TAG Heuer Connected Calibre E5 – everything you need to know

After a three-year wait, TAG Heuer has announced the next iteration of its Connected smartwatch series, Calibre E5.

This is a bold move by the Swiss watch giant, which remains the only credible luxury smartwatch alternative to Garmin MARQ, and, to a lesser extent, Apple Watch. Like its key competitors in this segment, the three-year wait is par for the course, but that wait is usually only for an evolution of what came before. Not so with E5. While the physical design has progressed, an in-house effort has completely replaced the old software.

Tag aims to increase its appeal to the female market and is joined in its marketing by New Balance and Olympian Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, one of the greatest runners in history. On show with Sydney is the new 40mm case size added to support the refreshed 45mm we know and love.

The way the lens covers the face differs from others in the E5 series, as it extends over where we’d expect to see the etched bezel, going right to the edge. Still, that delivers the intended sports watch aesthetic, as does the shape and positioning of the two pressers adjacent to the digital crown.

Turning to the reverse, the next bold move is confirmed with the watch made in China. This is the same as the previous E4 edition. Still, it remains unclear how much this COO moniker reflects the assembly of the internal electronics rather than the final watch and casing.

The new optical HR sensor array is unlike anything I’ve seen. The central arrangement of what looks like 3 LEDS surrounded by 4 outer ones is odd in that the outer ones are not placed in an oval, rather than a circle, the latter being a standard arrangement to optimise light paths.

The sensor’s lens has unusual concentric circular markings over each LED; this will not be done for show, as it will, presumably, intentionally affect the light paths.

Nothing will have surprised you so far.

Now there are two big surprises. Firstly, there is the omission of a microLED display.

TAG has long been known to be working closely with AU Optronics to deliver the first wearable display using this groundbreaking tech, which beats all other AMOLED displays on every count—colours, brightness, contrast, edge readability, everything. Here comes the rub. The same technology is also linked to significant energy-saving gains, which was thought to be the reason TAG would go down this route to extend the somewhat paltry battery life of the E4.

Warning signs came earlier in the year when Apple backed out of its joint venture and more recently when the first example of the tech appeared on a Garmin Fenix 8 Pro microLED premium watch – except the battery gains were wholly absent, indeed battery life suffered.

It appears that TAG understood the emerging performance issues early in the process and pivoted to give us a more normal and highly competent AMOLED display instead.

More: How Made for iPhone works.

The second surprise is that TAG severed its relationship with Google and is not using Wear OS 5 as was widely expected. Instead, the company has taken a bold step in developing the watch software in-house. It has uniquely obtained Made for iPhone certification—a clear indication of the importance of Apple phones to TAG watch owners.

Tag Heuer Connected E5 – Key Specifications

Pricing and Availability

Selected Editions are only available directly from the brand

For now, playing it safe by skipping microLED display tech is another sensible move.

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tfk, the5krunner
Sports Technology Reviewer and International Age Group TriathleteWith 20 years of testing Garmin wearables and competing in triathlons at an international age group level, I provide expert insights into fitness tech, helping athletes and casual users make informed choices.

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