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Registered: November 2003
INDUSTRY NEWS – Tag Heuer Link Smart Phone
Tue, 10 April 2012 09:05
The Manufacture Collection - Swiss Engineering & Craftsmanship Excellence In a Luxury Smart Phone
With an over 150-year heritage of engineering innovations and manufacturing excellence, TAG Heuer pushes boundaries in precision timekeeping. The field of communication is no exception. Since 2008, TAG Heuer successfully entered the world of luxury communication with the MERIDIIST. TAG Heuer LINK, presented in 2011, features a powerful 1 GHz processor, Google Android operating system, and software customizations yet this luxury smart phone is designed in Switzerland and hand-assembled in France; it links the most modern of media to the best of European craftsmanship tradition.
The Manufacture Collection's is part of the second generation of the TAG Heuer LINK mobile phone, and pays tribute to TAG Heuer's history of manufacturing excellence and precision:
The Classic Collection respects the understated elegance inherent in quality;
The Deep Blue Limited Edition references a legendary TAG Heuer chronograph;
The Racing Carbon Collection declares a love for speed with high-tech composite material detailing; and,
the Exclusive Collection adds luxuriant indulgence to the sleek ease that is so characteristic of Swiss design and production.
The Manufacture Collection summarizes a deep respect for objects well-made, for human skill focused and refined, and for the passions that link tradition and modernity. Savoir-faire bonds the past, present and future. Excellence takes time. Everyone knows this, but it is easy to forget in our digital age - unless, that is, there is a strong link between the past, present and future through tradition. TAG Heuer continually pushes the boundaries of this link, both extending and strengthening its foundation in the process.
And TAG Heuer does now, as Edouard Heuer did then: his first technological patent in 1887 is an example of fine engineering still used in mechanical chronographs today; his second patent in 1911 is even more enduring - he created the first dashboard chronograph for automobiles and aircrafts, which were at the height of modern speed technology at the time.
Every detail then, and now, is chosen with intention. The power of choice is limited to strict development and production perimeters, referencing the rich heritage that came before it,
but it is unlimited in the craftsman's pursuit of excellence and respect for noble materials.
The TAG Heuer LINK development team engages in a natural, in-house exchange with TAG Heuer's watchmaking department, the very central nervous system of TAG Heuer tradition and innovation. Each design practice informs the other, with a creative crossover of materials, cutting-edge technology and manufacturing. The relationship is even in surface details: the mechanical crown on the left side of the TAG Heuer LINK references the legendary Grand Carrera chronograph, while the side screws that secure the 316L stainless steel shockproof construction recall the equally iconic Aquaracer.
The Manufacture Collection
Six TAG Heuer LINK models, across four capsule collections, underscore manufacturing tradition.
The Classic Collection returns to the power of simplicity. The Sellier, the word for saddlemaker in French, highlights the masterful leatherwork in the European horsemanship tradition. The 316L stainless steel core, satin-brushed at center and mirror-polished at the sides, contrasts the battery cover which is a warm brown calfskin leather, lightly padded and stitched according to tradition.
The Classic Elegance, meanwhile, takes smooth simplicity even further, with a fully polished stainless steel frame and black calfskin leather with glossy sleek finish at back. The large 3.5” display is flanked by side bars in glassy black lacquer, also repeated in the side screen embedded with the TAG Heuer shield.
The Deep Blue Limited Edition references a legend: the MONACO Automatic Chronograph Calibre 12 was an instant classic when it appeared on the market in 1969, as the watch of Steve McQueen; it featured a square steel frame with a delicate electric blue dial on the face secured with a midnight blue alligator strap. The TAG Heuer LINK Deep Blue Limited Edition carries the tradition with polished side plates and a sandblasted line, engraved with a unique crosshatched pattern and secured by screws of a luminous blue color inspired by the one used in the TAG Heuer watches movements. The battery cover is also a rich, midnight blue alligator leather, as is the TAG Heuer logo at the front.
The TAG Heuer LINK Deep Blue is a limited series of 150 pieces to also reference a more recent ancestor in design, the technically advanced MONACO V4, which was launched in TAG Heuer’s 150th anniversary year. Each Deep Blue Limited Edition is specially numbered on the rear frame, as a reference to history and future value.
The Racing Carbon Collection is where TAG Heuer's heritage of speed comes to the fore. Both of the two models in this capsule collection feature high-tech carbon fiber used in top sporting vehicles - flanking the main touch screen and covering the rear battery cover and camera plate. Both models are also black, by the equally high-tech PVD color treatment applied to the 316L stainless steel body.
The Racing Carbon model contrasts black with polished, stainless steel detailing in the screws, for example, alongside powerful parallel lines of red stitching upon the larger black alligator cover, with a distinctive soft-touch finish recalling the finest rubber of a racing vehicle.
The Light Gold Racing model adds particular elegance to the sporty core, in a stunning contrast of black and rose gold detailing, such as rose gold bezels secured with black screws. Its black alligator backing features a mat finish. These details, altogether contrasted with the carbon, strike a design aesthetic that is unlike any on the market – rooted in a passion for speed across racing history, yet styled in a way that is uncompromisingly modern.
The Exclusive Collection is the ultimate in refinement of material: Argentinean lizard, top Wesselton brilliant cut (2.53 carats) diamonds and mother-of-pearl are the decorative details in which the craftsmanship shows their obsession for perfection. Whether in smokey tones or pure white, the Exclusive Collection is supremely crafted, from the perfectly engineered core to captivating exterior. The fully polished stainless steel body is set with 700 diamonds along the sides, 185 diamonds that frame the rear battery plate and 19 diamonds embedded in the crown. The back is covered with a glossy lizard skin, in either black or white, taking material refinery even to the rear camera plate in mother-of-pearl, with a TAG Heuer shield set with an even further 33 diamonds for a total of 1007 diamonds altogether. Traditions of craftsmanship are spoken here.
The TAG Heuer LINK luxury smart phone joins heritage to 21st century imperatives: the power of communication and the power of design. Design at TAG Heuer is never performed at whim, and the Manufacture Collection underscores this intention of process. Every object is carefully linked to a commanding heritage and to a constant drive toward the Avant-Garde.
Technical Features
Main characteristics
Size: 118mm (H) x 67mm (W) x 16.6mm (D)
Operating System: AndroidTM 2.2
Form factor: Bar type touch screen
Weight: 200 grams (battery included)
3G Talk time: 6 hours 30 minutes
Standby time: up to 330hrs (~14 days)
Battery included: Li-lon 1400mAh
Connectivity & Network
Edge & HSDPA (3G+)
4 Band GSM/Tri Band WCDMA
AGPS, Wifi, WAPI
Stereo Bluetooth®
Compatible with any SIM card
Multimedia
Memory: 8GB (up to 16 GB)
Music play time: 11 hours
Video player and recorder
Photo & Video
LCM Screen: TFT 3.5”’
Screen resolution: 800*480 pixels – 16-million colours
5 Mega Pixel Camera Auto Focus
Video player and recorder
Applications
Android Market with up to 400 000 applications such as: Adobe Flash Player, Google Search, Google Maps, GMail, You Tube … 2 exclusive applications: So Apps and TAG Heuer Mobile Security.
Retail Recommended Prices*
Manufacture Collection Sellier – from 5 700 €
Manufacture Collection Classic Elegance – from 6 500 €
Manufacture Collection Deep Blue – Limited Edition 150 pieces – from 7 200 €
Manufacture Collection Racing Carbon – from 7 900 €
Manufacture Collection Racing Light Gold – from 12 900 €
Manufacture Collection Exclusive Black or White Lizard – from 18 900 €
*All indicated prices are subject to modification, depending on country or area.
- Jorge Merino