All, am interested to hear what OF members take on these limited edition versions. IMHO I don't see the attraction. Here is a 1989 145.022 with a bit of engraving on the side and the seller is looking for £7.5k on ebay. I would much prefer to spend the money on something like this 69 that is going for similar money....... (image from @KRLYUZH)
Askin price and selling price are two very different things, the true price for that particular reference is nowhere near that high. Having said that some LE's are worth crazy dollars, the Apollo-Soyuz original LE being the best example of that. Those are deep five figure watches worth more than most 2998s.
Some sellers are a little fast and loose with the 'limited edition' term. They're just trying to catch someone's attention who doesn't know quite enough to know how much they should be spending. Similar to what most watch companies do in the first place with new releases. I agree with you, the second watch is better in every way.