2022 TAG Heuer Connected (E4) - Discussions Thread

[cassis]

BMW Works

So my friends. I hope my post will not kick me out from this wonderful community.
I waited few years and hoped Tag will come out with a better CM45 like smartwatch instead of this we only got 2 iterations of wannabe Tag watches. When 2020 version was launched I said myself.. Ok.. I hope Tag will watch how many people miss the Modular concept and the next one will be perfect. And.... 2 years later this... Bla bla Shenzhen is launched. I can say o ly this.. I ll skip it and I ll begin to search a Chronograph mechanical head for my cm45 just to connect it to eternity. Meanwhile I bought several smartwatches from Huawei.. All the top ones new and 2 older ones. Like gt2 Pro. And their subsidiar brand Honor Gs pro. In conclusion.. I can say I am impressed of the honor Gs pro rugged design.. Use it almost daily for sports and belive me or not its awesome. 25 days battery life with all Health sensor activated
. Continuously checking my spo2. Stress level and heart rate.. I simply cannot belive how they done it.
Same goes for the gt2 pro.. Just this has Saphire glass titanium body and ceramic back.. And looks a bit more elegant.
They cost nothing..
I won't buy Tag smartwatches and its not a money issue at all... I simply când buy a branding without a product that levels the name.
I parked my CM45 with 80% battery in its nice case and wear it only in special occasions to preserve it how long I can.
As for the Honor Gs pro.. Or Huawei GT2 pro You should try it and see how nice it is.. Screen. And all. I am speachless.
I really hoped to write this words for a Tag watch but I can't.

Well, I don't really see the point of your message.... Tag Heuer clearly "said" in 2020 that they were out of this "modular concept" thing... You wanna go for non-luxury smartwatches, then that's fine, there are so many great watches... I even sent back today my Garmin Epix Gen 2 even though it is a great watch..... but not a luxury designed smartwatch by all mean.... And this is much better than a US banned Huawei watch even though they look nice and work great with efficient sensors (for the latest version). This is just another product with no premium feel...

Edited: Feb 14, 2022

 

[BMW Works]

Dont get me wrong. I am not a Huawei fan at all. I have a Note 20 ultra and a 13 Pro max.
But.. Tag heuer smartwatch is not a luxury watch. The only Luxury in it is the price the branding the packaging and the commercials.
Tag produces the smartwatches for a fraction of theirs cost and belive me they are other brands as you said that build watches with better care and better materials..
The price was right at the time they were produced in Swiss. Not in Ghuanzohnog chiung.
For me the new 4th Tag is a shame. Nothing better than a 350 eur smartwatch. And excuse me.. Don't put luxury watch together with this. Its not and probably never be again.
Do you know what would be right? Right would be if non of the existing Tag Smartwatch owners will upgrade. Just to show them that they are wrong.
Biver would not permit this shit. If he would be there.
That's only Marketing.. Alot of commercial.. Some known people that would promote and that's all. As for the watch.. Another watch.. As they are many.

 

[cassis]

All views are welcome here, including yours ;-)
As far as I'm concerned, I have ordered the Tag Heuer E4.

 

[BMW Works]

cassis

All views are welcome here, including yours ;-)
As far as I'm concerned, I have ordered the Tag Heuer E4.

Congrats. Hope you ll be happy with it.

 

[BMW Works]

And BTW.. I am not new here.

 

[Albert-AMG]

cassis

Well, I don't really see the point of your message.... Tag Heuer clearly "said" in 2020 that they were out of this "modular concept" thing... You wanna go for non-luxury smartwatches, then that's fine, there are so many great watches... I even sent back today my Garmin Epix Gen 2 even though it is a great watch..... but not a luxury designed smartwatch by all mean.... And this is much better than a "US banned Huawei watch".

Hasta la vista hombre...

PS : if you really want to understand what I mean, just plug in your your BT headset and listen to "Freeport / Ludwig Göransson".

I do see -and I agree- the point of @BMW Works message, and his disappointment with these Gen3 and Gen4: with the change of management in TH, the Connected lost in its Gen3 everything that made Gen2 a unique smartwatch, different from all the others, and that justified its price: to be Swiss Made, to be Modular (and therefore #connectedtoeternity and obsolescence proof, with available mechanical modules at very special price), and to have a personal, unmistakable design. I might add that it has a much greater customization capacity and variety of official straps and accessories than Gen3 (Gen4 to be seen), than any other TAG Heuer, and possibly than any other watch on the market.

Gen3, and now Gen4 -which is nothing more than a facelift of Gen3- look like just another Chinese smartwatch, even by design they can be confused with a Huawei Watch GT (released quite some time before Gen3…), and as a smartwatch they don't now offer anything special or better than some much cheaper smartwatches (or than the Apple watch), not even Gen4 has received LTE… so, I understand that BMW Works thinks something like “To wear a Chinese smartwatch like any other, I’m not going to pay 11 times more for a Gen4 than for my Huawei GT2 pro, because it is not justified and it’s a joke”.

Gen3 and Gen4 lack those differentiating elements that justified the price and purchase of Gen2 for a part of TAG Heuer customers.
Yes, that 'Modular concept thing', as you call it in a derogatory way, was one of the main reasons why I bought my Gen2 Modular 45 in May 2018 (and everything from the Modular collection that came after! ), and why I didn't want to buy Gen3 or Gen4. So that Modular concept that JC Biver (former TH CEO) presented so enthusiastically when Gen2 was launched in 2017, it’s not trivial… For sure it was very expensive to produce, and probably the new TH management wanted with Gen3 and Gen4 a higher profit margin for each Connected sold (and therefore also went on to manufacture them in China), but it does not mean that the Modular concept was bad for its customers, quite the opposite!

Oh, and no 'Hasta la vista hombre….' at all!
BMW Works is always welcome in this forum , he is still very happy with his Gen2 Modular 45, and will continue to be able to enjoy it with a mechanical module for many years and when Gen3 and Gen4 will only be expensive paperweights

Having said that, I wish you good luck with your new Gen4, @cassis

 

[BMW Works]

@Albert-AMG completed my words perfectly and with more diplomacy.
For all the new Gen4 buyers... Enjoy it. I did not say that the new one looks bad.. But you ll never be asked "wow.. What watch is that you are wearing..?.. Looks awesome.." I heard that so many times with my cm45. Even after 4 years. I am not a hater at all just it looks so average and as Albert said.. It will be so easy taken as a Huawei GT.. As for the lack of modularity.. . They tried it with gen3.. People buyed it as it is and.. That was good business.
As I writed in my firs post... You are paying the brand and the marketing behind it.. I saw the event video.. and it was really funny when the new CEO ( Frodo.. Or what he is named) bringed out the word "Craftmentship".

Peace out.

 

[cassis]

BMW Works

@Albert-AMG

But you ll never be asked "wow.. What watch is that you are wearing..?.. Looks awesome.."

Peace out.

Can't really tell as the only comment I received was from my wife when I initially received my Gen 3 in December : " What is this ? How much did you spend again on an electronic product, you stupid !!"

Now, these 45mm Gen 3 / Gen 4 still look nicer and feel more premium than any other smartwatches on the market in my opinion...
For the 42mm, I agree with you and I actually posted earlier a pic of the Huawei GT3 to compare it with the 42mm... Now of course, the casing looks and feel much more premium....

But let's see

Edited: Feb 14, 2022

 

[Albert-AMG]

By the way, although it is very difficult to differentiate Gen4 45mm from Gen3 at first glance (apart from the crown and the pushers), we can see in the detail photos on the TH website that Gen4 case, bezel, and caseback are totally new… although it looks the same as Gen3 when you look at it from the front

Gen3:



Gen4 45:



Gen3:


Gen4 45:


Gen3:


Gen4 45:

 

[neowatch]

You could buy the E1 and E2 base models for a 1000 pounds the new E4 is now nearly double that. Why the high prices ? Straps are not as good as E2 , materials used not as good as E2 , only the electronics are better and these cost pennies in the total cost of the watch

 

[Jim Dollares]

neowatch

the new E4 is now nearly double that. Why the high prices ?

You have to remember that with a luxury product, 95% of the price you pay is for the name and brand. You pay for the prestige of owning a TAG Heuer luxury product.

 

[neowatch]

Jim Dollares

You have to remember that with a luxury product, 95% of the price you pay is for the name and brand. You pay for the prestige of owning a TAG Heuer luxury product.

Yes but the E1 and E2 were both Tag Heuer luxury products.

 

[Jim Dollares]

neowatch

Yes but the E1 and E2 were both Tag Heuer luxury products.

Not in the same way. Those were a bit more about craftmanship, proudly Swiss made and quality. More aimed at the enthusiasts who would later trade in for their mechanical module.

The new ones are just like taking a 2 dollar t-shirt and slapping a big tacky logo on the chest and sell it for 180 bucks to people desperate to showcase that they could afford to pay 180 bucks for that t-shirt. This type of buyer cares not about quality, only about prestige. And the more expensive the product is, the cooler it becomes. So to me it is super clear that TAG shifted direction completely with gen 3 and forward.

 

[Albert-AMG]

neowatch

You could buy the E1 and E2 base models for a 1000 pounds the new E4 is now nearly double that. Why the high prices ? Straps are not as good as E2 , materials used not as good as E2 , only the electronics are better and these cost pennies in the total cost of the watch

I don't have the Gen1 price list, but I do have the Gen2 price list in EURO (until 2020), so the price comparison between Gen4 and Gen2 is more representative with only 2 years difference.

I agree that this significant price increase in Gen4 (and in Gen3 at its launch) is not at all justified, taking into account that they have gone from 'Swiss Made' to 'Made in China', and that they have lost Modularity, two factors that undoubtedly made more expensive the Gen2 Modular 45 production.

Such a price increase is even more difficult to justify in the case of the basic model: Chinese steel Gen4 costing €300 more than Swiss (and Modular) titanium Gen2… it is true that a large part of the retail price of a brand watch is because of the name and the brand, but with Gen4 that percentage is much higher!

Basic versions:
-Gen2 Modular 45 (Swiss Made) titanium with rubber strap: €1650

-Gen4 45 (Made in China) steel with rubber strap: €1950

Basic black titanium versions:
-Gen2 Modular 45 (Swiss Made) black titanium with calfskin strap: €2150 (that means that if it had been sold with a rubber strap, the price would have been €2050)

-Gen4 45 (Made in China) black titanium with rubber strap: €2400

 

[neowatch]

Albert-AMG

I don't have the Gen1 price list, but I do have the Gen2 price list in EURO (until 2020), so the price comparison between Gen4 and Gen2 is more representative with only 2 years difference.

I agree that this significant price increase in Gen4 (and in Gen3 at its launch) is not at all justified, taking into account that they have gone from 'Swiss Made' to 'Made in China', and that they have lost Modularity, two factors that undoubtedly made more expensive the Gen2 Modular 45 production.

Such a price increase is even more difficult to justify in the case of the basic model: Chinese steel Gen4 costing €300 more than Swiss (and Modular) titanium Gen2… it is true that a large part of the retail price of a brand watch is because of the name and the brand, but with Gen4 that percentage is much higher!

Basic versions:
-Gen2 Modular 45 (Swiss Made) titanium with rubber strap: €1650

-Gen4 45 (Made in China) steel with rubber strap: €1950

Basic black titanium versions:
-Gen2 Modular 45 (Swiss Made) black titanium with calfskin strap: €2150 (that means that if it had been sold with a rubber strap, the price would have been €2050)

-Gen4 45 (Made in China) black titanium with rubber strap: €2400

the gen 1 was 1100 pounds or 1300 euros I believe, still working well today after 6 years

 

[cassis]

Guys, don't forget that the price increase can be justified by :

- The charging stand that is more expensive than the previous charging cable (OK, that's only a few $)
- The overall increase in production cost vs. 2019 when TH fixed the Gen 3 pricelist. There's been actually a huge increase in Logistics to/from China (maybe sending some components (e.g stainless steel case...) to China, reimporting the watch from China...), Energy prices have soared, etc. We have here easily a 10% increase in production costs.

I even think that TH margins are currently lower than on the Gen 3 at launch but they needed to stay below the 2000€ price level for the base model.

Edited: Feb 15, 2022

 

[cassis]

Albert-AMG

By the way, although it is very difficult to differentiate Gen4 45mm from Gen3 at first glance (apart from the crown and the pushers), we can see in the detail photos on the TH website that Gen4 case, bezel, and caseback are totally new… although it looks the same as Gen3 when you look at it from the front

Gen3:


Gen4 45:


.

Thanks Albert for the comparison.

The heart rate sensor is different too. I wish TH could give more details on the components specs and how they are more reliable..

 

[Albert-AMG]

cassis

I even think that TH margin are currently lower than on the Gen 3 at launch but they needed to stay below the 2000€ price level for the base model.

What is unjustified is not Gen4 45 price vs Gen3 but Gen4 45 price vs Gen2 Modular 45

 

[Albert-AMG]

neowatch

the gen 1 was 1100 pounds or 1300 euros I believe, still working well today after 6 years

OK, in that case, price increase from basic Gen1 (€1300) to basic Gen2 Modular 45 (€1650) was justified because Gen2 added:

- Swiss Made (at the TH headquarters)
- GPS
- NFC
- Waterproof 50 meters
- Modular system
- full titanium case (Gen1 has plastic caseback)
- AMOLED screen

Edited: Feb 16, 2022

 

[neowatch]

Question is, anyone interested in buying now the E3 at a big discount. For example the golf edition down from 2400 euros to 1700 euros …. Also the base model I think is now 1200 euros