When the TAG Heuer Connected launched one month ago, there were some folks that wondered if there’s a market for a $1,500 luxury Android Wear smartwatch. Apparently there is, because TAG Heuer says that it needs to increase production of the Connected to meet demand.
Jean-Claude Biver, CEO of TAG Heuer, recently revealed that production of the TAG Heuer Connected will be increased from 1,200 per week to 2,000 every week. River says that retailers and other sellers have requested around 100,000 units, and so to help meet that demand, TAG Heuer is boosting production and suspending online sales until around May or June so that the retail stores can get enough stock.
River also revealed that due to the Connected watch’s early success, TAG Heuer plans to create an entire collection made of different materials and executions. Some possibilities for new models include gold and diamond set models. These new Connected watches will be made at the end of 2016 or start of 2017.
Again, these 100,000 TAG Heuer Connected watches are being requested by retailers, so it remains to be seen how many units will actually be sold to consumers. TAG Heuer has to be encouraged by the positive response that the Connected is getting from retailers so far, though, especially since this is its first entry into the still-young luxury smartwatch market. While the Connected’s $1,500 price tag will limit its appeal among consumers that aren’t really watch people, it could pique the interest of folks that are big into analog watches. That’s especially true when you remember TAG Heuer’s offer that’ll let Connected owners trade their smartwatch in after 2 years and pay another $1,500 to get an analog TAG Heuer Carrera watch.
How do you think the TAG Heuer Connected compares to other smartwatches on the market?