SPOTLIGHT ON: TAG Heuer Aquaracer 'Malpelo Foundation' Limited Edition

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Limited editions are great, but they seem to slip out often without much publicity and that can mean we don't find out about them until much later when they pop up on the pre-owned market. Even now when I have my ear well and truly pressed to the floor for all and any information regarding new TAG Heuer LE's, it's often only a chance posting by someone on the Calibre 11 forum from a distant part of the world that tips me off to the existence of another piece destined only for one particular market (that and Googling seemingly 'missing' part numbers...) and of course the last 35 years of TAG Heuer special releases is still throwing up surprises now and again.

Many years ago, when I first started visiting Bicester Village, I recall seeing a Limited Edition Aquaracer with a shark on the dial. When I first joined the Calibre 11 forum I remember mentioning this and some examples being suggested of what it might have been; none of them seemed to be what I remembered, but this seems to fit the bill. Of course it's so long ago now that I can't really be sure, but I think this is the watch I saw around about 2013/14 (4-5 years after the watch was launched). 

This Aquaracer was made in collaboration with the Malpelo Foundation in Columbia which works to protect sharks around the island of Malpelo (approximately 500km off the Western coast) and was limited to 250 pieces. I can't be 100% certain but my best guess on size would be 39mm since that seems to tally with other watches of a similar part number and at most it would be 40.5 or 41mm as this predates the modern 43mm three hand Aquaracer.

When I first caught sight of this I wondered how they had managed to print the shark on what appeared to be a tapisserie dial, but closer inspection shows that actually the dial background is printed and is perhaps supposed to represent a fishing net, but at the same time it does have the rather pleasing appearance of a textured dial and definitely adds to the dial's overall appeal.

In the scheme of things there aren't really that many TAG Heuer watches with this kind of novelty dial (though there are several with island formations admittedly), and while I don't have any great affinity to sharks, Colombia or indeed Malpelo, I do rather like this one. My only slight reservation about it is that it is perhaps rather tonal and that polished bezel is screaming out for scratches, but that aside it's a neat looking watch.

Finding one may prove difficult though, a Google search brought up next to nothing, so if you like it and you happen to see one I suggest you jump on it.