Tag Heuer is having a fantastic time when it comes to smartwatches. So much so that CEO Jean-Claude Biver casually revealed that the company is preparing to launch a second generation Tag Heuer Connected later this year.
Speaking to German newspaper Neue Zürcher Zeitung, Biver said that the Swiss watchmaker’s new smartwatch will be appearing in May 2017. There’s nothing much else revealed about the device, but it is expected to sport Google’s new Android Wear 2.0. As usual, there should be hardware improvements as well.
This announcement was made on news that Tag Heuer sold 56,000 units of its Connected smartwatch, almost three times as many as its 20,000 sales target for the year. That news has spurred the manufacturer to set a target of 150,000 units for its upcoming product.
Tag Heuer’s news is particularly interesting for a market that has stagnated and failed to grow beyond the initial hype. Especially since the Tag Heuer Connected watch costs a whopping $1500 (about RM6700) for the base model.
One thing that Tag Heuer has going for it is that it makes smartwatches that look like regular designer watches. Which means is it more likely to be worn in public, albeit only by people with money to burn. It is a fashion statement of sorts; a move that Apple has been trying to mimic with the Apple Watch.
Still, it looks like there just might be some life left in the smartwatch market. Even if it only exists in the upper end of the luxury market.
[Source: Forbes, NZZ (translated)]
