Apple Watch rattles Swiss watchmakers, but Tag Heuer isn't one of them

Even prior to its official announcement, the Apple Watch brought on a spur of mixed feelings from luxury brands. European luxury watchmakers, already rattled over Android smartwatch users customizing their devices to resemble brands like Rolex, Cartier and Montblanc, went on a lawsuit spree last year, trying to recover copyright damages from websites where users shared the controversial custom watch faces.

LVMH’s general manager Guy Sermon, as reported last december, sees the Apple Watch and the smartwatch industry as an inevitable threat to the Swiss watch, and changes must take place.

Apparently, that change is about to happen, as Tag Heuer, Intel and Google have agreed to a partnership towards the creation of Tag Heuer’s very own connected smartwatch.

The device is expected to see its official release towards the end of 2015. Tag Heuer’s CEO Jean Claude Biver has stated rather clearly, during an interview with Bloomberg, that his company is not looking to challenge Apple, although there is every indication that the new device will compete directly with the $10,000 Apple Watch Edition.

One important aspect of this new device, is that it will be the first Tag Heuer watch that will not display the iconic “Swiss Made” engraving. The traditional mark appears on all watches built entirely in Switzerland, but this new upcoming smartwatch will be run by software provided by Google, and powered by hardware created by Intel. Instead of “Swiss Made”, the watch will display a different engraving with the words “Made in Switzerland”, a subtle variation which allows more leeway, from a consumer perspective.

No mention has been made so far on pricing or what the watch will look like, although rumors point to the iconic Tag Heuer Carrera model.