Connect Modular 45: TAG Heuer's 'beautiful' smartwatch
Customisable faces offer a library of Swiss watches in one device
![TAG Heuer Connected Modular 45](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/yBaSVhJRYCw95MPZxCQdRS-415-80.jpg)
Swiss watchmaker TAG Heuer has an all-new smartwatch on the market called the Connected Modular 45. The device gives watch enthusiasts the chance to wear a luxury timepiece designed to keep them up-to-date with their home and work lives.
This is TAG's second attempt at making its mark on the smartwatch market. Its first offering, the Connected, divided fans as it was beautifully designed but difficult to sync with an iPhone.
We'll be reviewing the latest model to see how far the company has come from its first attempt. The version we're testing comes with a matte black ceramic bezel and brown calfskin strap. It retails at around £1,500.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
![https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516-320-80.jpg)
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.
One of the main benefits of the Connect Modular 45 is that you can easily change the face, giving you a library of TAG watches to customise.
Simply swipe right on the watch's face and you can choose from a host of designs ranging from sporty styles to intricately-detailed faces. You're essentially getting a collection of stunning TAG watches for the price of one.
Swapping the straps is easy, but you'll need to pay extra for those. TAG Heuer offer several types of strap, including leather and rubber. Lugs and buckles can be specced, making it exceptionally rare to see two watches with the same design.
The Modular 45 is powered by an Intel Atom processor that runs the watch's Android Wear operating system. It's relatively responsive to both finger inputs and hand gestures, but it doesn't have the instantaneous feel that an Apple Watch has.
It also gets the same menu design as every other Android-powered watch, which somewhat sours the experience of owning a TAG watch.
Still, it's a great way to receive emails, texts and chat messages without getting your phone out of your pocket. Skipping through songs by tapping on the watch is very convenient, as is the GPS system that displays arrows on the device's face to show you where to go.
Owners of iPhones will need to download the Android Wear app onto their device, where most of the phone's core functions will become available on the smartwatch. There's a growing number of apps on the Google Play Store as well, so Apple users should be able to use the watch just fine.
Only the vibrate motor lets down the Modular 45's impeccable build quality, as it produces a high-pitched rattle when it sends you a notification. This makes it sound cheap, which is hardly what TAG Heuer owners will want.
Its thick 0.54ins (13.75mm) body also makes it quite bulky, especially as it doesn't come equipped with a heart rate monitor – a feature that appears on devices that cost a fraction of the TAG's price.
Nevertheless, the Connected Modular 45 is arguably the most beautiful Android-powered smartwatch on the market and it does feel like a luxurious timepiece on your wrist.
Its biggest advantage is the customisable TAG-designed faces, which may sway those tempted by an analogue timepiece towards the smartwatch instead.
Prices start at around £1,200 for a base-level watch that features steel bezels and rubber straps. Range-topping watches cost £5,700 and come with diamond-encrusted cases and calfskin straps.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Big Tech's answer for AI-driven job loss: universal basic income
In The Spotlight A new study reveals the strengths and limitations
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published
-
'I will not be silent' on Gaza, says Kamala Harris
Speed Read In a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Harris supported Israel's right to defend itself while expressing a desire to end Palestinian suffering
By Arion McNicoll, The Week UK Published
-
'How long can TikTok dominate as a social network?'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
Twisters review: 'warm-blooded' film explores dangerous weather
The Week Recommends The film, focusing on 'tornado wranglers', stars Daisy Edgar-Jones and Glen Powell
By The Week UK Published
-
A not-so-quiet place: Why is no one using headphones in public anymore?
Under the Radar People are increasingly comfortable with both speakerphone and watching videos (very) out loud
By Anya Jaremko-Greenwold, The Week US Published
-
Douglas Is Cancelled: Hugh Bonneville plays a shamed news presenter
The Week Recommends Cancel culture drama is mostly 'clever and sharp'
By The Week UK Published
-
A Quiet Place: Day One – the 'pleasant surprise of the summer'
The Week Recommends Silence is golden in this prequel to the popular 2018 apocalyptic thriller
By The Week UK Published
-
The Bikeriders: Jodie Comer and Tom Hardy star in high-octane drama
The Week Recommends Film inspired by 1968 book about notorious biker gang in Chicago
By The Week UK Published
-
Raffles London at The OWO review: a quintessentially British stay
The Week Recommends This heritage building has been given a twist as a luxury hotel in the nation's capital
By Leaf Arbuthnot, The Week UK Published
-
The Young Woman and the Sea: Daisy Ridley stars as 'tenacious' heroine
The Week Recommends The film explores the story of Trudy Ederle, the first woman to swim across the Channel
By The Week UK Published
-
Has Bridgerton lost the plot?
Talking Point Return of the hit Regency series has divided both fans and critics
By Rebekah Evans, The Week UK Published