TAG Heuer, Intel, Google announce smartwatch that feels like a “normal watch”

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Radeon962

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Jan 1, 2005
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http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2015...ce-smartwatch-that-feels-like-a-normal-watch/

From the article:

According to the leaks and quotes, TAG Heuer will release a "digital replica" of the Carrera, a fairly bulky sports watch. It will reportedly look and feel just like a normal, mechanical Carrera, but internally there'll be Intel hardware and Android Wear software that provide some smartwatch functionality. What isn't clear is the extent of the computerization: Will there still be a mechanical movement inside, or will it be all-digital with an LCD clock face?
 
Commodus

Commodus

Diamond Member
Oct 9, 2004
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I'm heartened by a Swiss watchmaker actually taking smartwatches seriously instead of using the "la la la I can't hear you" approach of others. With that said, I'm curious to see how well Android Wear fits into a conventional watch body. Will there be a hit to battery life?

I can't imagine there being any mechanical components... that'd make it very bulky, and where would you put any dials? I suspect you'll just be looking at a Carrera with a circular screen and electronics in place of gears.
 
SandEagle

SandEagle

Lifer
Aug 4, 2007
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cant believe they want to make it bulky. thats not what a normal watch is. i returned my galaxy geqr 2 because it was bulky. give me a something that is thin like a movado and id be all on it.
 
foghorn67

foghorn67

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Jan 3, 2006
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i have a Tag from the late eighties/early nineties. I think it's a good watch. I haven't tried on or checked out anything recent from them.
 
G

Graze

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Nov 27, 2012
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foghorn67 said:
Just googled some retail prices for Tag Heuers. Oh heck no.
Click to expand...

Tag makes from very nice watches. I want a nice watch and its between them and Omega I am looking at.
I dont see spending that much on one nice watch if you could afford it too crazy. For beat around watches I would abviously not buy a Tag or Omega
 
S

skriefal

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Apr 10, 2000
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It was probably as simple as "Is it cheaper?" and "Will it last long enough to not fail during the warranty period?". Then "Yes? Do it!".
 
touchstone

touchstone

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Feb 25, 2015
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so how exactly do they not devalue the rest of their watch line with this release when the normal carrera is 3500 and this is supposed to look the same but also be a smartwatch. seriously i would like somebody to explain how that will work


i suspect this will be a spectacular failure mainly because intel is involved (and are terrible in mobile) but hopefully google can give them some direction. i just dont see tag pricing this thing at any less than $999 and i have zero faith in intel 'inside' anything in my pocket
 
Commodus

Commodus

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Oct 9, 2004
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The short answer: it'll likely be still priced as much as a regular Carrera, although probably toward the lower end of the spectrum. And if you're worried about build quality... well, you can't really use plastic movements when it's all silicon and circuit boards! (TAG Heuer is supposed to be shying away from cost-cutting as it is.)

One thing's for sure: when this device comes out, it's going to pop the balloon of anyone who thinks that Apple, Huawei and others are charging too much for steel smartwatches. Want a smartwatch from an established Swiss brand? It's going to cost you.
 
Artdeco

Artdeco

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Mar 14, 2015
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I've read a couple watch blogs, saying Apple is going to give the Swiss watchmakers another "quartz moment"

They ignored the cheap, super accurate quartz watches and nearly died. The bloggers think Apple & Android Wear are going to kill the <$1000 watch market.
 
lxskllr

lxskllr

No Lifer
Nov 30, 2004
59,645
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Artdeco said:
The bloggers think Apple & Android Wear are going to kill the <$1000 watch market.
Click to expand...

I thought cheap watches were already dead for all intents and purposes. A watch is a decoration anymore, and completely unnecessary. If a wearable gizmo takes off, it's just because it's a wearable gizmo. The fact that one it's functions is to tell time doesn't make it a watch anymore than my desktop computer is a mantle clock.
 
Red Storm

Red Storm

Lifer
Oct 2, 2005
14,233
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Artdeco said:
I've read a couple watch blogs, saying Apple is going to give the Swiss watchmakers another "quartz moment"

They ignored the cheap, super accurate quartz watches and nearly died. The bloggers think Apple & Android Wear are going to kill the <$1000 watch market.
Click to expand...

I don't see that happening. I bought myself a cheap ~$70 Swatch watch to wear on hikes, in the ocean, and pretty much any other outdoor recreational activity. I don't want a smartwatch in those situations.
 
KentState

KentState

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Oct 19, 2001
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Red Storm said:
I don't see that happening. I bought myself a cheap ~$70 Swatch watch to wear on hikes, in the ocean, and pretty much any other outdoor recreational activity. I don't want a smartwatch in those situations.
Click to expand...

Is that based purely on aesthetics or functionality?

Personally, I'm not huge into aesthetics, but the functionality has a lot to be desired to replace a $70 watch that just works. Even though I do have a smartwatch, I think it's silly that being waterproof is an anomaly and not a standard feature. Also have to find a way to charge on the go and be readable in all situations.
 
touchstone

touchstone

Senior member
Feb 25, 2015
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Commodus said:
The short answer: it'll likely be still priced as much as a regular Carrera, although probably toward the lower end of the spectrum. And if you're worried about build quality... well, you can't really use plastic movements when it's all silicon and circuit boards! (TAG Heuer is supposed to be shying away from cost-cutting as it is.)

One thing's for sure: when this device comes out, it's going to pop the balloon of anyone who thinks that Apple, Huawei and others are charging too much for steel smartwatches. Want a smartwatch from an established Swiss brand? It's going to cost you.
Click to expand...

do you think that's viable as a competitor to the apple watch?


3500 is just too much for many people. it is literally ten times the cost of a base apple watch. i think the issue is that tag and rolex make a few hundred thousand watches and sell them at massive profit margins. that business dynamic may work for jewelry but the apple watch is wearable tech meant to be worn by hundreds of millions of people. i dont think these swiss watch makers have any idea what producing those kinds of numbers entails. personally i have no idea what the sales figures are for watches, but my guess is they are barely even in the low millions


so you have intel and google who clearly want to compete with apple on the smartwatch front and you have tag who are reacting to the threat of the apple watch on their industry in order to preserve its current profits. i think it will be very interesting to see how these three companies work together. i suspect it will be a catastrophe
 
Commodus

Commodus

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Oct 9, 2004
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touchstone said:
do you think that's viable as a competitor to the apple watch?

3500 is just too much for many people. it is literally ten times the cost of a base apple watch. i think the issue is that tag and rolex make a few hundred thousand watches and sell them at massive profit margins. that business dynamic may work for jewelry but the apple watch is wearable tech meant to be worn by hundreds of millions of people. i dont think these swiss watch makers have any idea what producing those kinds of numbers entails. personally i have no idea what the sales figures are for watches, but my guess is they are barely even in the low millions

so you have intel and google who clearly want to compete with apple on the smartwatch front and you have tag who are reacting to the threat of the apple watch on their industry in order to preserve its current profits. i think it will be very interesting to see how these three companies work together. i suspect it will be a catastrophe
Click to expand...

I think there'll be a degree of overlap, but not much.

There's a certain crowd that could afford either, and isn't tied to any one smartphone platform. However, there probably isn't a big market for iPhone users willing to jump ship for a watch with a four-digit price tag. The barrier to entry for the Apple Watch will be lower, of course, but there will only be so many people buying an iPhone just so that they can buy a steel smartwatch.

Apple's big edge in this fight is precisely what Swiss watchmakers hate: mass production. It's not as if every TAG Heuer is hand-crafted, but Apple will likely crank out millions of steel watches every quarter and already has a ton of experience with designing and sourcing mass-produced electronics. It doesn't have to charge $3,000 for a steel watch with a link bracelet, because it has the resources to make something in that quality ballpark for $1,000 -- and it knows it can sell to a much larger audience.
 
sm625

sm625

Diamond Member
May 6, 2011
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How can it be like a normal watch if you have to charge every day or every other day. Smartwatches are DOA until they get the battery life up to 1 week minimum, when all you're using it for is getting notifications. I accept the the battery life could drop if you're doing stupid stuff on it, like using maps and video and all those other things that a smartphone was invented for...
 
Commodus

Commodus

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Oct 9, 2004
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sm625 said:
How can it be like a normal watch if you have to charge every day or every other day. Smartwatches are DOA until they get the battery life up to 1 week minimum, when all you're using it for is getting notifications. I accept the the battery life could drop if you're doing stupid stuff on it, like using maps and video and all those other things that a smartphone was invented for...
Click to expand...

I don't think they'll be DOA based on battery life. You usually take off your watch before you go to bed anyway -- this just means putting it on a charger. The main issue is whether or not the watch does enough to justify getting one instead of pulling your phone out of your pocket every time.

With that said, if you really want week-long battery life on a smartwatch, go to Kickstarter and back the Pebble Time while you still can -- you'll get that much longevity, and the Steel version even looks fairly nice (though not Apple Watch or TAG Heuer nice).
 
S

s44

Diamond Member
Oct 13, 2006
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Intel is still dicking around with 32nm for ultraportable SOCs?

They're still half-assing it.
 
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