Why TAG Heuer is breaking new boundaries with a powerful Connected collaboration with New Balance
Tom AustinIn recent times, it’s become clear that TAG Heuer has elevated itself beyond just another entry-level luxury watch brand. It’s always been a familiar name when it comes to quality Swiss wristwatches, and has often been considered the gateway drug for many into the watch-collecting culture, but now the brand stands for much more. The re-ignition of the brand’s connection with Formula 1 this year was widely celebrated, and recent collaborations with high-profile lifestyle brands such as Kith prove that TAG Heuer is connected to the zeitgeist more than ever before.
A few weeks ago, at a special event in Boston (attended by our very own Andrew McUtchen), TAG Heuer took this one step further, announcing another brand collaboration that runs way deeper than a slick colourway or a logo exchange. The announcement came as they joined forces with New Balance, a sportswear brand that has focused on functionality and craftsmanship for over a century, and has become a stalwart not only in the technical, performance-based footwear sector, but also in the fashion industry. As a result, the partnership between these two brands is incredibly synergistic, grounded in a shared culture that embodies generational style and purposefulness.
Both brands manage to navigate an unusually broad cultural spectrum. Whether it’s high-fashion streetwear culture, your Dad grilling at the barbecue, or on the wrists of the world’s fastest racing drivers, or some of the greatest athletes of our time, both TAG Heuer and New Balance understand intrinsically what it takes to achieve that level of credibility and enduring appeal. Both brands’ products can appeal to everyone, not just from a style perspective, but functionality too, and this collaboration takes that connection to the next level.
What the collab entails
The release consists of a special edition TAG Heuer Calibre E5 40mm Connected watch, alongside a bespoke, TAG Heuer-branded pair of New Balance FuelCell SC Elite v5 running shoes – naturally, this is where the connection makes the most sense. Inside the 40mm grade 2 titanium case, the Calibre E5 comes fully equipped with custom-built fitness apps and New Balance colour schemes to help the wearer get the most from the shoes.
This includes six exclusive New Balance running plans, tailored to a wide range of goals, including challenges such as First 5k, 5k to Half Marathon, and more. This isn’t just a try-once-and-forget experience, either. First of all, the Calibre E5 now fully integrates with iOS, giving access to a much wider audience, and thanks to the TAG Heuer Connected app, users are given a week-by-week roadmap to help them track their achievements and reach their longer-term goals. The details within the latest Calibre 5 are testament to TAG Heuer’s commitment to the Swiss smart watch category, making the user experience better than ever.
As mentioned before, functionality is essential for both TAG Heuer and New Balance, and both pieces of equipment embody that concept. The Calibre E5 features an AMOLED tactile display with improved outdoor readability and displays all the information any level of athlete would need, including colour-coded warm-up timers and pace feedback, all calculated from a myriad of complex sensors, such as a heart rate monitor, gyroscope, accelerometer, and much more. Of course, the watch features a special New Balance strap, consisting of TAG Heuer’s proprietary rubber system, combined with a textile layer, which directly matches the New Balance shoes.
The FuelCell SC Elite V5 shoe is no ordinary running shoe either; it’s New Balance’s top-of-the-line, elite-level race shoe, designed for giving optimal performance over marathon-length distances. It’s a carbon-plated shoe that offers some of the best support out there for athletes, thanks to New Balance’s proprietary FuelCell midsole technology, and a supremely comfortable engineered mesh upper, which features neat, subtly placed TAG Heuer logos in the teal and violet material. Pair these with some TAG Heuer sunglasses, and you can be fully kitted out…
Not just for athletes
While all this high-level, athlete-centric technology is fantastic, both TAG Heuer and New Balance are aware that their customer bases aren’t necessarily made up of just world-class athletes. But that’s the beauty of this collaboration: yes, the brands can flaunt their technical prowess together, but the technology is available to everybody, and no matter your level of ability, you’ll still find it useful. Both brands are about appealing to everybody, and for TAG Heuer specifically, collaborations like this further support that by intersecting with high-profile brands and platforms, repositioning itself into the forefront of different subcultures, much like it has recently with Formula 1.
Brand values are also crucial for collaborations like this, and all too often, we see brands connect where there seems to be a missing link. However, this partnership between New Balance and TAG Heuer manages to bridge that gap perfectly. New Balance has been run as an independent company since 1906, focusing on sheer engineering quality and comfort to help maintain that market share of both functional and sartorial categories. This is something that can equally be said about TAG Heuer on almost every level, again, founded well over a century ago in its original form, maintaining a level of continual focus on technical development, as well as ensuring they don’t just follow style trends in the watch world; they set them.
The TAG Heuer Connected Calibre E5 x New Balance Edition is indeed targeted to those who train with intent and purpose. But the fact that it’s made in conjunction with New Balance shifts that perception of smart watches, just enough, nudging it in the direction of those who aren’t purely focused on athletic performance, but are also influenced by the world of fashion and streetwear. It adds a subtle dimensionality, moving beyond just wearing a smartwatch to wearing one that truly complements your style and brand choices.
TAG Heuer Connected Calibre E5 x New Balance Edition pricing & availability
The TAG Heuer Connected Calibre E5 x New Balance Edition is available directly from TAG Heuer boutiques. The TAG Heuer x New Balance FuelCell SC Elite v5 running shoes are sold separately, via New Balance boutiques. Price: A$3,050
| Brand | TAG Heuer x New Balance |
| Model | Connected Calibre E5 x New Balance Edition |
| Reference | SBT8082.EB0394 |
| Case Dimensions | 40mm (D) x 14.8mm (T) |
| Case Material | Grade 2 sandbasted titanium, black DLC |
| Water Resistance | 50 meters |
| Crystal(s) | Sapphire front |
| Dial | AMOLED tactile digital display, customisable dial options + New Balance displays |
| Strap | Bi-material rubber strap with integrated New Balance mesh material, additional stretch textile strap |
| Operating System | TAG Heuer OS, Qualcomm Snapdragon 5100+ chipset |
| Power Reserve | Up to 2 days |
| Functions | Heart rate monitoring, calories, steps counter, compass, accelerometer, gyroscope, barometer, blood oxygen saturation, breathing rate, sleep tracking, heart rate variability, GNSS dual band, call function, New Balance specific running programs |
| Availability | Available now |
| Price | A$3,050 Associated running shoes retail for A$440 |