Up for discussion at The Escapement Room table is the concept of the limited edition watch.
These are rife in the watch world and can come in a range of guises. Anniversary editions, collaborations, limited colourways. They are a staple of the watch market, and a sales tactic that works well… but is making sales the be all and end all of the thought behind these?
Kaysia:
Right, well, to start this off I thought I would talk about my limited edition watch…
This is my Squale Drass Galeazzi, which is the first watch I bought that cost over £1000. It is an absolute hefty beast that will absolutely drag me to the bottom of the ocean if I were to wear it swimming, and I think it’s awesome.
Named after Roberto Galeazzi, who was a naval engineer and founder of the Galeazzi company, who have been innovators in underwater technology since the early 1900’s.
To me his watch is the epitomy of what makes limited edition watches bloody amazing.
When they are done right they bring together people and brands to create something representative of both. It’s not going to appeal to everyone, but if you are a fan of Squale and underwater adventure, then this is both of those stories wrapped up in one watch.
And stories matter!
You can tell me as much as you like that it doesn’t matter whose slapped their name on the dial, it’s still the same watch, but we know damn well that brand names, history, heritage… it all counts. It all adds to the watches romance and appeal.
So why make it limited? Why not make repeated batches?
Basically… It’s just nice to feel you have something a bit special. I know that’s not a sophisticated answer, but it’s probably the truest one.
I could talk about how these limited edition watches are created to appeal to niche markets, so making a small batch makes sense. Or I could say that by only committing to making a limited number the watch brand leaves itself free to pursue other collaborations in the future, rather than running a catalogue with infinite models.
But mostly it comes down to the owner feeling they have something a bit special… and whether you get that feeling from buying an expensive watch, or finding a rare vintage piece or picking up a limited edition… it’s all the same thing.
Limited editions are brilliant.
Greg:
I am ragingly ambivalent about limited editions. I have never bought one. I have considered a few but I have always dithered until the opportunity was lost. The closest that I ever came to buying one was a Marloe a few years ago. It sold slowly until it eventually left their website. I must have looked at it 20 times.
So, I have to address the question from a perspective of pure cold hard logic.
I enjoy wearing watches that are not common or can’t be found in every department store. That means that considerations other than accuracy, value, or beauty, come into play. Exclusivity is attractive. I use age to create exclusivity. My vintage watches may once have been commonplace. Age and ruin have reduced their numbers so that they are unique and rare. That is one way to create exclusivity. The other is to limit production for a new watch. Why shouldn’t everyone have the opportunity to have a novelty (with a warranty). It can be in any price range or style. A limited edition G-Shock is as exclusive as a limited edition anOrdain. For some people fitting in is more important than standing out. This can be achieved with a Black Bay 58 or a Seiko 5. For everyone else, a limited edition can give you the distance from the crowd that you want.
Is it a money grab by the watch company? Yes. And what of it? Watch brands are in the business of selling as many watches with the best profit margins possible. Sometimes they must take risks. There will be failures. Did Tag Heuer make any money on that Mario Cart watch? We may never know. For someone out there it is their rarity, their exclusive possession.
I think that some collectors feel manipulated by companies issuing limited editions. If you own more than two watches, you have been manipulated. And you liked it, craved it. You received the benefit of the bargain: more watches.
Chris:
The Mario Kart watch made no sense, and it was very disappointing in that it didn’t go all out. It was tame. At over £20k for an F1 Tourbillon as well, it’s a cynical cash grab. I’m waiting for the new edition Autavia possessed by the ghost of a small Victorian chimney-sweep, that would make similar amounts of sense.
I’m not sure I have any proper Limited Editions really… like, ones to brag about. The Bubble Lucifer is one of 666, but that does not really seem like a limited edition considering how universally derided they are. I have an Undone that was only 1 of 150, but it’s not a great watch, and I wear it very little. I’m probably setting my stall out quite early here – I’m not particularly bothered by them.
I have uncommon watches, but again, it’s not really a limited edition, and whilst it adds a little bit of spice, it’s not the reason I bought the watch in the first place. I believe my VC, with the k103 movement, only saw 24 of them produced each year when in production, but it’s also a VC and not of particular importance; it’s worth little in the grand scheme of things when you consider other models. I bought it because it’s (a) beautiful, (b) looked lost at the back of the cabinet, and (c) is probably the only time I’d ever find a VC that close to home on a random jaunt. If it’s meant to be…
I have one-off mods – the verdigris dialled oddity, the faux-distressed Panerai Luna Rossa… I have watches with dials I made… I also don’t feel particularly special about those either, but they are amusing curiosities.
I think my modus operandi is just to see what interesting randomness one can pick up vintage for very little coin. It certainly makes watches interesting for me, now, when you could argue I’ve peaked early. I’m not a “watch bro”, I’m not flexing, but I do like a functional 1940s field watch and obscure brand names don’t phase me. It’s all the same setup anyway…
Kaysia:
Ok, well if the general feeling is ‘Meh’ then I am convinced that it’s simply because neither of you has met the right limited edition yet.
There must be some combination of ‘watch’ X ‘something’ that will light a fire in those stoney hearts of yours?
For example, the limited edition Resident Evil Seiko Astrons… Oh my days!… I know they are so ridiculously off-piste of my usual watch tastes it’s like I’ve skied off the side of the mountain, but I absolutely LOVE anything zombie related, and if this had been an ‘Alice’ watch (I realise you both may be far too classy a movie watcher to know who I’m talking about) then I would have been all over this… though, admittedly, the £2.5k price tag would have been a difficult hit to take…
Just the combination of two loves like that just multiplies the joy and excitement for me.
So what combination would make your hearts sing?
Chris:
Well hold on now… you might have a point, I’m not that miserable. I have seen a few editions that I like, and I have also missed out on opportunities to own a few.
I do like a lot of what Tag have done: Link Oracle Racing, James Hunt F1, Alec Monopoly F1… I’d love that Alec Monopoly.
It was the main reason I attempted to try and graff a dial, but I absolutely messed that one up. Too much paint delivery on such a small canvas.
I saw a cool Macau Poker Tag once, missed out on purchasing it. It wasn’t massively special, but it was cooly-executed; understated if you will.
One watch I do like is the Bremont Martin-Baker MB1, but it would be impossible to own one as I’m not a member of the Martin-Baker Tie Club. I also couldn’t imagine ever going through the trauma of being ejected from a jet plane; it’s a lot to go through just to obtain a watch.
Maybe you are right, it needs to be the right limited edition maybe…
Greg:
I really enjoyed the look of the special edition of the Mandala by Second Hour. It is a better version of that watch. But, at 40mm it was larger than I wanted. I had my credit card in hand but ultimately opted for something in 38mm. The change that they made was subtle, just enlarging the pattern on the dial. That was all that it took.
I imagine that it would take a collaboration with a clothing label to peak my interest. The Rowing Blazer/Seiko and Brooks Brothers/Timex limited editions did not appeal to me. I liked the MadeWorn/Timex watch more than any of MadeWorn’s overpriced t-shirts.
So, maybe I should have just thrown caution to the wind and bought the Marloe X Bert & Buoy collaboration. It is a nautical brand that means nothing in the States, but the watch was simple and clean. At 42mm I just couldn’t.
We will try to do these round table chats on a weekly basis. If you have any suggestions of something mildly watch related you’d like us to argue about, let us know!
The Escapement Room 