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While Heuer’s ties to motor racing are well known, TAG Heuer played on its less well known past connections with the sport of boxing to launch a watch celebrating the legendary Muhammed Ali. This commemoration comes just months after the boxer’s death, yet this 43mm piece demonstrates that a lot of attention was put into its development, blending vintage traits into a more modern platform. What could simply have been a good marketing coup turns out to be a nicely crafted watch!
The Special Edition Tribute to Muhammad Ali has deep vintage roots: it actually borrows the design of its dial, and the principle of its rotating bezel, from the “Ring Master” stopwatch launched in 1957. This explains why it still tracks 15 rounds of three minutes, while modern boxing matches are now competed in 12 rounds. Similarly, the white inner ring was kept, as it is relevant for amateur and female competitions, where the rounds last two minutes. Each ring features not only the fighting time; their black intervals also display the recovery periods between rounds.
This clever and intuitive system makes total sense for a tool watch dedicated specifically to the timing of a boxing match, as opposed to the original stopwatch, which came with interchangeable rings that made it relevant for several different sports. The relationship between Heuer and boxing does not stop here, since an automatic wristwatch chronograph was also released in 1985: the reference 510.547 (you can find the instruction booklet on the dedicated page from Onthedash). This new special edition thus represents a continuity with these two significant watches, but with a significant difference – since it’s not a chronograph.
The launch of this watch in early November 2019 was very much on theme: it was unveiled at Gleason’s Boxing Gym in New York City with the elite of the boxing world on hand. A unique piece in yellow gold was auctioned for charity, along with a pair of Muhammad Ali’s boxing gloves, raising $88,000 for the Ali Center Foundation. At this occasion, it was revealed that the project was started with Muhammad Ali prior to its death, and that his wife agreed to the continuation and completion of the project. Interestingly, it was announced as a special edition of 750 initial pieces, as opposed to a limited edition with a set number of examples produced.
A couple of weeks later, I had the opportunity to spend a couple of days with one of the production watches in stainless steel. From the start, the legibility was impressive, with the white numerals clearly contrasting against the matte black dial. The black disc also makes the date window much less conspicuous than you might think. My other possible complaint could have been the 43mm Carrera case, which is well past the upper limit of my favorite sizes. However, it was much less of a concern once the watch was on the wrist (the black dial helps again), and I had to remember that this watch was primarily aimed at boxers and boxering enthusiasts, probably with much bigger arms than mine (trust me, the boxers at the launch event were impressively large).
Here is an As-New condition Tag Heuer Special Tribute to the “Original” GOAT! Complete set with factory stickers still on the clasp! Just Awesome!
BRAND: TAG Heuer
MODEL: Carrera Tribute To Muhammad Ali Special 750 Pieces
MOVEMENT: Automatic – Swiss
CASE: Stainless Steel
CROWN: Push/Pull
SIZE: 43mm
LUGS: 22mm
DIAL: Gorgeous Black dial with red accents
BEZEL: Inner Rotating Bezel controlled by crown at 11 o’clock
CONDITION: pre owned – As-New with warranty through Nov 2021
BOXES/PAPERS: 100% Complete TAG Heuer Muhammad Ali Box Set, Manual, etc – Everything in pictures
WATER RESISTANCE: – 100m
STRAP/BRACELET: – Original Tag Heuer Black/Red Leather strap with signed stainless steel deployment buckle!
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Let us know what you have in your collection!! I consider all watches in trade! Please upload pictures and include details of your trades through my Trade/Buy tab at the top of my homepage.
