TAG Heuer Boosts Production To Match Strong Demand For 'Connected' Android Wear Smartwatch
However, that high price tag hasn’t been enough to keep customers away. The Swiss watchmaker announced that it has received over 100,000 orders for the Connected from its various retail partners and subsidiaries. As a result, the company is increasing production from 1,200 units per week to 2,000 units per week.
Demand has been so strong that TAG Heuer parent company LVMH will suspend online sales of the Connected until mid-2016, so that it can focus on pushing the smartwatch in brick-and-mortar stores.
“Considering the success of this single and unique watch, we will develop a collection made out of different varieties, executions and materials at the end of next year or beginning of 2017,” said TAG Heuer CEO Jean-Claude Biver.
It almost seems as though Biver wasn’t expecting for the Connected, which is patterned after its Carrera timepieces, to be a hit. However, now that everything is going better than expected, we can expect to a see a flood new models hitting the market in the next few years at various price points.
Unlike “lesser” Android Wear smartwatches like the second generation Motorola Moto 360, the Connected is constructed of lightweight titanium and is the first of its kind to be powered by an Intel Atom processor (most other smartwatches are powered by ARM processors). It also features built-in Wi-Fi, Bluetooth LE and 4GB of internal storage. Despite the wallet-busting price tag, you won’t find a heart rate sensor or GPS on the Connected.
All Connected smartwatches come with a two-year warranty and the option to trade the device in at the end of the warranty period for a mechanical TAG Heuer watch (for an additional $1,500).
