Boring this certainly isn't.. but okay, for sure it's not going to be everyone's cup of tea and that's fine, there's only fifty pieces available anyway. I mean, that still sounds like a lot doesn't it? But I don't know, there has to be more than a few wrestling-obsessed, rich dudes in Mexico, right?
From my perspective, I'm just glad to see TAG Heuer doing something this year that provokes a reaction... because we've seen a lot of 'meh' watches this year, haven't we? A lot of forgettable products, like those new day/date Carreras for instance. I just don't even care about them, at all.
But while I applaud TAG Heuer doing something as gloriously bonkers as this, at the same time it's a little bit of a pity that these kind of crazy pieces are only for their high-end customers; it would be fun to see some equally loopy quartz F1's and Aquaracers to be honest (like perhaps we used to get when Mr Biver was at the helm).
Anyway, for those of you who are perhaps not fully conversant with 'lucha libre' (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈlutʃa ˈliβɾe], meaning "freestyle wrestling"[1] or more literally translated as "free fight"), Wikipedia informs us that... since originating in Mexico in the early 20th century, lucha libre has 'developed into a unique form of the genre, characterized by colourful masks, rapid sequences of holds and maneuvers, and high-flying aerial techniques, some of which have been adopted by wrestlers in the United States, Japan and elsewhere.
The wearing of masks has developed special significance, and matches are sometimes contested in which the loser must permanently remove his mask, which is a wager with a high degree of weight attached. Tag team wrestling is especially prevalent in lucha libre, particularly matches with three-member teams, called trios.
Although in English the term specifically refers to the Mexican style of theatrical professional wrestling, in Mexico (and certain other Spanish-speaking territories) it can refer to other kinds of wrestling, including competitive amateur wrestling (es:lucha libre olímpica) and professional wrestling in general (es:lucha libre profesional) in addition to Mexican professional wrestling in particular (es:lucha libre mexicana). However, in Spain (as well as with certain other Spanish-speaking territories and non-Anglophone European countries) professional wrestling is known as "catch"
Honestly I didn't know much of that either... but then I haven't watched wrestling since I was about 14 years old, so it's probably not surprising!
As far as the design goes I really like the combination of green skeleton dial and fuschia coloured subdials and tourbillon, I think colouring the bridges works much better than colouring the gaps (as we saw on the original Extreme Carreras) and the carbon bezel works well with the overall design, giving it a tad more luxury and helping to tie it in with the black rubber strap also.
Okay, so I said before that the Council would not look kindly on this watch, but the overall score really doesn't tell the full story. This watch really split the group, picking up five 1's, but also several 9's and a quite remarkable 9.5 (not been many of those this year). So this isn't a case, like most ladies watches for example, where you got ten 4's and ten 6's and ended up with a five, this was quite different. In fact a few people have told me that this may well get their 'W.O.T.Y' vote... and while I'm not going as far as committing to that just yet, I did score this a 9.
Anyway, prepare yourself for some brutal comments bruh, cos haters they gonna be hatin! 🤣
6.5/10: "It's an interesting watch, not usually a fan of tourbillons and skeleton watches, too fussy. I don't think they particularly fit with the Carrera's heritage either. That said, I rather like the Mexican theme and colours going on here. It's definitely a statement piece but I'm not sure what statement it is making. Do I like it, yes kind of. Would I wear it, perhaps not. Can I afford it, definitely not."
6.5/10: "For the bold choices. Not my style, but can imagine some will love it."
1/10: "A watch only Checo's father could love. 🤡"
1/10: "I think so too. Only the model for Checo."
9.5/10: "Being a fan of the Extreme models, due to their industrial design and element of Avant Garde which appears to be sorely missed by TAG Heuer of late, with their boring glassbox models, this is a very welcome departure that exudes pure fun! This is therefore forging the way for WOTY from me, despite the bonkers price."
9/10: "I have to agree, certainly in contention for WOTY for me too. So many unappealing watches this year, and way to many glassbox Carreras. This is a breath of fresh air, much like the Polychrome tourbillon a couple of years ago, which I think I also voted for. It ain't going to win and it will probably end up scoring about 4.1, but I really like that it exists, even if I can't afford it."
1/10: "What….Why ??? Hate it."
9/10: "One of the best this year! I wish there were fun watches like this in the affordable offerings from TAG. I guess they think only rich people like fun."
1/10: "Ouch, my eyes! They burn!!! Is it possible to rate it a 0? If so that’s my score 🤦♂️"
2/10: "It could be a fun watch if this “ornamentation” was applied on some variant of Formula 1… but considering a price in the £30k region, this Tourbillon looks like a bad joke…"
3/10: "Well it's certainly different. And extreme. Not one for me, though, I'm afraid."
8.5/10: "This is great. The colour combo is fantastic and really pops. I know its not for everyone but I love it. I love the lucidor mask on the case back but not so much on the subdial. I'm glad TAG are going bold like this and not playing it safe."
8.5/10: "Wow, this is incredible! I love that it is so different."
2/10: "Extreme horrible."
?/10: "Crazy one. I don't know enough about Mexico to understand it, so I'll pass on scoring. But the colour is funky! 🤩"
5/10: "A little bit too much for me."
4/10: "It's a bit silly and quite overpriced. But it's an interesting colour scheme, especially if you're into Mexican Wrestling."
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