Verdict: The watch reviewed by Time+Tide on April 5, 2020 was TAG Heuer’s third-generation Connected, retrospectively identified as Calibre E3. It delivered one of the most convincing luxury-watch cases then available on a Wear OS smartwatch, but it was never a leader for battery life or specialist sports analysis. In 2026, it is a historical model: worth considering only when the price, battery condition and phone compatibility are all right.
This is not the later Calibre E4 or the current Calibre E5. TAG Heuer’s own support material distinguishes the 2020 E3, 2022 E4 and 2025 E5 generations.
| # | Preview | Product | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
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TAG Heuer Connected Calibre E4, Oracle Red Bull Racing Edition, 45MM Smartwatch, Black, Wear OS by... | $1,299.00 | Buy on Amazon |
| 2 |
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TAG Heuer Connected Calibre E4 Golf Edition | $899.00 | Buy on Amazon |
What “generation 3” means
Time+Tide’s “generation 3” label was the contemporary marketing name for the 2020 Connected. TAG Heuer’s later support documentation makes the chronology clearer:
| Generation | Product designation | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Calibre E1 | Original Connected 46 |
| 2017 | Calibre E2 | Connected Modular |
| 2020 | Calibre E3 | The model reviewed here |
| 2022 | Calibre E4 | Later Wear OS generation, not the reviewed watch |
| 2025 | Calibre E5 | Current successor using TAG Heuer OS |
Confirm the reference number and installed software before buying. Marketplace listings frequently call the E3 “generation 3,” while other sellers use the term loosely for newer Connected watches.
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TAG Heuer’s pairing guide identifies the E3 and E4 separately and confirms that the E5 moved to the company’s own operating system.
Why the 2020 model looked more like a watch
The E3’s strongest argument was physical. Time+Tide described a 45 mm case approximately 13.5 mm thick, with tapered lugs influenced by the Carrera family. That is substantial on a small wrist, but the proportions and controls make it read as a large sports watch rather than a generic electronic puck.
Materials and controls
- Sapphire crystal protects the always-on display and is substantially more scratch-resistant than ordinary smartwatch glass.
- References were offered in steel, steel-and-ceramic combinations and grade 2 titanium with DLC treatment; availability varied by market and exact reference.
- Two chronograph-style pushers flank a digital crown, giving the interface a tactile, mechanical-watch-like vocabulary.
- Bracelet and rubber-strap options, together with interchangeable straps, let the same watch move between formal and athletic use.
The ceramic bezel and finishing create genuine luxury-watch appeal, but they do not make the watch thin. Its thickness, 45 mm diameter and protruding controls remain obvious on the wrist. The result is convincing if you want a TAG Heuer-shaped smartwatch; it is less convincing if you want the lightness of a mainstream fitness wearable.
Do not transfer the E3’s dimensions to every Connected model. For example, a current E4 45 mm listing specifies 15.27 mm thickness. See the exact reference at TAG Heuer’s product page.
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Display and everyday interface
The reviewed watch used a 1.39-inch always-on OLED touchscreen. Time+Tide reported 320 pixels per inch, enough for crisp text, watch hands and complications. Always-on mode preserves the basic watch-like experience, although brightness, notifications and ambient display behavior affect endurance.
Touch handles scrolling, apps and notifications; the crown supplies a more natural way to move through menus, while the pushers can provide quick access to fitness or other assigned functions. Watch-face customization is a practical advantage: you can make the display resemble a chronograph, a simple three-hander or a data-heavy training screen without changing the hardware.
What Wear OS added
The E3 combined TAG Heuer hardware and design with Google’s Wear OS ecosystem. In practical use that meant:
- Phone, email, social and calendar notifications on the wrist.
- Google Maps and GPS-based route guidance.
- Weather information and downloadable apps.
- Music and phone-connected controls.
- Google Pay or Google Wallet where the model, software, country and bank supported it.
“iPhone compatible” should not be read as Apple Watch feature parity. TAG Heuer’s payment table lists Google Wallet support for E3 with Android and iOS, while E4 is listed as Android-only. Country, bank-card eligibility and software version still apply; verify them before purchase at TAG Heuer’s payment FAQ.
Fitness: useful breadth, not specialist instrumentation
The hardware included GPS, an optical heart-rate sensor, gyroscope and accelerometer, alongside fitness applications. That covers everyday activity, route and distance recording, running, cycling, swimming and general workouts.
The limitation is depth. The original review noted that some profiles, including AFL, relied on generic activity tracking rather than sport-specific metrics. A watch can offer many activity icons without delivering the training load, recovery guidance, sensor breadth or analytical quality of a dedicated Garmin, Apple Watch Ultra or other sports-focused device.
Current TAG Heuer collection pages mention heart rate, GPS, accelerometer tracking and Strava export, but those statements should not be projected onto every E3 reference. Sensor availability and software behavior depend on generation and model.
Rank #2
- TAG HEUER SMARTWATCH - Includes waterproof TAG Heuer Smart Watch Connected Calibre E4 42 mm Golf Edition, white strap, and black/green interchangeable rubber straps with titanium grade 2 buckles, USB-C cable, main socket, charging dock, and 3 Tag Heuer Golf balls.
- WHERE LUXURY MEETS SPORTS & FITNESS - Tag Heuer fitness watch features include heart rate, wellness, fitness, steps, calling, SMS, emails, compass, microphone, barometer readings, and more. Pre-installed apps & features include TAG Heuer Sports (Running, Cycling, Fitness, Swimming, other sports), TAG Heuer Wellness, TAG Heuer Golf, NFT Viewer.
- MAXIMIZED FOR HIGH PERFORMANCE - Tag Heuer Watches men or women is crafted in ultra-light grade 2 titanium and integrating ergonomic black steel pushers, the sandblasted, black DLC-finished case is built to endure.
- A MUST HAVE FOR EVERY GOLFER - TAG Heuer Golf Watch has a stunning 2D high resolution display showing hazards and distances of more than 40,000 golf courses worldwide.It's the perfect caddie on the wrist; one has just to glance at the watch to know the distance for the next shot while seeing the club recommendation.
- TAG HEURER WATCH POWER & CONNECTIVITY - Running on an impressive Qualcomm Snapdragon Wear 4100+ chipset with a Sapphire Crystal AMOLED display 1.28". With smart watch features that connect with Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.0, NFC, NS GNSS.
Battery life: an all-day watch that needs a daily routine
Time+Tide reported approximately 20 hours of all-day use and up to six hours of sports tracking with heart-rate monitoring, music and GPS. Those are hands-on estimates, not a guarantee: brightness, notifications, Wi-Fi, GPS time, music playback, workout length and battery age can materially change the result.
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Pairing and applications
TAG Heuer’s current guidance says E3 pairing requires both the Wear OS app and the TAG Heuer Connected E3/E4 app. E4 uses the TAG Heuer app without the Wear OS app. That distinction matters when a seller claims a watch is ready to use.
On Android 15 or later, TAG Heuer warns that some older Wear OS applications may require manual APK installation. That is a security and convenience complication, not a normal plug-and-play setup.
Updates
For E4, TAG Heuer’s update instructions use Settings → System → Update; TAG Heuer applications are updated through the watch’s Play Store. Keep the watch on its charger, connect it to Wi-Fi and ensure the relevant Google and TAG Heuer accounts are signed in. Instructions are at TAG Heuer’s update guide.
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Regional and service limitations
- Wear OS availability and supported languages vary by country; TAG Heuer’s product documentation says Wear OS 3 is not available in China.
- Google Wallet depends on model, phone platform, country and participating bank.
- Check that the TAG Heuer application remains available for your phone, and confirm charger, strap and repair availability.
- Inspect a used example for battery degradation, screen burn-in, crown and pusher operation, strap wear, water-resistance history and a completed factory reset.
At least one official US E4 reference is marked discontinued despite a displayed $1,250 price. That is a warning not to treat a listed price as evidence of current stock or long-term support: see the listing.
Who should buy it—and who should not
It makes sense for
- A TAG Heuer owner who values sapphire, ceramic, finishing and recognizable watch design above maximum battery life.
- An Android user who specifically wants Wear OS and finds a verified, healthy E3 at a substantial discount.
- A wearer who wants notifications and basic fitness tracking without giving up a luxury-sports-watch aesthetic.
Choose something else if
- You use an iPhone and expect Apple Watch-level integration.
- You train for endurance events or need advanced recovery, analytics and long battery life.
- You want the best smartwatch capability per dollar.
- You cannot verify battery health, application support or payment compatibility.
Apple Watch is the stronger iPhone companion; Samsung Galaxy Watch and Google Pixel Watch provide more mainstream Android experiences; Garmin is better suited to serious sports and endurance. A mechanical TAG Heuer paired with an inexpensive fitness tracker may be the more coherent choice if authentic mechanical watchmaking matters more than wrist notifications.
E3, E4 or E5?
The E5 is not simply a faster E3. It changes the software proposition. TAG Heuer’s current generation uses proprietary TAG Heuer OS rather than Wear OS, and the payment FAQ says E5 supports neither contactless payments nor Wear OS apps. A listed US Formula 1 Edition reference costs $2,550 and is described with Snapdragon Wear 5100+, a 419 mAh battery, up to 17 hours in sport mode and up to three days in low-power mode; those figures apply to that E5 reference, not the E3.
For an existing owner, TAG Heuer advertises a Connected Watch Trade-in Program offering USD 210 credit for eligible previous-generation watches through selected boutiques or online customer-care arrangements. The published terms say online buyers must contact customer care within 30 days, and financing cannot currently be combined with the trade-in.
Final verdict
As a 2020 product, the third-generation Connected was unusually persuasive: a sapphire-and-ceramic luxury case, physical watch controls and a polished silhouette wrapped around Google’s smartwatch software. Its compromises were clear even then—roughly one-day battery life and sports tracking that was broad rather than deeply specialized.
As a 2026 purchase, buy only after confirming that the listing is really an E3, checking phone and payment support, and testing battery condition. The E5 is the current TAG Heuer choice, but it trades Wear OS and Google Wallet for TAG Heuer OS and newer hardware. That makes the old E3 attractive only as a carefully priced, carefully verified luxury smartwatch—not as a current technology bargain.
Quick Recap
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
