FEATURED: TAG Heuer Connected Super Mario Limited-Edition

Comic books & superhero inspired watches seem to be a recurring theme in the world of watches. Over the years we have seen a plethora of choices for adults who are also superhero “nerds”. Be it the Mickey Mouse retrograde watches by Gerald Genta, the Memorigin Iron Man Watch and even the most recent Black Panther by Audemars Piguet, this genre has certainly carved a niche for itself.

Now if you are a 1980’s baby, this particular collaboration should certainly reignite some of your fondest memories - the TAG Heuer Connected Super Mario limited-edition. Personally, I was a huge Super Mario (Nintendo) addict back in the day, so when I initially heard of this association I was intrigued. I do quite like what TAG Heuer has done with the Alec Monopoly collection, so that's kind of what I had in mind. But what we have here is a new limited edition connected watch.

In this collaboration, the TAG Heuer Connected offers a fun new way to get more active, feeling the thrill of achieving goals throughout the day. This brand-new digital creation, combining luxury and sport with fun features along the way, aims to encourage you to get out and about and step up your physical activity with Mario, to be rewarded by the pleasure and satisfaction of marking your progress. Mario himself is always on the move, whether he’s running and jumping, or playing sports like golf and tennis. With its watch dial, which becomes livelier and more animated depending ofcourse on your level of activity, this edition of the TAG Heuer Connected changes as you makes progress. A fun and motivating way to keep you active throughout the day. 

The animations are based on the gamification rewards system: Mario greets you with a welcoming salute in the morning and as the day progresses and you rack up your step count, you unlock rewards at each stage of your daily target – 25%, 50%, 75% and 100% – a different animation plays out on the dial. These take the form of Super Mario’s famous objects: at 3 o’clock the Super Mushroom that makes Mario grow, at 6 o’clock the Pipe that allows him to travel fast and at 9 o’clock the Super Star that makes him invincible lights up! And when you reach 100% of your daily step count target, Mario climbs the Goal Pole, another iconic feature of the video game. The idea is inspired by the famous “easter egg” concept that all gamers know very well, which consists of hiding features and surprises as a bonus in video games.

For this limited edition, TAG Heuer’s famous Connected watch faces have been reinterpreted with Super Mario special versions, four dials revisited to include special details associated with Super Mario.

The Timekeeping watch face has been reskinned using retro elements from the 1985 version of Super Mario Bros. with Mario, all in pixels. Also, two versions of the Heuer 02 watch face have been created exclusively for this edition: a fun rendition using Super Mario’s iconic red and blue colours, and a more classic one with subtle touches of Super Mario’s red cap. Lastly, the Orbital watch face has had its neural network replaced by Super Mario’s iconic elements rotating in a movement.

The entire watch has bee designed with exclusive and subtle references that will delight Super Mario fans. The bezel graduation, push buttons and crown logo are filled with Super Mario’s famous red cap’s lacquered colour, making the watch instantly stand out from the core collection. The bezel features three iconic symbols at the three, six and nine o’clock positions, in a nod to the Super Mario objects included in the dial animations that you can unlock and discover only when achieving goals throughout the day. Pretty cool!

The TAG Heuer Connected Super Mario limited-edition comes with two novel interchangeable straps, both featuring the signature Super Mario red colour: an elegant black leather on red rubber and a sporty alternative in matching red perforated rubber. The M symbol of Mario is engraved on the strap buckles and on the crown. Lastly, the screw-down case-back bears the special inscription “TAG Heuer x Super Mario Limited Edition”.

Limited to 2,000 watches, this superhero gadget comes with a travel case in Super Mario red and will be available only in selected TAG Heuer boutiques and at www.tagheuer. com in some regions, from 15th July 2021. 

I wonder whether this new TAG Heuer Connected Super Mario limited-edition will live upto the legend and popularity of that moustached plumber who did eventually rule the Mushroom Kingdom... 

TAG Heuer Connected Super Mario Limited-Edition

Physical characteristics: 

45 mm diameter 

13.5 mm thickness 

Weight with titanium case and rubber strap: 86 g 

Water-resistant to 5 ATM 

430 mAh battery, lasts for a full day

Battery life:  One full day under normal usage conditions (20 hours with 1 hour of activity), 6 hours for sports use (GPS, heart rate and music) 

Charge time: full charge in 1 hour 30 minutes at temperatures of between 15 C and 45 C

Sensors: Heart rate monitor, compass, accelerometer, metrics and recorded activities

Case: Steel case The screw-down caseback bears the special inscription “TAG Heuer x Super Mario Limited Edition”