Well gents, #levelunlocked because the Tag Heuer Super Mario collaboration just dropped and the new limited edition TAG Heuer Connected smartwatch begins new chapter in luxury watchmaking. The limited edition version of Tag’s Connected Wear OS smartwatch is a version of the brand’s popular high-end smartwatch (first launched in 2015) but imbued with geek-cred features that tie it to one of the world’s most beloved and best selling games.
The energetic Mushroom loving hero, Mario, comes to life in this TAG Heuer Connected smartwatch combining sport, luxury and fun in a way rarely achieved in luxury watch collabs. With more than 370 million Super Mario games sold worldwide since 1985, generations of gamers grown up with the exploits of the world’s most famous Italian plumber, will discover a fun new way to get more active, living through the thrill of “Mario-style” accomplishments throughout the day.
TAG Heuer Connected accrues Geek Cred
Mario is the ultimate super-active character whose perseverance and tenacity get him out of every situation. The new hero watchface gives life to this iconic character and encourage users to team up with Mario to get out there and be more active? The TAG Heuer Connected is the perfect companion for a connected life and every active person’s best friend. With this Super Mario limited-edition smartwatch, they can add a bit of fun and originality to their activities and wellness. – Frédéric Arnault, CEO of TAG Heuer
“The inspiration for this collaboration came from our desire to gamify and bring excitement to our new wellness application and Super Mario instantly came to our minds,” says Frédéric Arnault, CEO of TAG Heuer. Indeed, this mega-tie-up seems such an obvious fit now that it’s mindboggling that it took till today to connect the goal achievements of one hard striving Italian battling the denizens of the Mushroom Kingdom to save Princess Peach. Not to mention that our first encounter with Mario, who was unnamed at the time, was in Donkey Kong, where again, he was battling levels by leaping over an overgrown ape’s flung barrels to reach the top of the ziggurat to save the hapless princess.
The Super Mario TAG Heuer Connected watch is a unique combination of refinement and elegance of a chronograph-inspired timepiece with a state-of-the-art, custom-designed digital experience geared towards performance. Mario himself is always on the dial and always on the move, whether he’s running and jumping, or playing sports like golf and tennis. His upbeat and active personality will encourage wearers of this smartwatch to keep pace, and be rewarded by the pleasure and satisfaction of marking their progress.
Achieving your Goals alongside Super Mario
As in the Super Mario games, 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.
Completely redesigned in the Super Mario colours, the interactive watchface will be pre-installed on the TAG Heuer Connected Super Mario Limited Edition, but TAG Heuer will also make it available on other editions of TAG Heuer Connected at a later stage. The Timekeeping watchface was reskinned using the retro elements from the 1985 version of Super Mario Bros. with Mario, all in pixels. Also, two versions of the Heuer 02 watchface were 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 watchface had its neural network replaced by Super Mario’s iconic elements rotating in a beautiful and mesmerizing movement.
In terms of aesthetics, the TAG Heuer Connected Limited Edition was designed with exclusive and subtle Super Mario references: bezel graduation, push buttons and crown logo were filled with hat-tips (pun intended) to Super Mario’s iconic red cap 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 further nod to the Super Mario objects included in the dial animations that the user can unlock and discover only when achieving goals throughout the day.
The new-look steel case also 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”.
The TAG Heuer Connected x Super Mario Limited Edition is presented in a packaging designed exclusively for this collaboration. It also comes with a travel case in Super Mario red. This edition limited to 2,000 watches will be available only in selected TAG Heuer boutiques and at www.tagheuer.com in some regions, from 15th July 2021.
