Should You Collect Homage Watches?

When it comes to watch collecting and deciding what to collect, only a small number of things actually matter. Firstly, do you like the watch and secondly, can you afford to own it. After this, nothing else matters.

However, when it comes to homage watches, the decision to own one and collect them is pretty much split 50/50 between collectors. 

What Does “Homage” Mean?

In the dictionary homage is defined as “special honour or respect shown publicly.” It basically means that someone does a specific thing to show their respect to another, you could argue it is almost like a tribute to them.

You will often see this in movies. There will be a homage to a movie from many years ago, that the current one has taken inspiration from and it gives a little tip of the hat to its predecessor to show it is thankful for the inspiration. 

What Does “Homage” Mean In The Watch World?

When it comes to watches, the definition becomes a bit loose. It could be argued that the tribute that is trying to be given is often more of a direct replica. To be honest, I think sometimes this is the case.  

Some homage watches will indeed give a tribute to an older, classic watch. Maybe they will have a little aspect that is taken from this watch and the rest of the watch is a new design. Other homages are a little more “how close can we get to copying this watch without getting into trouble”

This is why they can be a little controversial.    

I’m sure you are all aware of Adidas and their famous 3 strips. …I am sure you also aware of the infamous cheap knock offs and their two strips. This scenario is played out a lot in the watch world.

(You can read more about – What Is A Homage Watch?)

Should You Buy A Homage Watch?

This totally comes down to personal choice. There is no right or wrong answer here but you can ask yourself a few questions to see if you feel if it is right for you.

What Is Being Homaged?

I like to ask myself if the watch I am looking at is actually a homage, or is it just a total copy of another watch.  

If it’s a watch that is really old and no longer available, or maybe the last few vintage models are super rare on the second hand market, I haven’t really got a problem with this.

A good example is San Martins Retro Diver. It is homaging the divers from the 1950s. It takes inspiration from a few different models, so for a start it’s not a direct copy, but it’s basically trying to look like the famous one worn by Sean Connery in the James Bond movies.

This watch isn’t made anymore and the few that are still around are now very expensive, at least 80k, more towards 100k. I certainly wouldn’t feel comfortable spending that amount of money (let me rephrase that – I can’t afford that). Especially on a watch that is now 70 years old. That really is a vintage watch and I would also not be comfortable wearing something so precious and old.

However, I really want that look. So for me a homage in this instance is totally fine.

If the homage watch was just a complete carbon copy (minus the logo and price tag) of a watch I could walk into any shop and buy today, I would maybe think twice about getting it.     

(You can read more about – Frequently Asked Questions About – Homage Watches)

Not all Homage Watches Are Cheap

If you look at the Tudor Black Bay 58, you will of course know this is a luxury watch with the price tag to match, but if we look at where this watch came from, it takes us straight back to the dive watches of the 1950s. This watch is a homage.

Tudor took inspiration from their own watches from this time period and packaged it up into the BB58 to give us a modern watch with a vintage feel.  This is the true definition of hommaging. The watch is very much its own design, but with plenty of nods to its predecessors from the 50’s. It is done so elegantly that people probably do not consider it as homage and I am also fairly confident that no one would question if they should own one or not.   

The irony is that you can find a lot of cheap homages of the Black Bay 58, a homage of a homage.

Interestingly you can also find a number of homage watches of lower cost watches, such as Seikos. Some models are about $250 and their homages are only just shy of this price tag. Which then opens an interesting question, why you would buy one, when the original is a similar price? 

(you can read more about – Affordable Watch Brands That Are Not Just Homages)

Is The Homage Watch Good Quality?

At the end of the day, you are buying a watch. Regardless of what it looks like, it needs to be good quality.

A lot of the cheap homage watches are of course going to be very low quality when compared to the luxury brands they are trying to emulate. Some of these watches can be 200 times cheaper so it is only expected that they are not going to be of the same high quality as a luxury watch brand.  

However, not always. Some watches can still be very well made, especially for the cost you’re paying for them. Of course their movements and finishing is never going to be luxury, but you can find some impressive work.

If they where their own design from a micro brand, rather than a homage, you would probably be very happy to own a watch of this standard in your collection.

(You can read more about – Are Aliexpress Watches Any Good?)

Can You Afford The Original Watch?

This is probably the main factor in deciding if you should collect homages or not. I am sure we would all love to have a watch box full of top tier luxury watches, but the truth is a lot of us do not have this…luxury. They are called “luxury” for this exact reason.  

Some of these watches can be thousands of pounds and I think a lot of that high price can be justified. (I do think there is a little hype tax placed on top, but only a little)

Some of us will never be able to afford this; some might be able to save up for a number of years. Maybe we can afford one watch like this. Maybe we can afford as many as we want, but we can’t justify having that amount on our wrist.

Whatever the reason, we might see a cheap homage as the answer to the problem. They can give us pretty much what we want. We won’t get everything, but it is the sacrifice we are willing to make for the lower cost.

You need to ask yourself what you can afford and what you can justify spending. Owning a watch and collecting them is a luxury, at any price point, so you do not need to over stretch yourself or compromise yourself financially to own one.

Will A Homage Watch Satisfy You?

As collectors, when we get our mind set on something, we won’t be satisfied until we have it.

Homage watches may look and feel like the luxury watch we want, but deep down we know it is not. We have to ask if having a lookalike or a cheaper alternative is going to satisfy us. Often it can, but not always.

Many people try homages, but just don’t feel satisfied and end up selling them on and then waiting to get the watch they actually wanted. This is something you need to work out for yourself, maybe you need to try a homage and see how you feel.

If it works for you, perfect, if you need a little more, well you know what you have to do now.   

(You can read more about – Should You Buy A Homage Of Your Grail Watch)

Conclusion

Homage watches range greatly in price and quality. They are not for everyone but if you are happy to buy them, they can help you own some styles of watches that may have been out of reach otherwise.

You should do you research on the specific watch you want, you may find some models of homages you do not agree with owning and others you do. Like I said at the very start, if you like the watch and you can afford it, then that is all that matters and you should buy it.

Buy it for you and only you to enjoy.

(You can read more about – Are Casio Watches Worth Collecting?)