High-End Smartwatch To Be Offered By TAG Heuer. Google And Intel

It appears that the high-end model of the Apple Watch will have a rival in the market soon as TAG Heuer announced its partnership with Intel and Google to produce a technologically-advanced luxury mechanical watch.

Intel will provide the processor for the watch while Google will supply the Android mobile operating system. The announcement was made by TAG during the annual conference of jewelers and watchmakers in Switzerland. The watch by TAG is expected to provide credibility to the wearable operating system of Google.

Intel revealed that the watch is the first Android Wear smartwatch of the Swiss watchmaker and it will be the first Android Wear project of Intel. Ellen Healy of Intel revealed that it will be a unique product from the Swiss luxury watch manufacturer.

The specs and pricing of the Tag Heuer watch will be provided by the Swiss company before the end of the year. The watch itself will become available in the market within the year. Industry watchers are expecting the company to manufacture a digital replica of the black Carrera watch. The new models of this classic TAG watch are priced between $3,000 and $5,000.

Traditional watch manufacturers are now facing competition from a number of smartwatch manufacturers. While smartwatches have yet to make an impact in the market, deliveries have increased from around 4.6 million units in 2014 to 28.1 million his year. Strategic Analytics revealed that the Apple Watch may take around 55 percent of the entire smartwatch market.

TAG Heuer Teams Up With Intel And Google- image credit: foxbusines.com

Entering the smartwatch market will provides Tag Heuer the opportunity to maintain its relevance in the digital world while remaining true to its watch-making roots.

Jean-Claude Biver, CEO of TAG, revealed that the company is not capable of producing processors, hardware and applications, which are necessary for a smartwatch. He said it cannot be produced by anyone in Switzerland. Although the software and hardware should come from Silicon Valley, Switzerland can provide the concept, design, watch case, dial and crown for the device.

Biver added that TAG watches may offer some of the features of a smartwatch, such as a health monitor or GPS, together with some applications associated with the brand, like sports sponsorships.

The agreement between TAG Heuer and Intel is similar to the partnerships of the chip giant with a number of high fashion and luxury-oriented companies. Intel announced its partnership with Opening Ceremony, a design house, to produce the MICA luxury watch bracelet. Intel is also collaborating with the Fossil Group in developing wearable tech specifically designed for the fashion world. The company is also working with the Luxoticca Group in producing tech-enabled luxury eyewear.

Intel knows the importance of these partnerships to get a head-start in the wearable tech market. The company missed the sudden rise of smartphones in the market. Healy indicated that the deal with TAG Heuer is another proof-point of the progress of the company.

Posted by Melanie Mendoza on Monday March 23 2015, 12:39 PM EDT. All trademarks acknowledged. Filed under Shopping. Comments and Trackbacks closed. Follow responses: RSS 2.0