Limited Edition Watches

I think it’s a bit of both.

Agreed, it really depends on the brand.

Doing weird fun colors in limited runs makes sense. Not everyone will want mint green or lavender so you satisfy those buyers.

However, some brands really do it wrong. It turns into looking like a cash grab and that bugs me.

Depends, not a simple A or B. Some LEs are A but alot are B

Limited edition collaborations are genuine exclusive. Limited runs by micro brands are genuine exclusive.

Limited edition colors like @seattlegirrlie said are good for the company and the collector, but are more of a marking thing.

Anything marketed a Special Edition, Collector Edition or anything that is a licensed edition are just a plain waste of time and money 🤑

It rather depends on the volumes. I don’t think “limited editions” in the thousands are particularly limited. But depending on the brand 1500 downwards might be meaningfully limited.

From a microbrand, it's expected, they just do small runs. From bigger companies, sometimes it's too actually mark something specific, and sometimes it's just marketing. I'm looking at you, Omega.... And Seiko too. I don't know that I'd call a watch that they are making 4,000 or more of a limited edition.

If there themed around something you like me personally I like cartoons anime and such so Seiko is a god send you can't deny this watch here ain't a good looking watch and to me a great character too

If they limited the limited editions then it might hold more weight in my opinion. Seems to be a new LE every other day from some brands.

The biggest problem with LEs is the expectations of enthusiasts. LE doesn't mean exclusive, collectable, valuable, etc., it's simply means there is a limited production run for the model.

Some LEs are designed to be exclusive, but most are simply made to have a different version of a standard production model.

Depends

Released every couple of weeks or months is just a cash grab. Once in a while or as part of an Ambassador corporate tie in why not. Like anything there are always good and bad examples as well as what the hell were they thinking

It's cool but I also don't really care 🤷🏽‍♂️ all watches are limited when you think about it. You'll likely never see someone else wearing the same watch you are in regular every day

Depends on the brand.

Anything where there is no time to think whether you really like the offering or not is a money grab. What is the point of it being exclusive if you can’t even tell if you really want it or only act because of the FOMO. Advertised scarcity is a gimmick.

Depends . . . that said, we're not rational people and they know this.

Voted A, with the caveat as others have noted, genuine limited edition and/or going for good causes.

Case in Point

Nodus x AWWC Sector Deep No. 35 of 50 (technically 51, since there was a prototype with different seconds hand and 00 #)

I'd also include special mission unit issued/unit purchased as well. (Not talking govt issued)

Resco, Tudor, Sangin, Marathon, CWC, Bremont, and Omega.

https://www.watchesofespionage.com/blogs/woe-dispatch/an-exploration-of-unit-watches-from-the-special-operations-community-tudor

https://www.watchesofespionage.com/blogs/woe-dispatch/omegas-modern-unit-watch-program-frogmen-navy-seals-and-us-secret-service

Well a Timex or Seiko limited edition is not the same thing as say a Ulysees Nardin limited edition. Still, it's varying ratios of both these