Three Fantasy Watch Collabs That Just Make Sense (to Me)

When it comes to watch brands collaborating with each other or even non-watch brands, I understand that they are a polarizing concept, especially in the wake of Swatch making waves with the MoonSwatch and SistemFiftyFathoms. However, I believe that if they are executed correctly, and remain in line with both brands’ ideals, they can excel from both a design and a horological standpoint. That being said (and assuming everyone is lenient with their licensing and contracting laws), here are a few collaborations I can likely only dream of seeing in future.

To be honest, this entire list is going to just be one big “Hear me out…” but I don’t care. I think these would be neat and/or funny! What collabs would you want to see in the future, if any?

TAG Heuer x Gran Turismo

Now I feel like this one probably makes the most sense to me in the conceptual sense. Especially since the Gran Turismo movie came out recently, a 500-to-1000-piece limited edition celebrating the revered driving game seems like it would be in good order.

Now, before you say “but it’s a videogame! TAG Heuer will bring themselves so low if they collab with a videogame!” There are a couple things you need to know. Firstly, this isn’t a whole new concept - videogame and videogame-adjacent collaborations with luxury watch brands have happened since the nineties. Case in point: Goldeneye 007 has the rendered silhouette of a Brosnan-Era Omega Seamaster in the game, whilst Hamilton and Panerai have created collaboration pieces alongside Ubisoft (Far Cry 6) and Razer respectively.

Secondly, TAG Heuer has demonstrated that they are no strangers to the videogame world, having collaborated with Nintendo to create their line of Super Mario watches.

While the community is welcome to think however they want to think about these timepieces (Personally, the Tourbillon piece is dope), it shows the esoteric extent to which TAG Heuer is willing to go, within reason. I think that, if you can argue that Mario Kart and TAG Heuer can coexist due to their shared racing nature, then it’s not too far of a jump to collaborate with a more realistic motorsports game – although this probably won’t happen because their contract with Gran Turismo Sport expired almost three years ago.

Zenith x Sonic the Hedgehog

Moving along the LVMH x videogame train, I honestly think that a Zenith and Sonic Collaboration would also be fun to explore. As stated previously, LVMH is not getting into their first rodeo with regards to whimsical videogame collaborations, although I think for a watch brand with the heritage and manufacturing caliber of Zenith it would be a very fine line to tread between maintaining a level of seriousness and destroying the brand value.

We all know how we feel about that Aaron Rogers collab.

In all seriousness though, imagine this - a blue dial, blue bezel Chronomaster Sport with some sleek, futuristic design elements from the Sonic universe would be amazing, considering the swiftness of the ten-second chronograph coincides with the fast life the SEGA icon lives. Throw that into a brushed titanium case with the hedgehog’s silhouette on the case-back, three different shades of blue on the sub-dial as well as a skeletonized version of the Sonic Ball as the Chronograph seconds’ counterbalance, and we’re all set!

You could even do a few different variations based on what hedgehog you’re revolving the design around – the Zenith ‘Knuckles’ and ‘Tails’ could even be different models outside the Chronomaster (Defy for Knuckles, Pilot for Tails)

Hublot x Roger Dubuis

This would be a match made in heaven. I’m sure that most of you are familiar with the extreme design elements of Hublot. If you’re unfamiliar with Roger Dubuis, he takes those extremities and turns them up by a million. It’s not all smoke and mirrors, however – RD is one of the few watch companies out there that still qualifies for a Geneva Seal, which in the watch world is an absolute ball-ache to be able to achieve.

Hublot, on the other hand, is well known not only for its exotic and esoteric design language but also for its legendary ability to utilize any material as a canvas for its next timepiece. If their forces were to combine, these two powerhouses of avant-garde could make waves in the industry.

Okay, yeah, that all sounds a bit ambitious… but you must admit that since design is subjective, there are only a few things that hold Hublot back. Price, admittedly, is a whole other rabbit hole, but where they truly falter is having to still rely on ETA/Selitta base calibres for even their most extreme timepieces. Working alongside Roger Dubuis could uplift both brands, perhaps with a Classic Fusion Excalibur, cased in different colours of sapphire or whatever ridiculous material Hublot can think of.

All-in-all, Hublot design with a Roger Dubuis engine sounds like they complement one another, and I do believe that a fusion of what makes both companies great could bring even the snobbiest of collectors to their knees – maybe in awe, or perhaps in agony, but the result will be the same.