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No One Expected This Watch to Make the PGA Tour Championship Podium

Fleetwood’s timepiece wasn’t a post-round luxury prop. It was a tool, a companion, and arguably one of the most deserving pro golf podium accessories ever.

Close-up of the top half of a black smartwatch with a round face, featuring a textured crown in the center and two buttons on either side. The watch face displays a colorful, abstract design with numbers 2, 3, 4, 5, 8, 9, and L around the edge, along with colored segments in yellow, red, green, blue, and white. The background is a solid teal color.TAG Heuer
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By Ben Bowers

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At East Lake Golf Club, Tommy Fleetwood finally sealed the deal. After years of near misses, runner-up heartbreak, and at least one significant personal life distraction, the 34-year-old Englishman claimed not just his first PGA Tour title but also the season-long FedEx Cup, outlasting Patrick Cantlay and world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler in a tense final round at the 2025 PGA TOUR Championship.

The victory netted him the largest payday of his career—$10 million—and immediately sent ripples through the golf world as legends like Tiger Woods and LeBron James weighed in on social media.

Tommy Fleetwood’s social media account showcased him wearing a unique timepiece he’s worn often before while hoisting up the massive FedEx Cup.

But while the spotlight shone brightest on Fleetwood’s breakthrough moment, a smaller detail caught the eye of golf-watchers and watch-nerds like us.

Though Fleetwood sported a watch he’s worn often throughout his professional career, it stood in striking contrast to the Rolexes, Omegas, and other luxury pieces that frequently dominate PGA Tour victory photos.

Its appearance on the winner’s podium may very well mark a cultural milestone—perhaps even a first—for a booming yet controversial watch category still fighting for legitimacy within traditional watchmaking circles.

Black smartwatch with a round face and white strap worn on the left wrist of a person dressed in a green textured sweater and dark pants. The watch display shows multiple dials and digital elements.
The Connected Calibre E4 Golf Edition is a specialized version of TAG’s luxury smartwatch line that goes far beyond simply counting steps. It also includes dedicated tools like 3D mapping for over 40,000 courses, shot tracking, digital scorecards, and swing analysis.
TAG Heuer

Apple may dominate the smartwatch space, but its flirtation with high-end luxury ended years ago. Aside from Hermès-branded straps, Cupertino largely abandoned its attempt to plant the Apple Watch firmly in the luxury segment. That left an opening for a traditional watchmaker to step in and reimagine what a true luxury smartwatch could be.

Enter TAG Heuer, the Swiss brand better known for the Monaco and Carrera chronographs, among other models. When it first set out to build a luxury smartwatch nearly a decade ago, the company approached the challenge in a uniquely Swiss way—through modularity.

Early versions of the Connected allowed buyers to literally swap between a digital smartwatch module and a traditional mechanical watch, the most elite option of which included a $17,000 tourbillon, blurring the line between horology and high tech.

A TAG Heuer smartwatch with a white strap displayed in an open black and white box. The watch face shows a colorful golf course map and various golf-related metrics. Next to the watch, there is a compartment holding three white golf balls with the TAG Heuer logo. The interior of the box has green accents around the watch.
Paying $1,500 for a smart watch also gets you some TAG-branded golf balls too, as well as a ball marker.
TAG Heuer

Over time, though, TAG learned what its clientele truly appreciated from the piece. Four generations later, the Connected has shed its modular experiment roots and matured into a more focused, purpose-built smartwatch that fully embraces its digital identity while still carrying the premium material and design hallmarks of a more traditional Swiss watch.

Close-up side view of a black wristwatch with a black dial featuring white and green numerals and markings, a white watch strap, and a visible crown on the right side. The watch face shows the day and date.
The watch’s case is made from premium ultra-light Grade 2 titanium that’s been given a matt, sandblasted DLC finish.
TAG Heuer

The Connected Calibre E4 Golf Edition—Fleetwood’s wristwear of choice— has represented the clearest expression yet of TAG’s luxury smartwatch vision for several years now.

Available in a lightweight 42mm or 45mm titanium case, it’s built with golfers squarely in mind. Beyond standard fitness tracking, it layers in dedicated tools like 3D mapping for over 40,000 courses, shot tracking, digital scorecards, and swing analysis. Paired with TAG’s companion app, it aspired to be more of a personal caddie on the wrist than a traditional timekeeper.

Back of a TAG Heuer Connected smartwatch with a black case, white strap, and multiple sensors in the center. Text around the sensors reads "50 METERS," "TAG HEUER CONNECTED," and "SAPPHIRE CRYSTAL." The model number "SBR80" and "MADE IN CHINA" are also visible.
Google’s Wear OS software powers the smartwatch, and hardware-wise, the piece includes most of the sensors, connectivity, and capabilities you’d expect from a smartwatch, though the hardware hasn’t been updated in over a few years.
TAG Heuer

At the same time, it retains the luxury flourishes (and price premium) you’d expect from a Swiss watchmaker. Its ceramic bezel, sapphire crystal, and crisp OLED display elevate it above the fray of most plastic-clad wearables.

That said, the E4 hasn’t had a hardware refresh in years—a small eternity in tech terms—but its build quality and golf-first software still set it apart from the crowd.

A Massive Break from Tradition

Black TAG Heuer Connected Golf Edition smartwatch with a blue dial featuring two subdials in light green and orange, gold-tone hour markers and hands, a date window at 6 o'clock, and a black perforated rubber strap. The bezel is marked with numbers and the text "GOLF EDITION.
Though the watch’s golf-specific bezel is always visible, owners can change the OLED screen to display watch faces from other popular and iconic TAG Heuer models, like the Carrera Skipper shown here.
TAG Heuer

Fleetwood’s relationship with TAG Heuer is nothing new. As a longtime brand ambassador, he’s been spotted wearing the Connected Golf Edition at tournaments across the globe, and even in past victories with his titanium Connected Golf Edition.

But Sunday’s Tour Championship win may mark a potential major significant cultural milestone in wearable technology.

Though we can’t say it with absolute certainty, Fleetwood’s smartwatch could be the first of its kind to appear on the winner’s podium at a PGA Tour event, a sport that’s long been a bastion of mechanical watches.

At a minimum, it’s easily the most significant showcase yet for TAG’s Connected line in its decade-long run.

Close-up of the back of a TAG Heuer watch with a white textured strap featuring green stitching. The watch case is black with visible sensors and the TAG Heuer logo prominently displayed on a black clasp or cover. The watch is marked as water-resistant up to 50 meters.
The sporty white rubber strap with a golf pattern includes a ball marker integrated into the buckle. The watch also comes with an additional black rubber strap that can be easily changed without tools.
TAG Heuer

On most PGA podiums, the watches you see gleaming in victory photos haven’t actually been worn during play—they’re slipped on after the final putt, more a sponsor’s statement than a competitor’s tool.

Fleetwood’s win feels different. While it won’t singlehandedly upend golf’s relationship with traditional horology, one could argue his smartwatch is the most deserving podium watch yet: a piece designed for the course, worn throughout competition, and proven in the crucible of championship play.

That symbolism could bode well for the future of golf smartwatches, nudging them a step closer to legitimacy in a sport steeped in tradition.

Pricing and Availability

The Tag Heuer Connected Calibre E4 Golf Edition is available directly through Tag Heuer boutiques and online at a retail price starting at $1,500.

About the Author: Ben Bowers is the Co-Founder and Chief Content Officer of Gear Patrol. Throughout his tenure in media, Ben has written and reported on everything from consumer tech to whiskey, watches, cars, camping, and personal style. These days, he gets to write less than he’d like to.

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