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We love to cover the NFT industry in its full breadth, and it is this, that brought us to the TAG Heuer Connected Calibre E4 smartwatch. See, we believe that NFTs are not just about storing pictures in your wallet and hoping for them to appreciate in value. It is the real-world utility use cases that spark our interest, and finding new ways to express yourself is an integral part of it all.
With this in mind, we are kicking off a series of articles exploring what it is like to live with a Swiss-made smartwatch that lets you showcase your NFT collection. TAG Heuer has recently released an updated version of their critically acclaimed Connected smartwatch, and this time it is all about NFTs.
In this first article, we will try to see through the watch industry to find out how big of a ripple has the Connected E4 Calibre become. We will mull over TAG Heuer’s history, the brand’s heritage and the smartwatch industry, investigating the potential behind the NFT-enabled smartwatch by a legendary brand.
TAG Heuer heritage in the age of blockchain
The company behind the NFT-connected watch in question needs no introduction, but if up until now you had no keen interest in watches, here is a short introduction. TAG Heuer acquired its name back in 1985, when TAG Group purchased a majority stake in Uhrenmanufaktur Heuer AG, founded in 1860 by Edouard Heuer. Being one of the oldest Swiss watchmakers in the world, TAG Heuer boasts a plethora of achievements and awards, received by the company for its chronographs and timeless designs.
TAG Heuer watches are historically favoured by sportsmen and what may come as a surprise to some of those eyeing Omega Speedmasters, it was actually a Heuer watch that made it first to space. It happened back in 1962, when John Glenn wore a Heuer stopwatch piloting the Mercury Atlas 6 spacecraft on the first US crewed space flight to orbit the earth. The stopwatch was the backup clock for the mission and was started manually by Glenn 20 seconds into the flight.
It is not a secret that Swiss watch manufacturers abide by their heritage and usually distance themselves from big jumps in innovation and making drastic changes in design. Thankfully, TAG Heuer is different, and lets its customers experience the best of both worlds.
Going against industry standards
Many watch industry purveyors don’t like change and this is why, as per the feedback we see on various forums, TAG Heuer’s first Connected watch released in 2015 caused quite a lot of stir. Unfortunately, it was not the warmest of receptions and perhaps it were the so-called industry rules or standards to blame. The audiences were of the opinion that there is Swiss chronology, and then there is the digital age, and no interconnection should be made.
What they all missed on though, is that evolution is tightly knit into the Swiss watchmaking DNA. It has always been witnessed in various shapes and forms, but when it comes to TAG Heuer, innovation sits right in the centre of the brand’s slogan.
‘Swiss Avant-Garde Since 1860’
Avant-garde stands for experimental and radical, innovative and as something that is usually met with initial unacceptability. Therefore, it is fair to say that by releasing the Connected smartwatch, TAG Heuer has never abandoned its heritage and motives to create the new. The Swiss watchmaker foresaw the inception of a new market and acted on becoming part of it.
Meet the Calibre E4 (NFT)
The smartwatch market is notoriously dominated by Apple iWatch, which has managed to consume over 50% of the space that is expected to reach $58 billion by 2028. Wonder what the reason for such prevalence is? We are set to believe that it is down to the build quality and how good the operating system is. The latter is what first Android watches greatly lacked behind on, but just like with all Google products, they got better with time and continue to improve at a much faster pace than what Apple can offer.
Yes, Android Wear is no more an unusable piece of software, but a great contender to iOS instead. More importantly, brands like Samsung, Huawei and many others, have now learned how to make Android smartwatches that actually make sense.
But what if you are looking for more?
TAG Heuer’s Connected Calibre E4 finds itself in another league of smartwatches. In fact, this league was non-existent before the release of the Connected watch and we cannot see how any of the competition (if any) can compare. This is what our next article in the Living with TAG Heuer Connected Calibre E4 smartwatch will be about.
Not the final thoughts, yet
By diving into the endeavour of learning more about the TAG Heuer’s smartwatch, we did not expect much to find, thinking that it is just another wearable that has NFT-enabled connectivity as a marketing exercise. What we have found though, is a synergy of best-in-class case making and great functionality that make the Connected watch a true one-of-a-kind, Swiss-made smartwatch.
Stay tuned as we unravel more on TAG Heuer’s take on NFT integration, the Calibre E4 watch itself, and the build quality that has no competition in the smartwatch industry.
