You wait ages for a new luxury smartwatch – and then two come along at once. Last week, at a shindig at the Boston headquarters of American trainer giant New Balance, TAG Heuer dropped the fifth generation of its luxury smartwatch: the Connected Calibre E5. The limited-edition collaboration – part of a wider release of seven standard smartwatches, and a co-branded running shoe – came hot on the heels of the new Vertu Grand Watch.

Vertu, you may remember, launched as Nokia’s luxury mobile phone division around the turn of the Millenium. Its phones came gold-plated and bejewelled, with scratch-resistant sapphire crystal screens and ostrich leather backings. Despite featuring a 24/7 concierge button, connecting users to a human assistant around the clock, the phones failed to take off and the company disappeared from the UK in 2017. Well, following a celebrity-packed relaunch party at Harrods this week, Vertu is back, and has ventured into the business of smartwatches.

Of Switzerland’s high-end dial names, it was TAG Heuer that first dipped a toe into luxury smartwatch waters in 2015. Their connected entry was followed by sustained efforts by Hublot and Montblanc, and discontinued endeavours by Bulgari and Gucci. IWC launched a short-lived connected strap, but for the most part mechanical watchmakers have given wide berth to Wi-Fi and Bluetooth enabled timepieces.  

That makes sense. Given that the entire high-end watch industry relies on the concept of longevity, and that by their very nature connected watches come with an inbuilt obsolescence, the idea of a ‘luxury smartwatch’ is somewhat oxymoronic. Flip side of the coin: the smartwatch market for 2023/2024 was thought to be worth around £35-37 billion. And the global smartwatch user base is growing, fast. As of 2025, there are an estimated 454.7 million smartwatch users worldwide, up from 324 million in 2023.

Little wonder that a number of luxury brands want in on the action. Allow us to present the best premium smartwatches currently available to buy…

TAG HEUER Connected Calibre E5

The TAG Heuer Connected Calibre E5 x New Balance Edition

TAG Heuer’s latest smartwatch comes with a wider possibility of digital dials, a better battery life, two case size options – 45mm and 40mm – an improved interchangeable strap system, more coloured strap options, a cleaner interface, improved legibility, and a sleeker, smoother overall silhouette. The big news, however, is that for the Connected Calibre E5, TAG Heuer has, for the first time, ditched Google’s Wear OS in favour of is own in-house operating system. As a result, the E5 is the only luxury smartwatch that’s able to carry the ‘Made for iPhone’ certification (and the only smartwatch in general outside the Apple Watch to hold that label).

Other smartwatches can be paired with iPhones, of course, but TAG Heuer says its proprietary OS ensures seamless pairing and syncing, alleviating the sometimes glitchy experience of pairing Google’s Wear OS with an iPhone. Software-wise, TAG Heuer has concentrated improvements along wellness lines. So, we get an app that measures daily movement, calories burned, and steps taken; a sleep analysis tool; running plans for runners; more golf course data for golfers; and a generally cleaner, more ergonomic interface.

From £1,350, tagheuer.com

Vertu Grand Watch

Harrods’ The Georgian event space played host to a Vertu party in October, marking the return of the flamboyant brand to the UK market. To mark the occasion, Vertu launched Agent Q, an AI-equipped, security-encrypted smartphone which sported alligator leather accents and 18-karat gold details. Three months earlier, the company had announced an equally conspicuous smartwatch.  

Aping something from the Richard Mille stable, with its barrel-shaped case, statement bezel screws and muscular styling, the 44mm Grand Watch is capable of displaying three-dimensional effects, such as digitally replicating a spinning tourbillon cage. Bio-tracking software monitors heart rate, blood oxygen and sugar levels, as well as other vital signs. Daily workouts can be recorded, and your performance on the golf course and tennis courts monitored. The watch also has an extra-long battery life – up to seven days if left on standby, or 72 hours if in constant use.  

From £2,510, vertu.com

Hublot Big Bang e Gen 3

Hublot did more, perhaps, than any other horologist to drag the mechanical watch industry into the 21^st century. Stands to reason, then, that the marketing behemoth would lead the charge of the luxury smartwatch. And it did, releasing its first connected watch in 2018. Hublot’s most recent smartwatch, the Big Bang e Gen 3, was released in 2023 and digitalises the emblematic timepiece on which the brand has built its business. The 44mm watch is available in polished black or white ceramic, complete with signature H-shaped titanium screws, and black-plated titanium crowns. Behind sapphire crystal – rather than the regular glass or Gorilla Glass of lesser smartwatches – there are 11 digital dials to choose from. Operating through Wear OS 3 by Google, all the usual connectivity and fitness tracking functions are present and correct.  

£4,800, hublot.com

Louis Vuitton Tambour Light Up

In 2023, Louis Vuitton watch boss Jean Arnault announced a major overhaul of the company’s horologic division, discontinuing almost 80 per cent of the brand’s existing watches. The move came off the back of a decade in which Louis Vuitton had solidified its high-end watchmaking credentials by acquiring a dial-maker, movement-maker and enamelling workshop. It was part of an effort to verticalize LV’s watchmaking capabilities and elevate its timepieces to haute horology status, in line with its high-fashion clothing and accessories divisions.

What this all means for the Louis Vuitton Tambour Light Up, launched in 2022, a year before Arnault took a scythe to his watch lineup, remains to be seen. But for now, the third-generation watch remains available on the brand’s website – indeed LV has hinted that smartwatches ‘will live separately’in display and positioning from mechanical watches. The Tambour Light Up is characterised by a sleek, curved sapphire glass that flows overs it edges, belying its 44mm case size. True to Louis Vuitton’s passions, the watch comes in in-built travel apps and features, including city guides and weather reports, Swipe right for easy access to your boarding passes.

£3,345, uk.louisvuitton.com

Montblanc Summit 3

Montblanc has gone to great lengths to diversify away from its reliance on writing instruments. Alongside luggage and accessories, much of that effort has gone into watches, both mechanical and smart. The face of the Summit 3 can be configured to look like an analogue Montblanc, concealing its connected capabilities. Those capabilities include sleep tracking, stress tracking, body energy tracking, and cardio coaching. There’s also NFC for digital payments and myriad customisation options. The Summit 3 measures 42mm, comprises a titanium case and runs on OS 3 by Google. Switch between a selection of interchangeable leather and rubber straps.

£835, montblanc.com

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