Tag Heuer races on — with Mario Kart.
For the second chapter of its ongoing partnership with Nintendo, the Swiss watchmaker is releasing two editions of its Formula 1 model featuring the famous gaming icon and other elements from the cartoon driving simulation.
After animating the Mario character on a connected watch, as part of a wellness experience, chief executive officer Frédéric Arnault felt it was “rather natural” to take its Formula 1 mechanical watch as the terrain for Mario’s laps against the clock.
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“It’s an iconic piece that exists since the 1980s, an iconic world, so we can allow ourselves to play with it, twisting [it] with a collaboration like this one,” the executive said, pointing out their shared appetite for “adrenaline, speed, competitiveness, all the way to victory.“
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Elements of the Mario Kart universe have been distilled on the timepieces, starting with the leather bracelets embossed with a pattern nodding to the shells of turtles, a species seen throughout the franchise as characters and items.
The 45-mm Chronograph Tourbillon version, a limited run of 250 pieces powered by the COSC-certified Calibre Heuer 02T, is the first time a tourbillon has been used in a Tag Heuer Formula 1 watch, Arnault pointed out.
On its 44-mm Chronograph, with the automatic Calibre 16 movement and limited to 3,000 pieces, the hero’s famous red cap is alluded to in a variety of ways, from the one sitting on Mario’s head on the permanent seconds indicator and touches of red lacquer on the pushers and crown to the subtle checkered pattern of the dial nodding to the race’s checkered flag.
Even the game’s Easter eggs have been transcribed, in the date complication on the chronograph. “This is the feature I like the most,” said Arnault, scrolling through the days until a tiny red mushroom popped into the window.
It’s a speed booster in the game, also appearing at random intervals on the watch. But collectors worry not: it won’t affect real-life time.
A year-and-a-half of development was necessary to arrive at these models, explained Maria Laffont, Tag Heuer’s vice president of design and product. A straightforward idea like, say, having Mario in his cart race two other game characters endlessly on a tourbillon cage required finessing and reengineering each component’s weight.
Both limited-edition Tag Heuer x Mario Kart watches will be available from Oct. 20 at select Tag Heuer stores and online. The chronograph will retail for 4,200 Swiss francs, or $4,300, while the one with the tourbillon is priced at 25,000 Swiss francs, or $25,600.
Given the undimmed popularity of Mario and the character’s karting franchise among consumers of all ages, collectors are expected to race to get their hands on them. That’s exactly what Arnault hopes for.
“Our goal is speaking to a wider audience and even interest people who aren’t watch collectors at all. Universality [like Mario’s worldwide appeal] is how you make the market global,” he concluded.