Tag Heuer launches third-gen luxury Connected smartwatch powered by Qualcomm this time around

After taking baby steps with its first two Tag Heuer Connected smartwatches, Tag Heuer has launched its third-generation Connected smartwatch. A big change this time around is that it has dropped its partnership with Intel and joined the rest of the Android Wear brigade in opting for Qualcomm’s tried and tested Snapdragon Wear 3100 platform. The design has also been tweaked with Tag Heuer turning to its Carrera watches for design inspiration.

Dropped, however, are a couple of programs that ran with the previous generations. For example, Tag Heuer has axed the program that allowed users to trade up to a mechanical model on obsolescence while the modular features that included being able to swap out the digital component for a traditional mechanical movement has also been cut. There are, however, a range of alternative watch straps and bracelets available along with different case color and bezel options.

Despite a fresh design language, the new Connected continues with its 45 mm case. This centers on a new OLED display that gets a resolution bump from 400 x 400 pixels to 454 x 454 pixels but retains the same diameter of 1.39 -inches. Functionality has also been amped up with heart rate sensing, compass, accelerometer and gyro added in addition to the GPS functionality that carries over from its predecessor. It also gets a suite of new custom watch faces that will take advantage of its always-on capability.

The new Tag Heuer Connected starts from US$1,800 and tops out at US$2,350 and is shipping now.