Historically, golf has had a reputation as a stuffy, traditional sport dominated by older men. Yet within this traditionalist environment, there is a group of dedicated brands and trendsetters looking to shake off golf’s stuffiness and embrace a more youthful persona. Malbon Golf is one of the leaders of this movement, bringing vibrant, streetwear-inspired style to golf equipment and attire since 2017. For its latest release, TAG Heuer has partnered with Malbon Golf to bring this same fashionable energy to its golf-focused Connected Calibre E4 smartwatch. Colorful, bold, and packed with features tailored for the golf course, the new TAG Heuer Connected Calibre E4 45mm x Malbon Golf Edition adds a playful new color palette to the brand’s golf-focused smartwatch, first launched in 2022.
Like the previous Golf Edition Connected, the new TAG Heuer Connected Calibre E4 45mm x Malbon Golf Edition starts with a 45mm wide case made of matte black DLC-coated grade 2 titanium. As with the previous version, the overall shape is clean, modern and vaguely Carrera-esque, featuring inwardly sloping lugs and trimmed, arched case sides. But what sets the Connected Calibre E4 45mm x Malbon Golf Edition apart is its color palette. The ceramic fixed 18-hole golf bezel features turquoise Arabic numerals, accented with division markers and a pale canary yellow TAG Heuer shield emblem at 12 o’clock. This funky pastel color is carried over to the case side at 3 o’clock. Engraved areas on the inner sides of the tapered wedge-shaped pushers add an extra layer of lustrous yellow in the images, while the crown with its signature gear teeth displays the turquoise TAG Heuer shield emblem. The playful, spring-like color combination seen in the images may capture the spirit of Malbon Golf’s more rebellious take on the sport, but the color palette and the watch’s considerable size may be polarizing among a wider range of enthusiasts. On the back, the Connected Caliber E4 45mm x Malbon Golf Edition features the Connected line’s usual suite of sensors, including a heart rate monitor, compass, accelerometer, gyroscope, barometer and built-in microphone. It’s water resistant to 50 meters.
From a hardware perspective, the TAG Heuer Connected Calibre E4 45mm x Malbon Golf Edition features the same OLED touchscreen dial as the current Connected model, but TAG Heuer has added two new dial display options to it. The first option prominently features Malbon’s golf ball mascot, flanked by the current time and a vibrant green-and-yellow shifting ratio that acts as a de facto seconds hand. This fun graphic display will be available to all E4-generation Connected models through an update. The second option, however, remains exclusive to this model. It’s a more classically styled, three-register display in a deep forest green with a paddle handset, Malbon branding at the 12 o’clock position, and a subtle rectangular index inspired by the Carrera Heuer 02. Because this model is made with golfers in mind, it features the same (admittedly very extensive) golf-focused feature suite as the 2022 Connected Calibre E4 – Golf Edition, plus that model’s other available apps and complications. Beyond the golf suite, the Connected Calibre E4 45mm x Malbon Golf Edition also provides wearers with extremely comprehensive fitness tracking capabilities, including TAG Heuer’s bespoke sports and wellness apps, as well as the full capabilities of the Google Wear OS 3 operating system.
It’s worth noting that under the hood, the TAG Heuer Connected Calibre E4 45mm x Malbon Golf Edition is identical to the brand’s last golf-focused smartwatch, released in 2022. Two years is a fair amount of time in the rapidly evolving world of smartwatches, but the Qualcomm Snapdragon 4100+ chipset used here remains a fairly common solution across the industry. Battery performance remains a strength, with the Connected Calibre E4 45mm x Malbon Golf Edition delivering 24 hours of battery life on a 90-minute full charge, even with traditionally power-hungry wellness monitoring apps.
TAG Heuer complements the vibrant, punchy style of the Connected Calibre E4 45mm x Malbon Golf Edition with two included straps. The first is a wild two-tone strap in forest green and pale yellow, featuring a bi-material construction of leather and rubber. Paired with white double accent stitching, it’s definitely an eye-catching option in images, but wearers looking for a more subdued look can opt for the included pure black rubber strap. As with previous golf-themed Connected releases, the watch adds a removable magnetic ball marker on a DLC-coated titanium clasp that features a turquoise and yellow TAG Heuer shield emblem that matches the case.
Golf has traditionally been associated with a stuffy and mature image, but brands such as Malbon Golf have been making great strides in recent years to refresh the sport’s image. This bold, youthful energy is evident in the new TAG Heuer Connected Calibre E4 45mm x Malbon Golf Edition, which should appeal to today’s younger, more fashionable generation of golfers. Though the internals are a few years older, the watch is slightly cheaper than its predecessor, with an MSRP of 2,300 CHF at the time of writing. The TAG Heuer Connected Calibre E4 45mm x Malbon Golf Edition is available now at select retailers. For more information, visit the brand’s website.
