Our Favorite Special-Edition Watches At The 2025 British Watchmakers’ Day

Are you attending the 2025 British Watchmakers’ Day in London tomorrow? If so, I guess you already have your ticket ready because the ones for club members and the general public are all sold out. I considered attending the event this year, and that was mainly because of the Gimlet, a very attractive special-edition watch that Studio Underd0g and Fears presented. Like most of the other special editions, it will only be available at the event. Unfortunately, I was too late to buy a ticket, so I’m missing out. Some of the special editions will be available for sale after the event, but that’s only if any pieces are left, of course.

This year, close to 45 British-based watch brands are presenting at the British Watchmakers’ Day. Together, they’re launching just under 30 special-edition watches. Some are limited to just one, three, or five pieces. Others have a production run of 100 or even 200 pieces. You can find an overview of all special editions on the event’s website. For this article, I’ll pretend I’m attending the fair tomorrow, and I made a short list of my favorites.

The Pinion Neutron Purple Dial Special Edition

An event like this is a great way for lesser-known brands to get some visibility. I had honestly never heard of Pinion Watch Co. At 38mm wide, the Neutron looks like a modestly-sized stainless steel watch with a fairly modern dial. The big applied numerals have a slight curve to them, and there’s a nice rosette in the center of the dial. I’m usually not a big fan of pumpkin-colored lume. However, in combination with the purple background, it works. The Pinion Neutron comes with a Sellita SW200-1 automatic movement, costs £1,050, and is limited to 30 pieces.

The Marloe Morar 310 “A Decade In Time”

Another colorful limited edition is the Morar 310 “A Decade In Time” by Marloe Watch Co. This watch celebrates the company’s 10th anniversary. The blue and yellow colors refer back to the flag of Sweden, where one of the founders used to live, and the flag of the Isle of Skye, where he lives now. The bezel features a white ceramic insert, and the watch comes on a very technical-looking textile strap with a Velcro closure. The brand mentions on its website that some of the 100 pieces are allocated to “a certain number” of attendees. However, the remaining watches will be made available to existing customers on Marloe’s actual birthday, March 16th. The 42mm Marloe Morar 310 “A Decade In Time” costs £799.

The Beaucroft Penfold Limited Edition

Another brand I wasn’t very familiar with is Beaucroft. Vincent reviewed the brand’s Element late last year and even gave it a spot on his list of the top 20 microbrand watches of 2024. The Penfold Limited Edition is based on the 39.5mm Element with its 9039 Miyota automatic movement. The artwork on the dial is a taste of British modernism made by Bristol-based artist Penfold. It’s a limited edition of 75 pieces and costs £649. Beaucroft will donate a portion of the proceeds from each sale to the Alliance of British Watch & Clockmakers, supporting the future of British watchmaking and design. The pieces that don’t sell at the show will go up for sale on the Beaucroft website right after.

The Christopher Ward C1 Moonphase “Mission to Maidenhead”

Christopher Ward is a brand I’m pretty sure many of you are familiar with. Did you also already know about the company’s C1 Moonphase from 2023? Well, the special-edition C1 Moonphase “Mission to Maidenhead” is a slightly modified version of that earlier model. The all-aventurine dial is still there, but it has a Union Jack on it. This time, the case measures 37mm instead of 40.5mm wide. There’s also a miniature astronaut on the very realistic lumed moon and a red central seconds hand. The CW C1 Moonphase “Mission to Maidenhead” is a limited edition of 25 pieces and costs £2,395 on a leather strap and £2,530 on a bracelet.

The Duckworth Prestex No.2

Here’s another brand I didn’t know about before I looked at the list of special-edition watches. Prestex, however, is a name that has existed since 1869 when it was founded in Bolton. In 1948, Gordon Duckworth took over the company, and the brand name turned into what it is now. The No.2 limited edition takes its inspiration from the company’s Bolton Automatic watch with a 39mm cushion case and a self-winding Miyota 82S5 inside. It also has a patriotic white dial with blue and red Roman numerals, above which hovers a gold-colored handset. This is a limited edition of 25 pieces and costs £950.

The Schofield B6 Deep Blue, Shallow Green, and Sea-Change Editions

When we’re talking about Schofield, you know you’re in for something special. There is not just one special edition this time but three. They all have a 44mm case made of patinated bronze. The dials show the hours, minutes, sub-seconds, and the power reserve. You can choose between a Deep Blue or Shallow Green dial. On the case back, there’s an illustration of a mermaid. The third special edition is in collaboration with artist Benjamin Guffee. This final version comes with an enameled case back inspired by Guffee’s paintings. The Schofield B6 editions are limited to 40 pieces in total, with 10 in Deep Blue, 10 in Shallow Green, and 20 with the special case back. Each watch costs £4,495.

The Farer Aurora 36mm

In a sea of colorful watches, the Farer Aurora 36mm is quite a modest entry. Farer’s watches usually feature multiple colors on the dial, but the Aurora 36mm keeps it simple with a copper backdrop combined with black numerals and hands. The dial does have a beautiful guilloché-like finish, though. Inside lies an automatic G101 caliber by La Joux-Perret, which has a comfortable power reserve of 68 hours. The Farer Aurora 36mm comes on a black leather strap and costs £950. Ten numbered pieces will be available at the show, and 90 unnumbered units will be available at a later date.

The Mr Jones Watches Khaosify Mechanical

Many of us don’t buy watches to know what time it is at any given moment of the day. We have phones and computers to do that for us. Watches simply have become a way to express personal style. Well, the Khaosify Mechanical by Mr Jones Watches is ready to take over your wrist. Previously, it was only available with a quartz movement, but for the fair, the brand decided to fit it with a Sellita SW200-1 automatic caliber. The artwork comes from Mister Phil, and yes, you can indeed read the time off of this beautifully chaotic and colorful dial. There will be only 10 pieces, and they will cost £750 each.

The Gimlet by Fears and Studio Underd0g

Finally, we come to the real showstopper, the Gimlet by Fears in collaboration with Studio Underd0g. I already went hands-on with it and think it’s such a smart and good-looking watch for £1,000. It has a manual-winding Sellita SW210-1 movement inside its 38mm case, which is water resistant to 100 meters. But the real standout feature is its fully lumed dial with a sapphire disc on top. That’s why it looks like the signature Fears numerals are floating. The Gimlet, named after a gin cocktail, is the perfect mix between Fears’ understated elegance and Studio Underd0g’s playfulness. This special edition is limited to 200 pieces.

If you’re in the mood for something a little more serious, Fears also offers an Edwardian Edition of its 40.5mm Jump Hour. It features an all-white dial and has a sterling (925) silver case. Only 10 pieces will be available, and they’ll cost £5,450 each.

Let me know in the comments below which special edition is your favorite and if you’ll be there tomorrow. If you will be, have a great time at the 2025 British Watchmakers’ Day!