TAG Heuer to launch $1,800 Apple Watch competitor in Nov., company warns of tough 2016
Luxury monolith LVMH is set to launch a new Apple Watch competitor under its TAG Heuer brand in November, priced starting at $1,800. But even that may not be enough to offset a troubling 2016 for the Swiss watchmaker, the head of the company's watch division said in an interview on Tuesday.
Jean-Claude Biver, head of the watchmaking division at LVMH, spoke with Bloomberg about his concerns for 2016. Specifically, he believes that economic slowdowns in China will hurt sales of traditional watches.
While he didn't mention the Apple Watch by name, its launch was also cited by the report as a reason for slumping sales. Just last week, a drop in Swiss watch exports was partially linked to the launch of the Apple Watch, which went on sale in April.
Biver revealed that the new TAG Heuer smartwatch, intended to compete with the Apple Watch, will go on sale in New York on Nov. 9 at 11 a.m. The LVMH executive said the wrist-worn smart device will look like a regular watch, allowing it to stand out from the digital display appearance of the Apple Watch.
"That was our biggest challenge," Biver told Bloomberg. "How can we make a connected watch that looks like a normal watch with the DNA of the Swiss watchmaking?"
The TAG Heuer smartwatch will use Google's Android Wear platform, and development has been done in partnership with Intel.
Biver also spoke with CNBC, where he revealed the connected device will be priced at $1,800. He said while the company was initially concerned about the pricing, Apple's partnership with Hermes for high-end wristbands has given LVMH confidence.
Jean-Claude Biver, head of the watchmaking division at LVMH, spoke with Bloomberg about his concerns for 2016. Specifically, he believes that economic slowdowns in China will hurt sales of traditional watches.
While he didn't mention the Apple Watch by name, its launch was also cited by the report as a reason for slumping sales. Just last week, a drop in Swiss watch exports was partially linked to the launch of the Apple Watch, which went on sale in April.
Biver revealed that the new TAG Heuer smartwatch, intended to compete with the Apple Watch, will go on sale in New York on Nov. 9 at 11 a.m. The LVMH executive said the wrist-worn smart device will look like a regular watch, allowing it to stand out from the digital display appearance of the Apple Watch.
"That was our biggest challenge," Biver told Bloomberg. "How can we make a connected watch that looks like a normal watch with the DNA of the Swiss watchmaking?"
The TAG Heuer smartwatch will use Google's Android Wear platform, and development has been done in partnership with Intel.
Biver also spoke with CNBC, where he revealed the connected device will be priced at $1,800. He said while the company was initially concerned about the pricing, Apple's partnership with Hermes for high-end wristbands has given LVMH confidence.
Comments
While I am an Apple fan, I do not wish failure on Apple's competitors. I wish them all the success in the world. If they can make a better watch than Apple, good for them and good for us. And it may even make the watch market grow, which might even be good for Apple.
The cross section of people willing to pay $1800 for a watch who also use Android is likely about six people. Good luck with that.
I don't believe it is public knowledge that it will not work with iPhone. Google is closely involved in the project and we all know how interested they are in iOS apps. There might be a pretty good chance Google will write a Tag Heuer app for iPhone.
I don't believe it is public knowledge that it will not work with iPhone. Google is closely involved in the project and we all know how interested they are in iOS apps. There might be a pretty good chance Google will write a Tag Heuer app for iPhone.
If they did that, then my interest in it would spike massively.
Tag can be hit and miss (I find some of them far too "fussy"), but some of them look fantastic.
Good luck to them.
If they did that, then my interest in it would spike massively.
Apple is set to release KeychainTouchID to third party developers. I wonder if that might open up the ability to authenticate for Android Pay. I'm no expert in that area, just idle speculation.
For reasons that defy explanation, the watch was destroyed in transit. It's as if a semi-trailer backed over it. My new watch was crushed.
Then Tag managed to accept the package anyway, despite obvious damage to the package.
Then Tag managed to discard the package I had insured, and put the remains into a plastic bag, and mailed it back to me.
Without the shipping package, without a rejection for damage waiver - Tag had effectively removed my insurance, and returned a brand new $850 watch to me as crushed junk.
So, it is with great joy that I read that Tag is going to suffer. Tag cheated me out of a $850 watch back in the early 1990's; and now I will enjoy my Apple watch and laugh at them as they curl up and shrink into semi-obscurity.
Google is already offering iOS apps for newer Android Wear watches, and the reviews are pretty damning. Google can't be blamed for trying, but if the available APIs do not allow an integration that makes sense and gives an at least comparable experience, there is no point in doing it and tarnishing the own product. With the biggest non-Apple smartwatch maker being Samsung, which is using Tizen and not Android, they are simply miles away from reaching critical mass.
I understand that LVMH has to try "something", but I would pay more money for a Hermès leather band alone than for any watch Tag Heuer is making. Everything they offer is ugly.
Back in the 1990's I had the income, so I bought a low-end Tag for ~$850. It was a battery powered silver watch with Gold trim. It looked great, but one thing that nagged me was that the second hand didn't hit the tick marks around the dial. So, I called Tag and asked if they could fix that; to which they gave me the address to send the watch in for adjustments. I packed the watch up well, and insured it for $1,000 and mailed it in.
For reasons that defy explanation, the watch was destroyed in transit. It's as if a semi-trailer backed over it. My new watch was crushed.
Then Tag managed to accept the package anyway, despite obvious damage to the package.
Then Tag managed to discard the package I had insured, and put the remains into a plastic bag, and mailed it back to me.
Without the shipping package, without a rejection for damage waiver - Tag had effectively removed my insurance, and returned a brand new $850 watch to me as crushed junk.
So, it is with great joy that I read that Tag is going to suffer. Tag cheated me out of a $850 watch back in the early 1990's; and now I will enjoy my Apple watch and laugh at them as they curl up and shrink into semi-obscurity.
Tag stop $2000 from me!
ha, well I do own one tag watch still and i like it, but i wear my apple watch every day - so it's unused and sit in a drawer with some other (better) watches...
anyway i have your story bettered (or worsened)
many years ago i bought my first tag watch, $2,000 approx of chronograph. well after a few days, it would stop, at around 20 minutes before midnight (coincident with poorly synchronized data change. I called and spoke to tag ( i think they resided in NJ) and they suggested i took it back to the authorized jeweler. I did, and since they had no replacement they refunded my money in full. A month or 2 later I bought the same style watch from another jeweler, while traveling near DC. It was wonderful for a few days then it too kept stopping before midnight. By this time I was the butt of jokes from my wife, kids etc... I sent it in, to Tag. After a few weeks, of calling, they found the package i had set it in, confirmed the serial number i gave them was valid, but said the box was empty!!!!
After days of calling i got to speak to VP of sales, North America. He laughed at my story, and said I had probably bought a fake, and so Tag had simply thrown it away. SO those fuckers stole my $2,000 watch. I will not forgive them, and use any opportunity to let people know what a scumbag company they are. ( my current tag was a nice gift, and you dont look a gift horse in the mouth, as they say)
so good that tag want to power their dumb watch with crappy Android- the two are made for one another.
The cross section of people willing to pay $1800 for a watch who also use Android is likely about six people. Good luck with that.
Why does it have to be compatible with Android only? Apple iPhones work well with Martian Watches. Is there an agreement with Andriod that the future Tag Heuer watch be android only?
Yes, I filed. And I appealed.
Without the damaged package that was delivered to Tag, the post office only knows that you mailed "something" to Tag. I could have mailed them an empty box insured for $1,000, as far as they know.
We are talking about a repair facility in NY, apparently the same crew that 'Right_said_fred" dealt with. Ethics? Yeah, they heard of them. I got screwed for $850, he took it in the shorts for $2,000.
Coincidence? I don't think so.
So, I am not alone in this one.
For a year now, that's been my opinion on how I think Swiss or other mid-range watch makers are going to survive in a world or connected wearables. Apple isn't likely to license wOS, and even if they did they would probably have far too many requirements for what the device does. With Android Wear, even more so than with Android for a phone or tablet, or Windows for a desktop or notebook, unique HW is important.
This is what Android Wear can offer watch makers and their customers. You want a pedometer and heart rate monitor in a standard watch? Fine. Just use BT to connect to your smartphone and you don't even need to see any digital display on the watch, only the app, which on iOS could feed into HealthKit.
So, he announces time and date and location of the launch, as if a single person would line up for that? That's cute.
Google is already offering iOS apps for newer Android Wear watches, and the reviews are pretty damning. Google can't be blamed for trying, but if the available APIs do not allow an integration that makes sense and gives an at least comparable experience, there is no point in doing it and tarnishing the own product. With the biggest non-Apple smartwatch maker being Samsung, which is using Tizen and not Android, they are simply miles away from reaching critical mass.
I understand that LVMH has to try "something", but I would pay more money for a Hermès leather band alone than for any watch Tag Heuer is making. Everything they offer is ugly.
http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2015/09/android-wear-on-ios-a-hobbled-google-centric-smartwatch-experience/
Yet another accidentally admitting that Apple leads Snd they follow.
I guess it's a matter of taste but I would buy an Hermès-AppleWatch over the Tag Heuer Carrerra 01 any day of the week and twice on Sunday.
Correct, no one is saying that except this site. This site is quoting itself.
Anyone buying a $1000 automatic watch, you are paying for the watch making. When you buy it you are looking long term, with minor servicing in mind. You are not looking to be chopping and changing the device every few years and certainly not viewing it as disposable - which if you buy an iphone, ipad, Mac that cost more than a swiss watch, you'll be doing ( that said current devices have a longer useful life than those of 5 years ago )
I don't see the Apple watches going the same way as swiss watches, it will be interesting to see if people have the same watch in 5 or 10 years, or have upgraded to the latest version, or are able to get parts replaced easily - other than straps.
Not a fan of Tag watches but it's great to see other companies attempting to challenge the Apple Watch.
Correct, no one is saying that except this site. This site is quoting itself.
You are wrong. Since the Apple Watch came out, there have been countless people arguing that it would not take sales away from luxury watch brands. I know, because I argued with those people for days. This is pretty good evidence that I was right.
Also, I recommend that you read more carefully. The article was citing a Bloomberg article, not "quoting itself."