Limited edition watches are part of the best collections in the world. All Swiss manufacturers regularly offer numbered models, which are part of limited editions. Limited edition watches often incorporate complex movements and also offer a unique design, or a reinvention of a classic design.

If you are thinking of investing in a watch of this type, here is a guide so that your choice is correct.

How to invest in limited edition watches

When we consider the purchase of a luxury watch, we normally take into account two criteria: on the one hand, it must be a watch with a design that attracts us, in addition, its mechanism must adjust to what we want, however, when we talk about buy limited edition watches, we must take into account other criteria before making a decision.

Choose proven Watches Manufacturers. If you really want a special piece, opt for the great classics of Swiss watchmaking.

Know the total volume of the print run. Special editions usually incorporate a serial number in each model that makes them unique, in addition to the specific number of the watch, the total number of the run is also usually specified, for example, 48/300, where 48 is the specific number of the piece. and 300 is the total number of watches that have been manufactured for that collection. Short runs are more valuable, because they offer fewer pieces.

Always check the characteristics of the mechanism. As we said, special edition watches usually have some of the best mechanisms of the brand, but it is worth making sure of their general characteristics.

Take it as an investment. Few people think about selling when buying a watch, however, in the long term, special edition watches tend to appreciate in value, so we recommend that you take future appreciation criteria into account when buying a special edition watch.

Require all official house certificates. At Watches5 they have been selling Custom Made Watches for many years, which is why they know that it is essential that a piece has all the documents that prove that it is an authentic piece, endorsed by the brand. This is especially important when it comes to special edition watches.

As we will discuss below, there are different types of special edition watches, choose the type that best suits your tastes.

Special Edition Watch Types

When defining the character of a limited edition, manufacturers take into account different criteria. Below we analyze the most common special editions in luxury manufactures.

Anniversary editions

Anniversary editions are very common. It may be for the birthday of the manufacture itself, or for the anniversary of a particular model, but Swiss watch brands often commemorate their birthdays with special edition models.

Tribute editions

Another very common reason for launching a numbered collection is to pay homage to a classic model. It is usually redesigned, that is, the brand is based on the classic design, but incorporates novelties that bring the piece closer to the present.

There are collectors of a single model of watch, for example the Royal Oak by Audemars Piguet, Big Bang by Hublot, etc., the tribute editions also serve so that fans of a single model can expand their collection.

A new movement

When a manufacture presents a new movement, it usually does so with a special edition. Those of us who are passionate about watchmaking enjoy analyzing the mechanical movements of a watch, and in fact, it is the main criterion that we take into account when buying a piece, the special editions that present a new movement are, in general, the best gift for the very watchmakers.

Beyond manufacturing

Sometimes, the special edition of a watch has nothing to do with the manufacture itself, and the fact that it is honored is completely unrelated to the brand.

There are watches on the market that have been developed to promote movies, historical events, famous artists, etc.

The fashion of the special editions

Whether for marketing reasons or because watch fans really like special editions, this type of print run has multiplied in recent years.

There are many brands that have joined the design of special editions, and although in most cases they are private watches that include better than traditional models, sometimes some collections of this type contribute little to the catalog typical of the brand.

Before buying a special edition watch, you should know its characteristics, the brand's general catalog and the reasons why the edition is launched.

Manufactures that avoid special editions

It should be noted that not all manufacturers offer special editions of their watches. Patek Philippe is probably the best example of a Swiss watch brand that does not have special design lines for its watches.

Patek Philippe makes such exclusive runs of its usual models that we could consider all the watches from this manufacture to be part of special editions, even though they are not numbered and are not sold as such.

Discontinued special edition watches

As we said, the special editions launch a specific number of pieces, it can be just a dozen, or it can be a thousand, but once the official brand sells all the watches that make up the collection, it will not be possible to buy a piece in official stores.

However, this does not mean that it is absolutely impossible to buy a watch from a discontinued edition, there are many collectors who, for various reasons, put some of their pieces up for sale, at Watches5 Custom Watch Manufacturer they are experts in locating special edition watches, even in the most complex cases. If you are looking for a special edition watch contact Watches5.com.