Introducing The TAG Heuer Connected Modular 45, the Evolution of the Brand’s Smartwatch Platform

With the rise of wearable tech in the past few years, there have emerged two separate and distinct groups: those who wear mechanical timepieces, and those who wear smartwatches. Surprisingly, the two demographics almost never intersect, with almost few mechanical watch enthusiasts jumping on the smartwatch trend and vice versa. A lot of this comes down to background–smartwatch fans generally come from a more tech-oriented background, while mechanical watches are almost a statement of rejection of the modern digital age. However, this separation has led to a large, affluent segment of young consumers with an interest in tech, but without a proper introduction to watches.

TAG Heuer looks to court this segment, along with a more mainstream luxury-buying public, with the new TAG Heuer Connected Modular 45. The Connected Modular 45 is a completely revamped second generation of the 2015 TAG Heuer Connected smartwatch, evolving on the original concept and taking the TAG brand to new and wholly innovative frontiers.

The original TAG Heuer Connected, while marketed as a premium smartwatch, also took the opportunity to use the piece as a gateway drug into the TAG Heuer brand. Two years after the initial $1500 smartwatch purchase, buyers had the option of paying an additional $1500 to exchange the then-obsolete Connected for a mechanical TAG Heuer piece. What served as a novel concept for cultivating new watch enthusiasts at the time was only moderately successful in practice. The new Connected Modular 45, however, takes that idea in a bold new direction.

As the title suggests, the TAG Heuer Connected Modular 45 is a completely modular design–not only straps, but also lugs and even movements are easily swapped out in seconds. It’s an almost LEGO-style approach–a wearer can go from an all-titanium case with a rubber strap to diamond-studded PVD lugs and a bracelet by quickly removing and attaching a few small parts.

All this quick swapping brings to mind TAG Heuer’s rich racing heritage–this fast, efficient parts change really evokes a pit stop.

Even more than that, this quick-change system not only includes the smartwatch module, but a Calibre 5 three-hander mechanical module as well as the top-of-the-line Heuer-02T Tourbillon chronograph option. This is a revolutionary concept on its own and it lends itself to incredible versatility. The Connected Modular 45 could be a fitness-tracking smartwatch at the gym one minute, and an impressive tourbillon chronograph for a night out the next. Not to mention, all this quick swapping brings to mind TAG Heuer’s rich racing heritage–this fast, efficient parts change really evokes a pit stop.

There’s no shortage of options overall for the Connected Modular 45. 11 standard versions of the base smartwatch are available, finished in either titanium, PVD, or rose gold, with leather straps, ceramic bracelets, and a wide variety of colored rubber to choose from. In addition to the 11 base models, TAG is offering 45 additional custom combinations for special order. Add this to the two optional mechanical modules, 30 pre-programmed digital watch faces (a small selection of current and vintage Heuer dials from three-handers to GMTs to one, two, and three-register chronographs, with customizable adaptive sub-dials for additional info) along with four thousand more dial possibilities through the company’s TAG Heuer Studio dial customizer app, and the total number of possible combinations comes out to 677,040! Even that’s not enough, as the brand has hinted at adding more of its current line (think Monza, Monaco and Silverstone) to the Studio app in the future.

With that in mind, no two Connected Modular 45s might ever be alike, and TAG Heuer has backed up this incredible variety with class-leading smartwatch performance through Android Wear 2.0. The real quantum leap here is 50 meters of water resistance for the smartwatch module–not much by mechanical standards, but phenomenal for high-end electronics. Additionally, the Connected Modular 45 offers interactive dial complications, added Android Pay and Google Assistant functionality, access to the Google Play Store, and the big one–iOS compatibility. While Apple remains determined to ensure that the Apple Watch only pairs with iPhone, this new Heuer will be compatible with nearly every smartphone on the market today.TAG also teased an “intuitive alarm” function in the coming months, with the ability to trigger alerts based on events rather than strictly attached to a set time. For example, you could set an alarm to go off after you leave work. Rather than going off at five o’ clock regardless of whether or not you can go, this new system will alert you when you actually leave thanks to a variety of sensor parameters.

At prices ranging from $1650 for the most basic smartwatch model to the Deluxe Box Set including multiple straps and the incredible Heuer-02T Tourbillon module at $17,000, it’s certainly positioned at the top of the current wearable tech market. That said, the fit and finish on these pieces is streets ahead of even the Apple Watch and the high price may even boost its status-symbol appeal. In addition, TAG Heuer will be offering all components in the Connected Modular 45 from straps to lugs and modules separately for sale at select TAG Heuer boutiques.All this seems impressive, but the basic question remains: will it bring the affluent smartwatch user into the world of haute horlogerie? Will it create loyal TAG Heuer buyers from people who, for the most part, have never worn a mechanical watch? The best answer at this point is a resounding maybe. The TAG Heuer Connected Modular 45 is a fascinating experiment in brand positioning and a welcome breath of innovation in an industry that seems to, by and large, ignore the smartwatch trend altogether. If there’s any brand that could possibly make this work, it’s TAG Heuer, and I can’t help but think that this is an idea ahead of its time. Only more time will tell if the world is ready to receive it. TAG Heuer