At only 27, the CEO of TAG Heuer, Frédéric Arnault, is undoubtedly young. But then George Harrison was the same age when The Beatles split, and John Keats had written some of the greatest poetry in the English language by the time he was two years Arnault’s junior. So young, yes, but don’t mistake that for not able.

Last week in Paris, Arnault showed us what advantages youth can bring to a brand. Apart from palpable energy and enthusiasm, the CEO’s contribution to TAG Heuer, with its origins back in 1860, is a clear vision for the future. Under Arnault, the firm will continue to respect the pieces from its past, such as the Carrera, Monaco and Aquaracer, which receive regular design refreshes, but it will also embrace new technology, in the form of the Connected smartwatch series.

This, launched in 2015, is clearly Arnault’s baby. The old tropes of luxury watchmaking are things he certainly values and admires. But as a man who sits at the younger end of the millennial generation, he is a digital native and sees the world through a lens that understands the value of connectivity, in a way that his father, Bernard Arnault, CEO of LVMH, TAG Heuer’s parent company, might do in theory, but will not have experienced as a lifelong reality.

Therefore, when Frédéric Arnault says that ‘we’re changing the limits, changing the limits of design, changing the limits of technology’, you know he’s talking from the perspective of TAG Heuer’s future customer, as much as its existing one. The idea of pioneering is, of course, embedded in the firm’s DNA: ‘TAG, as you all know, stands for Techniques d’Avant Garde,’ he reminds us. ‘We knew that the smartwatch, the Connected watch, was going to be a revolution that would change people’s lives and habits.’

So, welcome the fourth generation of TAG Heuer’s Connected watch, the Calibre E4, which like its predecessors combines the firm’s Swiss watchmaking heritage with today’s state-of-the-art technology. This is what has always been at the root of the Connected watch programme – the idea that traditional watchmaking should inform the look and feel of this piece of modern tech.

‘We know that the watch is a very important object, where there’s a lot of craftsmanship and where design is extremely important,’ explains Arnault. ‘There’s a lot of emotion. It’s a very personal object that represents one’s identity. We didn’t want to compromise on the emotion our customers have wearing a [mechanical] watch. But we wanted them to still have all the benefits and features that you can expect from a smartwatch.’ In other words, the Connected watch looks like a TAG Heuer first and foremost, sitting in a recognisable design family that includes well-known models such as the Carrera and Aquaracer.

This is an approach that has been honed and developed with each new generation of this product through the proportions, materials and detailing. Now with the new Calibre E4 there are two case sizes that deliver the TAG Heuer look, a sleek, elegant 42mm design and a 45mm. The smaller watch has a thinner case and bezel, with a streamlined appearance, while the larger has a ceramic bezel and looks more like a traditional sports watch. Both can accommodate interchangeable straps – a steel bracelet or leather strap, or a selection of colourful rubber straps. The digital displays present a collection of new watch faces that range from futuristic to traditional. One of the most interesting versions has a face that makes the Connected watch resemble a TAG Heuer mechanical timepiece, but with a display of information in the sub-dials such as steps taken or heart rate, thus really merging the historic with the modern. New faces will be available to download in the future.

The new Connected Calibre E4 comes with updated sports features for running, cycling, swimming, walking and, notably, golf, which has proved the sweet spot for this device. One in five customers apparently uses the watch for playing the game. However, the impressive new feature here is the ability to access guided workouts that are led by an animated figure on your screen. The watch comes with pre-set workouts of different lengths, and users can customise their own programmes too. This addition to the TAG Heuer sports app is significant as it means you don’t need a phone or large screen to see your animated coach, just your watch, which vibrates when you have completed an exercise. The benefit is that you can keep your fitness levels up, conveniently, while on the move.

The Connected Calibre E4 runs on Wear OS by Google. The battery life of the 45mm model has been improved by 30% from the last edition, and a new screen on both sizes offers better contrast than before to help visibility, even in sunlight. Charging is now on a stand that doubles as a nightstand that displays the time. For existing owners of a previous generation of TAG Heuer smartwatch, there is also a trade-in programme that gives you a credit towards the purchase of a new Calibre E4.

Now, after seven years, the Connected timepiece is no longer the new kid on TAG Heuer’s block. As Frédéric Arnault puts it: ‘We often talk about history, heritage and look back to the great designs, the great icons [of TAG Heuer], and now is a time when we can start doing that with the Connected watch.’ This is clearly the man’s passion (time)piece, the one in the TAG Heuer stable he is nurturing. 

‘The Connected watch has been present since 2015,’ explains Arnault. ‘We’re launching the fourth generation. Since the beginning there was the vision of merging design creativity with cutting-edge technology, and we’ve improved generation after generation on the watchmaking aspect to make it closer and closer to a true watch.’ With the Calibre E4, with its good looks and functionality – including the exciting guided workouts – you really do feel like the established world of TAG Heuer and its vision for the future have successfully combined. 

tagheuer.com