiting from the Google partnership – and indeed running on the Android Wear platform - a specially developed Software Development Kit (SDK) will allow app enrichment down the road.

The watch’s engine is Intel’s Atom processor Z34XX, which optimizes performance and enables a multitude of connectivity options, including audio streaming, Bluetooth and WiFi. It also has a solid 4 GB of memory, and according to the brand, the watch boasts “all day battery life” thanks to its latest generation lithium battery, which is charged using a contact charger. Compared to Apple’s average of 18 hour battery life this is a real improvement. But we will wait and see how it holds up during daily wear to make the final judgment there.

Like other TAG Heuer watches, this watch also benefits from a two year warranty. But it also comes with a unique warranty clause, just in case you won’t be convinced by the #ConnectedToEternity promise. At the end of the watch’s two year warranty period, customers can go to any TAG Heuer store to exchange the TAG Heuer Connected watch for a mechanical Swiss Made Carrera watch. It will be interesting to see just how many people actually take up TAG Heuer on their exchange deal in two years’ time, especially because they will have to shell out an extra 1’500 USD to make the exchange! #ThereIsAlwaysACatch