How many watches are in a limited edition?
The total is set before the watches are made. Audemars Piguet describes a limited edition as a set number of identical watches that the brand decides in advance. In other words, every watch in the run is the same, and the quantity is chosen at the start. Real limited editions are usually small runs, sometimes fewer than 500 watches worldwide.
Where it comes from
Limited editions were once uncommon in watchmaking. They became much more popular in the late 1980s and early 1990s. An earlier case shows where the line falls. In 1972, Audemars Piguet’s press release for the Royal Oak said each limited series of the watch would be numbered. The first run was planned at 1,000 pieces and later extended to 2,000. Audemars Piguet itself says that watch was not a limited edition in the strict sense, because no fixed quantity was announced.
Not to be confused with
A special edition is tied to an occasion or theme, but it has no fixed production number. Limited production is different again. The brand makes only a set number of watches each year, but never commits to a fixed total. A limited edition is the only one of the three with a fixed total for the whole run. Many limited editions also commemorate an event or date, so they can look like special editions. The fixed number is what separates them.
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