Historically speaking, golf has a reputation for being a stodgy, traditional sport dominated by older men. Amid this traditionalist environment, though, there is a dedicated group of brands and tastemakers aiming to shed golf of its stuffy public image and embrace a more youthful persona. Malbon Golf is one of the leaders in this movement, bringing a vibrant, streetwear-infused style to golf equipment and attire since 2017. For its latest release, TAG Heuer has paired with Malbon Golf to bring this same fashionable energy to its golf-focused Connected Calibre E4 smartwatch. Colorful, bold, and packed with functionality tailored to 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 begins with a 45mm wide case in matte black DLC coated Grade 2 titanium. As with previous iterations, the overall shape is clean, modern, and vaguely Carrera-esque, featuring tapering inwardly-beveled lugs and trim arcing case sides. Where the Connected Calibre E4 45mm x Malbon Golf Edition sets itself apart, however, is its use of color. The ceramic fixed 18-hole golf bezel is adorned with engraved Arabic numerals in turquoise here, accented by dividing markers and a 12 o’clock TAG Heuer shield emblem in pale canary yellow. This funky pastel colorway continues through the 3 o’clock case side, as well. The engraved inner areas of the tapering, wedge-like pushers add further glossy yellow in images, while the signed gear-toothed crown displays its TAG Heuer shield emblem in turquoise. It’s a playful, spring-inflected color combination in images that may capture the spirit of Malbon Golf’s more rebellious take on the sport, but this color palette and the watch’s considerable size are likely to be divisive among the broader enthusiast public. Around back, the Connected Calibre E4 45mm x Malbon Golf Edition sports the Connected line’s usual suite of sensors, including a heart rate monitor, compass, accelerometer, gyroscope, barometer, and a built-in microphone. Water resistance is rated for 50 meters.
From a hardware perspective, the TAG Heuer Connected Calibre E4 45mm x Malbon Golf Edition sports the same OLED touchscreen dial as the rest of the current Connected stable, but TAG Heuer augments this with a pair of new dial display options. The first of these is dominated by Malbon’s golf ball mascot, flanked by the current time and a shifting proportion of vivid green and yellow that acts as a de facto running seconds hand. This fun, graphic display will be made available to all E4-generation Connected models through an update. However, the second option will remain exclusive to this model – this is a more classically styled, three-register display in deep forest green, featuring a paddle handset, Malbon branding at 12 o’clock, and subtle rectangular indices inspired by the Carrera Heuer 02. As this model is built with golfers in mind, it carries the same (admittedly very extensive) suite of golf-focused functionality as 2022’s Connected Calibre E4 – Golf Edition, as well as that model’s other available apps and complications. Beyond the golfing suite, the Connected Calibre E4 45mm x Malbon Golf Edition offers wearers an impressively holistic array of fitness tracking capabilities, including TAG Heuer’s bespoke sports and wellness apps, and the full capabilities of the Google Wear OS 3 operating system.
It’s worth noting that internally, 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 substantial amount of time in the fast-evolving world of smartwatches, but the Qualcomm Snapdragon 4100+ chipset found here remains a reasonably common solution across the industry. Battery performance continues to be a strong suit here, with the Connected Calibre E4 45mm x Malbon Golf Edition claiming a solid 24 hours of battery life on a 90-minute full charge, even while using traditionally power-hungry wellness monitoring apps.
TAG Heuer keeps the vibrant, punchy style of the Connected Calibre E4 45mm x Malbon Golf Edition alive through its two included straps. The first of these is a wild, two-tone strap in forest green and pale yellow, featuring a leather and rubber bi-material construction. When paired with its double accent stitching in white, it’s certainly 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, this watch adds a removable magnetic ball marker to its DLC-coated titanium clasp, emblazoned here with the TAG Heuer shield emblem in case-matching turquoise and yellow.
Despite golf’s traditionally staid, mature public image, brands like Malbon Golf have made significant strides towards reshaping the game’s perception in recent years. This brash, youthful energy shines through clearly in the new TAG Heuer Connected Calibre E4 45mm x Malbon Golf Edition, which should find a following among the younger, more fashionable generation of modern golfers. While it may be running on internals that are several years old at this point, the watch does come in very slightly cheaper than its predecessor at a stated MSRP of 2,300 CHF as of press time. The TAG Heuer Connected Calibre E4 45mm x Malbon Golf Edition is available now through select retailers. For more information, please visit the brand’s website.
