Tag Heuer to build luxury smartwatch with Google
Swiss watchmaker surprises industry by announcing 'luxurious and seamlessly connected' smartwatch

The luxury Swiss watchmaker Tag Heuer took the industry by surprise yesterday when it announced a partnership with Google and Intel to develop a top-end smartwatch.
Until now, most luxury watchmakers have resisted the trend towards internet-enabled smartwatches and analysts have suggested that only mid-range watches – up to about £650 – are expected to be affected by the arrival of smartwatches, rather than the brands at the top end of the market.
It came as a surprise then, that Tag Heuer announced at the world's biggest watch fair that it would create "a product that is both luxurious and seamlessly connected to its wearer's daily life". Jean-Claude Biver, who heads the watches division of LVMH – the company that owns Tag Heuer – said that the connection between the 155-year-old Swiss watchmaker and Google was "a marriage of technical innovation and watchmaking credibility". Some have questioned whether building a luxury smartwatch might risk diluting the brand, but Biver told the Financial Times: "We believe that Tag Heuer is an avant-garde brand and our customers belong to the younger generation. There is a demand for luxury connected watches and we want to satisfy that demand."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The first Tag Heuer smartwatch is expected to launch in autumn 2016 and is thought to include features similar to the Apple Watch including geolocation, health-tracking software and an altitude monitor, Reuters reports.
Biver said that he thought the entry of Apple devices into the market would actually have a positive effect on the top-end brands.
"Apple will get young people used to wearing a watch and later maybe they will want to buy themselves a real watch," Biver said.
Lower-end watchmakers have also had to change their strategy in response to the arrival of smartwatches from Apple and other manufacturers. Last week Swatch, the world's bestselling watch manufacturer, announced plans to include smart functions in its products. Traditional mechanical watchmakers Patek Philippe and Hermes said at the Baselworld watch fair that they currently had no plans to build smartwatches.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
"For the moment, Hermes is observing what is going on," Guillaume de Seynes, a managing director at Hermes said. "We still do not know how the smartwatch market will evolve."
-
Hyatt Regency Lisbon: a tranquil oasis in the historic district of Belém
The Week Recommends With its sprawling spa and prime location overlooking the River Tagus, this luxury hotel is a great place to escape the bustle of the city
-
Quiz of The Week: 6 – 12 September
Quiz Have you been paying attention to The Week's news?
-
The week’s best photos
In Pictures A palace on fire, a shopping cart protest, and more
-
South Korea's divide over allowing Google Maps
Talking Points The country is one of few modern democracies where the app doesn't work
-
Google avoids the worst in antitrust ruling
Speed Read A federal judge rejected the government's request to break up Google
-
Is AI killing the internet?
Talking Point AI-powered browsers and search engines are threatening the death of the open web
-
Unreal: A quantum leap in AI video
Feature Google's new Veo 3 is making it harder to distinguish between real videos and AI-generated ones
-
Google's new AI Mode feature hints at the next era of search
In the Spotlight The search giant is going all in on AI, much to the chagrin of the rest of the web
-
Is Apple breaking up with Google?
Today's Big Question Google is the default search engine in the Safari browser. The emergence of artificial intelligence could change that.
-
Google ruled a monopoly over ad tech dominance
Speed Read Attorney General Pam Bondi hailed the ruling as a 'landmark victory in the ongoing fight to stop Google from monopolizing the digital public square'
-
Is 'AI slop' breaking the internet?
In The Spotlight 'Low-quality, inauthentic, or inaccurate' content is taking over social media and distorting search engine results