The Limited Edition was founded in 2015 with one goal: bring the world of independent watchmaking to the wrists of more collectors. They’ve since curated a retail profile and brand partnerships guaranteed to make you the toast of any watch meet you attend with one of their watches on the wrist. However, this year they’ve gone further than ever on their quest to bring creative watchmaking to collectors with the opening of Pietro’s Lounge in Fitzrovia and hosting the Days Of The Independents event.
Brands
As a collector, understanding The Limited Edition comes first from the brands they have retail connections with. The key word here, as with everything The Limited Edition does, is independents, whether that means microbrands or the masters of AHCI.
On the microbrand front you have names like Awake with their Vietnamese lacquer, Earthen Co. with their affordable ceramic cases and Kollokium with their hand-layered dials. Each bringing a completely different approach to design. The same is true of some the larger independents on display like Czapek, Favre Leuba, Atelier Wen, and Horage.
However, the area in which The Limited Edition excels above other retailers is their cohort of high end independents. Andersen Geneve, Andreas Strehler, David Candaux, Felipe Pikullik, Konstantin Chaykin, Kudoke, Lang & Heyne and Vianney Halter to name a few. Many of whom are connected to the Académie Horlogère des Créateurs Indépendants (AHCI) including Vincent Calabrese who is one of the AHCI founders. The Limited Edition stocks a variety of new and pre-owned watches depending on the brand, a great way to get a foot in the door to develop a client-collector relationship with some of the most sought after names in watchmaking.
Pietro’s Lounge
Pietro’s Lounge, named after The Limited Edition’s founder Pietro Tomajer, is located at 21 Little Portland Street in Fitzrovia. It’s a multi-use space for collectors and brands with a meeting room, kitchenette and event space. Whether it’s a brand hosting an important client ahead of a significant sale or the release party for a new watch, it’s a place for people to gather and celebrate independent watchmaking of all stripes.
It is also by its very nature, a place filled with exciting and interesting horology with display cases scattered around the light, airy space filled with watches and clocks from the brands available.
Days Of The Independents
The Limited Edition’s annual watch showcase is called Days Of The Independents, and this year took place at The Lansdowne Club in September. 35 Independent brands were in attendance with a relaxed atmosphere and exciting conversation. Brand representatives, founders and even watchmakers were on hand to talk through their latest projects.
Members of the Oracle Time team were in attendance too this year and it was a fantastic opportunity to catch up with members of the industry and some of our collector friends. We particularly enjoyed meeting young brands like Neode, who were debuting their inaugural watch at the show, the N01.
Another highlight was the Ricky Hong x The Limited Edition “18 in 18” collaboration launch that also took place at the event. It sold out very quickly, but we’ll talk about it more in just a moment…
The Limited Edition Collaborations
The Limited Edition list 19 watches in their collaboration archives, having produced special editions with some of watchmaking’s most exclusive brands. There’s the aforementioned Ricky Hong “18 in 18” with its sleek 1930s inspired porcelain enamel dial. A fusion of Swiss, French and Chinese influences.
Other collaborations include the Arnold & Son London Skyline, Raketa Mars-3, Konstantin Chaykin’s Joker Night and Night Joker, and the Sartory Billard SB07 Lagoon. There’s also the £86,300 Vianney Halter Reality of Time for The Limited Edition’s 10th Anniversary last year.
Which brand would you want to see The Limited Edition collaborate with next?
