TAG Heuer built it with two Mario Kart Formula 1 LEs - including a Super Mario Tourbillon

 TAG Heuer built it with two Mario Kart Formula 1 LEs - including a Super Mario Tourbillon

Have you ever wanted to  cheap watch Mario race around the tourbillon cage? This is your chance.

TAG Heuer and Nintendo have followed up last year's Super Mario Connected Watch with two new mechanical chronographs featuring the distinctive Mario Kart bend. The first is a "traditional" rendition of the TAG Heuer Formula 1, and the other is the Super Mario Formula 1 Tourbillon - yes, you read that right (this is from the guy who wrote the Space Jam Tourbillon, mind you) ).

The Formula 1 model will be limited to 3,000 pieces - a large number - and will be built in 44mm stainless steel. It features the subdial at nine o'clock in Mario's eponymous kart, and has a unique checkerboard pattern on the dial. The funniest party tricks can be found in the date window, where you'll periodically see various Mario Kart images, like bananas or red mushrooms, instead of traditional figures. The watch itself features a black polished ceramic Mario Kart-branded bezel powered by a TAG Heuer Calibre 16.

F1 Tourbillon, 45mm diameter, made of grade 5 titanium, makes things more dynamic by translating the Mario Kart effect into the tourbillon itself, you can literally see Mario, Bullet Bill and Spiny Shell spins and spins. These elements complement the ceramic bezel with the Mario Kart logo.

Mario

Additionally, the tourbillon features a very strong red design across the entire dial surface, transforming the otherwise very cartoonish look into a more serious look. The exhibition caseback has Mario Kart engraved on the rotor. It is powered by the Observatory-certified Calibre Heuer 02T.

Both luxury men watches feature an "M" in the Mario crown and come with leather straps with a Mario-branded folding clasp. 44mm Formula 1 Chronograph.

I've covered quite a few collaborative tourbillons from Space Jam to Black Panther, and I think this version - while undoubtedly top-notch - works. We live in a world where we have a lot in common when it comes to watches, and I welcome any brand willing to mix.

For those who looked at these watches and thought they were too much, I'm guessing you're not a Mario fan. If you're a Mario fan and still think so, then...sorry.

My thoughts on this edition are similar to those I had when I covered the AP Black Panther Tourbillon. When I look at it, I want to see if quality is missing for the benefit of the collaboration, or if the design notes of the collaboration are somehow integrated so that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. In this case, I Can report high quality and thoughtful design. In both versions (standard chronograph and chronograph tourbillon) you'll encounter an automotive-inspired design that incorporates TAG's well-known preference for automatic chronograph movements - and for the tourbillon, It is certified by the observatory.

The most interesting is certainly the standard chronograph, where the integration of Mario Kart elements in the date window comes at the expense of actually reading the date. Imagine knowing one day it's the 14th of the month, and the next day it's a banana. Seems logical, right? Clocks have been logical for hundreds of years. It's okay to go bananas sometimes.

When it comes to tourbillon chronographs, all eyes are on the tourbillon cage and the Mario, Bullet Bill, and thorn shell elements in motion. It's not as majestic as Snoopy's orbiting the moon on the latest Silver Snoopy Speedy...but it's there.

The popularity of TAG Heuer Mario Connected watches is one thing. I'm interested to see if there is a market for haute horlogerie gaming watches. The same can be said for the standard chronograph at the other end, with an eye-popping 3,000-piece production. That's a lot of best swiss watches, so I hope these watches will be on the market for a while.

Personally, these watches strike me as elegant novelties. If the goal is to incorporate Mario characters into the watch design, there is no way to hide them. This immediately made such a release divisive. People with a negative interest in Mario Kart might not be interested in these pieces, however, it might appeal to the nostalgia factor of the millennials who grew up playing games and are now true watch geeks.

I also laughed when I realized that this collaboration wasn't that far off on the left field. It's very appealing to TAG Heuer's existing heritage in motorsport and racing...just in a very different way.

This is a version where I could almost expect the reaction in the comments, although I hope you can prove me wrong. What are your thoughts on the Mario Kart TAG Heuer F1 Chronograph and F1 Chronograph Tourbillon? https://www.super-watcheswholesale.com

Brand: Tag Heuer

Model: Mario Kart Formula 1 Chronograph and Chronograph Tourbillon

Diameter: 44 mm (chronograph), 45 mm (chronograph tourbillon)

Case Material: Steel (Chronograph), Grade 5 Titanium (Chronograph Tourbillon)

Dial Color: Black and Red

Index: Applications

Lume: yes

Water resistance: 200m (chronograph), 100m (chronograph tourbillon)

Strap/Bracelet: Black leather strap with red stitching

sports

Movement: Calibre 16 (chronograph), 02T (chronograph tourbillon)

Functions: Hours, Minutes, Seconds, Date, Chronograph; Hours, Minutes, Seconds, Date, Chronograph, Tourbillon

Power reserve: 42 hours (Chronograph Tourbillon), 65 hours (Chronograph Tourbillon)

Winding: Automatic

Frequency: 4Hz

Chronograph Certification: Tourbillon Only