Why Special Order Watches are Perfect for the Watch Community

As more and more people around the world fall under the sway of fine mechanical timepieces, there's an increasing appetite for watches that can't be found in the regular boutique — or any boutique for that matter. There's a point in watch collecting when limited editions lose their lustre, and you want a more hands-on involvement in the watches you buy. This is the point when you're ready to enter the mysterious world of the 'special order watch.'

There are no hard and fast rules as to what constitutes this sort of custom watch, but it's typically a private commission in limited quantities that isn't available for public sale. Of course, this sort of customised timepiece isn't new — the Rolex 'Comex' and the Kanjar-dialled watches are particularly well-known examples, as are watches commissioned by various military squadrons. Thanks to increasing visibility through Instagram and other apps, there's an increasing appetite for this sort of special order. There are collectors groups across the globe that band together to create these sorts of pieces, and one of the most well-known is the Dubai Watch Club, founded by Adel Al Rahmani who have worked with brands as diverse as Cartier, Zenith and Trilobe to create special editions for members. The Dubai Watch Club works to incorporate regional details into its creations — their take on the Trilobe Nuit Fantastique is a great example, with literary Arabic numerals and a rich green guilloché dial inspired by the mashrabiya screen.

Not every special edition has to pay tribute to geography or culture, however. When the Singapore Watch Club worked with Cartier to create a series of 18 unique special edition timepieces to celebrate the club's sixth anniversary in 2022, they were content with a unifying brushed dial and very subtle 'SWC' detailing. This diversity and freedom of design are a great part of the appeal of special order timepieces.

Collector's groups aren't the only ones to order watches like this — there's an equally long tradition of businesses ordering custom timepieces. Tudor is a particularly notable example, thanks to visible watches like Hodinkee's 'Friends and Family' watch and the Black Bay made to celebrate Ed Sheeran's Divide Tour. We spoke to a former tech company employee involved in commissioning

"Obviously, it's different for every brand, but I was involved in a custom Tudor. What we did was considered a corporate order, which had to be approved by Geneva. The designs were generally proposed and have to be approved. On top of that, every watch has to be accounted for by someone who was an employee to make sure it's going to the right place. There are minimum order quantities and restrictions, but that depends on the model and if the project is of significant size. What I found interesting is that I didn't think they were super motivated by the quantity. I think they really just wanted to make things that they think are interesting, or for companies that they find fascinating, rather than just the size of the order."

At its heart, watch collecting is about engaging with communities of like-minded people, which is why so many watch owners are fiercely loyal to their favourite brands. The ability to have something from a brand you love that you've been involved in designing, or was never publicly available is a natural extension of this passion, and a great marker of community.