The TAG Heuer smartwatch, the Android Wear device first announced by the Swiss watchmaker back in March at Baselword, is set to go on sale in November, priced at $1,400.
The price and launch date details come from CEO Jean-Claude Biver, as reported by Bloomberg.
It’s reported that the “first luxury Android Wear smartwatch” will boast a 40-hour battery life, more than double the 18 hours that the just-launched Apple Watch provides.
At $1,400, TAG’s tech timepiece comes in around the Apple Watch midpoint, which is currently on sale from $349, right up to $12,000+ for a limited edition gold version.
However, Biver isn’t concerned about the success of the Apple Watch, instead he states he is excited by the attention the Cupertino giant can bring to the emerging consumer technology genre.
“I hope they sell millions and millions and millions of them,” he said. “The more they sell the more a few people will want something different and come to TAG Heuer.”
Details are still scarce with regards to the hardware and design of TAG’s debut smartwatch; we simply know it will be powered by an Intel processor and will run the usual version of Google’s Android Wear operating system.
Speaking at Baselworld, Biver told the assembled media conference that the smartwatch was the “biggest announcement ever” for the watch maker, but admitted it may not carry the Swiss Made label as the microchip would not be manufactured within Switzerland’s borders.
See also: TAG Heuer Signals Start of a Swiss Smartwatch Revolution
One interesting snippet that has emerged since the initial announcement, is that the hardware on board the TAG smartwatch could be upgradeable.
UK communications manager Alexandra King recently revealed that the longevity of the device, as with all TAG Heuer branded smartwatches, was a key concern. "The watch will change the technology as it develops, Jean-Claude Biver was clear about that," she said.
"We want to be able to change the technology but keep the watch elements. If your child completed their Masters degree, you might want to give them a watch. We want to create something that will stay on your watch for a lifetime, that's what TAG Heuer does. And as the technology changes, it will change."
This would trump the Apple Watch, which a recent teardown by iFixit revealed isn’t easily upgradeable. In fact, a tweet mocking the lifecycle of Apple’s smartwatch went viral recently:
Son, I want you to have this watch. The firmware is outdated, the OS is slow and it only runs Yelp, but it's been in our family for 3 years.
— Ludwig Kietzmann (@LudwigK) April 18, 2015
