TAG Heuer this week announced at Baselworld 2015 that it will partner with Google and Intel to develop an Android Wear-powered smartwatch. The announcement focused on the new partnership rather than the device itself. While the press conference itself may have revealed little about the smartwatch, company CEO Jean-Claude Biver was far more open in an interview with Hodinkee about what we can expect.
Biver recognized that the Apple Watch is likely to offer more functionality than the TAG Heuer smartwatch. But asked whether people would want to wear a TAG Heuer smartwatch, he replied, “Yes, of course! At $1,000 for sure!”
By pricing it below what most TAG Heuer watches cost (most range from US$1,500 to US$5,000), Biver hopes that the smartwatch will introduce a new generation of consumers to the brand. As they get older and (hopefully) earn higher incomes, they would then return to the brand to buy more expensive models and perhaps even replace their smartwatch with a traditional watch.
While the TAG Heuer smartwatch may not have all the bells and whistles of the Apple Watch, Biver boasted that it would be a better looking watch. Confirming that it will be based on the new TAG Heuer Carrera – Heuer 01 (itself unveiled at Baselworld and pictured above). As Biver puts it, “For $1,000 would you rather wear the Apple Watch, or a watch that looks like this Carrera?” He’s got a point.
TAG Heuer is expected to formally unveil the TAG Heuer smartwatch in October.
Source : Hodinkee