Luxury Swiss watchmaker Tag Heuer is gearing up to unveil an Android Wear 2.0 smartwatch in May.
With the impending Android Wear 2.0 release, the smartwatch market can look forward to exciting times.
Jean-Claude Biver, the CEO of Tag Heuer, confirmed in an interview with the NZZ publication that the company will unveil the 2017 Tag Heuer Connected model in May this year.
"The watches of the first series are almost all sold, the new collection comes in May. This year we plan to sell 150,000 pieces (translated)," shared the CEO.
The smartwatch will reportedly be made available in two sizes and could be expected to pack in a better hardware. The smaller of the two models is aimed at women. The two models would also incorporate different colors and finish.
Moreover, the Android Wear 2.0 smartwatch would also feature a powerful display and a GPS module, which is capable of determining the location within a meter's radius. In addition to this, the company would be using an Intel processor, something which is almost a rarity for an Android Wear device. The design of the luxury smartwatch is being developed by Tag Heur itself.
Tag Heuer Smartwatch Sales
The CEO revealed that the company has sold 56,000 smartwatches since it released the Tag Heuer Connected in November 2015. This overwhelming smartwatch sales was good enough to beat the initial target of 20,000 units.
The company has generated about 14 percent sales in 2016. Back in December 2014, Swiss watch exports rose by 10 percent, whereas Tag Heuer sales went down by 10 percent. Eventually the growth of the watch was on a declining pace.
What Could The New Watch Feature?
When quizzed on what the new smartwatch from the company would offer, the CEO shared "not much." This news may disappoint fans as they would have hoped that the second generation of the Tag Heuer Connected wearable would pack in more functionality and features.
The CEO justified the stance by saying that even though the AppleWatch's next iteration was new, all that it offered compared with the older version was the Apple Pay support. The next-gen Tag Heuer smartwatch will benefit from a longer battery life, an improved display and better reception. The wearable will have the modular system, which in the company's opinion, is what differentiates it from its rivals.
LG is anticipated to be the first company to deploy Android Wear 2.0 in its smartwatches. Other companies such as Swarovski and Casio are also expected to launch smartwatches using the new OS, which may release in February.
Pricing of the 2017 variant of the Tag Heuer Connected is not known, but the wearable is expected to be priced about the same mark as its predecessor i.e. $1500.
