TAG Heuer Connected Watch brings Android Wear to the luxury market (hands-on)

TAG Heuer is bringing eternity to connected watches.

Developed in partnership with Intel and Google, the 155-year-old Swiss luxury watchmaker has announced the availability of the TAG Heuer Connected Watch.

"It's the marriage of knowledge, the marriage of research and development, said Jean-Claude Biver, CEO of TAG Heuer at a press conference in New York City. "For TAG Heuer this is a milestone for our brand but also a milestone for the Swiss watch industry."

At its core, the $1,500 Connected Watch (£1,100, AU$2,125 converted) is not unlike other smartwatches powered by Google's Android Wear OS, although it is the first to feature an Intel processor. The watch is equipped with a 1.6GHz dual-core Intel Atom processor with 1GB of RAM and 4GB of storage. The memory is double the amount featured in other Android Wear watches, but it's unclear if this will actually make a difference in real-world usage. Other sensors include an accelerometer for tracking your steps throughout the day and Wi-Fi for some phone-less features.

The Connected Watch is made from grade 2 titanium, which gives it a premium feel. At the same time, though, it's considerably heavier than other smartwatches on the market. It's bulky to say the least, measuring 12.8mm thick with a weight of 52 grams. It's also big. The 46mm display has a 360x360-pixel resolution that is protected with sapphire crystal, which should make it a lot more difficult to scratch. This is something we have also seen in the more affordable Huawei Watch.

The watch band will be available in seven colors -- green, blue, orange, red, white, black and yellow -- and is made from vulcanized rubber with grade 2 titanium folding clasp. It feels nice, but I'm disappointed there isn't an option for a steel link band or leather strap, both of which appear more "premium" to me.

TAG Heuer reports its battery life at 25 hours at normal use, which is a bit shorter than we were hoping for. The Moto 360 and Huawei Watch can last nearly two days, while the Pebble Time Steel can go a full week on a single charge.

Aside from the TAG Heuer name, the Connected Watch is lacking a unique selling point. There's no GPS for tracking pace and distance when running, no near-field communications (NFC) sensor for making mobile payments, and no cellular capabilities to make calls without a phone nearby. It's just another Android Wear watch, albeit in expensive one that carries a level of prestige. At the end of the day, however, I'm more likely to wear the Huawei Watch or Moto 360, rather than the Connected Watch.

Along with Android Wear's services, there are exclusive apps customized for TAG Heuer including: Insiders (lifestyle), GolfShot Pro (golf), RaceChrono Pro (motor racing) and Viewrangers (trailing). A specially developed Software Development Kit (SDK) will also be available. It will also have classic TAG Heuer functions with a timer, alarm and stopwatch.

TAG Heuer also created a variety of unique watch faces to help the Connected Watch standout. There's even a few that include what the company calls "interactive counters." These consists of three circles that give you quick access to important information from apps and services. A tap on the counter will open the application in full-screen mode to give you more defaulted information.

One of the major criticisms leveled at high-priced smartwatches such as the Apple Watch is that in a few years it will be obsolete as technology advances. TAG Heuer, however, is offering to let you convert your Connected Watch into a mechanical watch.

Like all of the watchmaker's timepieces, the Connected Watch will have a two-year warranty. At the end of the watch's warranty, you'll have the option to exchange it for an exclusively designed mechanical TAG Heuer Carrera watch with a similar design to the Connected Watch. This won't be a free exchange, though: you'll have to layout an additional $1,500 and trade-in your exciting Connected Watch.