TAG Heuer’s Latest Watch Can Improve Your Game Over Time

Swiss brand’s Connected Watch Calibre E4 Golf Edition is designed to track various swing and shot analytics, along with doubling as a course navigation system.

SOHO, New York — It's almost like having a caddie on the wrist.

Those were Tommy Fleetword's words as his eyes darted toward TAG Heuer's latest smartwatch — Connected Watch Calibre E4 Golf Edition, to be exact — snug on his wrist.

Fleetwood, who splits time between the PGA and DP World tours, was in town Monday, fresh off the U.S. Open to partake in a campaign aimed at building awareness for the Swiss luxury watch brand.

"Distance control is everything to a golfer and with analytics what they are in today's game, this watch is extremely easy to process," he says during a sit-down interview, not losing sight that he's one of the few golfers who wear a watch while playing.

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However, this is more than just any TAG Heuer watch. Released in April, the latest Swiss watchmaker's golf iteration includes a new automated shot-tracker, redesigned golf software, buckle and a magnetic ball marker built into the strap.

The watch comes in two models: 45 mm and 42 mm. With the 42 mm line, the slightly smaller 1.28-inch interface underwent refinements to enhance 2D maps that help golfers track distances and hazards on more than 40,000 global courses. Rather impressively, distances, club information, scores and hole numbers come across clearly even on the sunniest of days.

TAG Heuer's Connected Watch Calibre E4 Golf Edition / TAG Heuer

Ben Clymer, executive chairman and founder of luxury watch website Hodinkee, emceed a brief question-and-answer session with Fleetwood. Afterward, he was unflinching in his praise for interactive watches.

"I've long said it's been an important direction in the watch industry," Clymer says. "Smartwatches in many ways have been like a gateway drug for those entering the watch market or becoming watch aficionados. This can help growth."

TAG Heuer has enjoyed its place in golf, buoyed by a nine-year endorsement relationship with Tiger Woods that ended in 2011. The brand had mega exposure at a time when Woods parlayed dominance into becoming a pop culture fixture. Fashionable watches may be ephemeral, but Woods wasn't, and it helped sow TAG Heuer success.

"We embraced what Tiger did and his history with the company," says Hartford Hage, TAG's connected watch manager, North America.

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Since all things eventually come to an end, the split energized TAG Heuer to ride its momentum into other avenues, such as an interactive watch component. Golf seemed like a no-brainer, as well as other fitness verticals.

“Our customers play golf more than any other sport, and golf has become an important pillar of the Connected watch: the new Calibre E4 is built to be a watch that wearers don’t take off when they leave the golf course,” says Frederic Arnault, CEO of TAG Heuer.

In 2018, the first Connected golf watch launched and since then the modus operandi has been to retool with upgrades and new features, all while maintaining a sophisticated and fashionable look. But it was also motivated, said Hage, by introducing an elegant sporty feel. In fact, users can choose from varied strap colors.

Hage demonstrated the Connected golf line's ease of use while scrolling around the crown. On the screen, a vivid course map popped up using TAG Heuer's built-in golf app. The maps moved up and down, which allowed each hole layout to be viewed. Going a step further, all hole information — par, distance, and even distance on the front and back of greens — was consumable.

The 45 mm model, constructed with a ceramic bezel that includes hour markings, provided all 18 holes and an immediate scorecard. What's more, color-coded segments on each hole worked in concert with a player being above or below a hole. Additionally, helpful colors were assigned to pars, birdies and bogeys.

In the case of Fleetwood, of course, USGA and the R&A rules prevent him from tapping into functionality during tournaments. He gleans data from the range or practice rounds.

"For me, it's has become a part of the normality of putting my clothes on," Fleetwood says. "On the tours, we have analytics for everything, but what I like about this is its at my fingertips. So, if I'm working on something, I can simply hit a button and see results pretty much instantly."

For full-fledged connectivity, the smartwatch can connect to an iOS or Android app, so players could technically simultaneously review performance and retrieve data using both.

How does the shot tracker work? On the tee, the Calibre E4 watch automatically detects a swing using its accelerometer and gyroscope and begins tracking the shot. It concludes the first shot when the watch identifies the swing for the next stroke.

With this iteration, the automatic shot detection ensures golfers have more performance information on each of their clubs. The app automatically records accuracy and distance for each tracked shot. Another improvement lies in the battery. It can last a round that takes between five and six hours, something that it was hard pressed to do in previous editions.

"We listened to feedback and worked with our developers to create more functionality and information while on the course," says Hage, adding the company has about 50 developers in Paris constantly reviewing engineering processes.

In terms of drawbacks, which falls more on the consumer, Hage advised to keep the smartwatch updated to get the most out of it. The Calibre E4 golf line prices between $1,800 and $2,650 and can be found in 11 TAG Heuer boutiques or through wholesalers.

However, the long-term goal can be found in complete effortlessness. Twenty, or even 15, years ago such technology in a watch didn't exist.

Like anything else, advancements roll along like a car driving toward an unreachable sunset on the horizon.

"One day we're hoping for a virtual experience, where it will run in the background, collect all the data, without the user needing to a do thing," Hage says. "Wouldn't that be something?"

Indeed, it would.