Without trying to compete with the tech giants, the Maison has chosen another path: turning the connected watch into a true watchmaking object, with its own distinctive style and innovative materials, while integrating the latest technologies to support both athletic performance and everyday life. With the Connected Calibre E5 and its 40 mm x New Balance edition, TAG Heuer pursues a clear ambition: to create a digital watch that even collectors would be willing to embrace. Could this be the connected watch that finally wins everyone over? We seek the answer alongside Jérôme Mathieu, TAG Heuer’s Connected Director.
TAG Heuer DNA and a digital heart
Since 2015, the Connected has evolved not as a tech product destined for obsolescence, but as a true watchmaking line, with its own codes, materials, and visual language. Ten years later, this fifth generation the Connected Calibre E5 succeeds in embodying that vision: a connected watch that fully embraces both its digital roots and its genuine watchmaking DNA.
The design of a watch, not a gadget
The difference is noticeable even before the screen is turned on. The Connected Calibre E5 retains the lines that have established its legitimacy over a decade, while introducing significant improvements.
First, the case size. It aims to suit the widest range of wearers. The 45 mm remains in the collection, available in steel with a ceramic bezel or in sandblasted black DLC-coated titanium. Today, it is joined by a full range of 40 mm models in steel with a domed sapphire crystal. A rose gold PVD version paired with a beige rubber strap is sure to appeal to female enthusiasts.
As for the lugs, they are faceted to create sharper, more dynamic lines. On the side, the pushers have been redesigned for easier handling and wearing comfort. A major addition now almost indispensable in watchmaking is the one-click interchangeable strap.
There is no doubt: this new Connected Calibre E5 feels more solid in the hand. Nothing here tries to mimic the digital world it is unmistakably a product of sports watchmaking. TAG Heuer has refined this coherence over successive generations. The design is now cleaner, the weight better balanced, and readability enhanced. This is not a watch that merely incorporates a new screen; it is a watch that has learned to be comfortable, intuitive, and above all, enduring in its design.
A wide selection of dials inspired by the iconic Carrera, Aquaracer, and Formula 1 collections, paired with a broad range of rubber, leather, metal, and nylon straps, makes the Calibre E5 a watch that can be personalized endlessly.
A sharper mind, a more intuitive interface
What stands out in this fifth generation is not technical excess TAG Heuer does not chase cosmetic innovation but the quality of execution. The screen offers greater contrast and brightness, while the interface is smoother and more practical. The new digital dials are not designed to mimic mechanical complications; they prioritize immediate, easy-to-read information and a more intuitive user experience.
The Connected Calibre E5 truly has a digital heart. At its core, the TAG Heuer OS was developed entirely in-house, a calibre compatible with both Apple and Android devices.
An integrated speaker and microphone allow for call reception and access to a voice assistant. Biometric accuracy in tracking human data has improved thanks to AI, which better analyzes daily and weekly activity (calories burned, steps taken, recovery, sleep, heart rate, etc.). The Connected E5 thus becomes a true tool for overall well-being physical, emotional, and mental. Sports tracking benefits from more precise sensors and clearer displays.
Sport occupies a special place in this watch, with running and golf at the forefront. More than just a functional tool, the watch supports users with training programs and a GPS that works even in hard-to-reach areas. For golf, over 40,000 courses worldwide can be downloaded, and the watch bezel has been specially engraved from 1 to 18 in reference to the number of holes.
A broader audience than one might expect
Users of the Connected are no longer limited to athletes. Today, the watch appeals to other profiles: watch enthusiasts who don’t want a typical smartwatch, but who embrace a connected watch as long as it truly looks like a watch.
This dual identity gives the Connected a hybrid status: it is no longer an alternative to mechanical watches, but a natural extension of the TAG Heuer universe.
Another new offering, presented alongside the Connected Calibre E5, is sure to appeal to running enthusiasts who refuse to compromise on style during their workouts. It is a 40 mm Connected Calibre E5 developed with New Balance, paired with the FuelCell SuperComp Elite v5, one of the American brand’s flagship running shoes.
The watch adopts the shoe’s color scheme (purple with a green NB logo) and features a compact case, a breathable strap, and digital dials inspired by running biomechanics. Together, the duo offers a complete athletic readout: movement, effort, speed, cadence, and feedback.
A decade of maturation
From the 2015 Connected to this fifth generation, the trajectory is clear: no revolution, but constant evolution. The watches change, yet the intention remains the same: to offer a credible alternative to the smartwatch, grounded in watchmaking language. The Connected has not become a mechanical watch, nor will it ever. Yet over ten years, TAG Heuer has achieved another feat: establishing a connected watch with its own identity, aesthetic longevity, and Maison spirit.
Collectors may continue to uphold the mechanical timepiece as the noblest expression of time. But with this fifth generation, TAG Heuer shows that a connected watch can also cultivate style, language, and precision. Watchmaking and technology no longer oppose each other; they move forward side by side, in rhythm with movement.
