The day has come for the official release of TAG Heuer's first smartwatch product to the market -- the Carrera Connected.
In an interview with the Le Matin Dimanche weekly yesterday, TAG Heuer CEO Jean-Claude Biver said that the Swiss luxury watchmaker will release a titanium Carrera Connected watch priced at $15,000, Channel News Asia reported.
Biver said, "Our watch will have almost the same functions as an Apple Watch, but I don't want to divulge too much."
He added, "The Carrera Connected is an exclusive, luxury watch."
A photo posted by TAG Heuer (@tagheuer) on Nov 2, 2015 at 8:00am PST
TAG Heuer partnered with Intel and Google to produce its first smartwatch. It was rumored to cost $1,800, making it the most expensive Android Wear watch to date. But apparently, Carrera Connected is aimed at taking on Apple Watch, which costs up to $17,000.
Biver earlier told CNBC, "Above $2,000, the connected watch has a huge problem. There is no eternity, it means it will become obsolete, and who wants to buy a $10,000 - $20,000 watch, that becomes obsolete after five or 10 years?"
Meanwhile, Biver insisted that TAG Heuer does not consider Apple as its direct competitor, saying, "We are not Apple. We are a watch brand. I forbid my colleagues to say Apple is our competitor."
TAG Heuer Carrera Connected watch was designed based on the classic Carrera model with the ability to connect wirelessly to mobile phone and access a range of functions that are not limited to counting steps or taking pulse. The user can change the watch's face and choose from six brightly colored wristbands.
The luxury watchmaker will only make 1,000 connected timepieces available for the launch on Nov. 9, 11 a.m. It will be available in Europe by Thursday, Nov. 12.
In other news, TAG Heuer has a new brand ambassador -- New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady.
