Can Homage Watches Be Considered Collectable Items?

Watch collectors often discuss homage watches, but can these watches actually be considered as collectable?

The reality is that they are popular and people will collect them …but they are not actually collectable. There is nothing really special about these watches that makes valuable and it is extremely unlikely that they will become collectable in the future.

This doesn’t mean they are bad, it just means you need to buy them to enjoy them and not worry about any future value they may hold.  

You Can Collect Homage’s, But They May Not Be Collectable

Personally I am a fan of homages and if you like them, you should buy them. This does technically mean you are “collecting” them, but unfortunately they are not actually collectable items.

When you think of a “collectable” item it needs to be rare or hold some sort of value that makes people want it over the long term.

A homage watch doesn’t really have this, they are just very average run of the mill watches and even if you build up a collection of them… it still doesn’t mean they are collectable.  

It sounds kind of contradictory, but hopefully you understand what I mean. Think of it like anything else you have in your house, say knives and forks …you can have as many as these as you want in your kitchen drawer, but they are pretty much worthless and no one would ever want them …but you of course then have knives and forks made out of solid silver, and these might actually be worth something and these would actually be collectable.

Your homage watches are just like your average knife and fork, very good and useful, they might even look nice …but not collectable. Whereas the luxury watches …these are like the silver knives and forks.

Weird comparison, but hopefully that helps explain things. I think a part of the issue is that homages can look like expensive watches, but they are not. This is again like the knives and forks. Those stainless ones you bought from Ikea for a couple of dollars may look the exact same as the silver ones, but that doesn’t mean they are worth the same.

Homage Watches Are Easily Acquired

One of the main reasons why homage’s will not become collectable is simply because they are easily acquired, they are not rare.

A lot of the time homage’s will be trying to emulate an actual rare and collectable watch. The issue is that these watches are hard to get and while everyone wants one, there isn’t many of them and they are expensive …so the homage market fills this demand.

The homage is trying to make a collectable watch obtainable, and in doing so, makes itself not collectable in the process.

Homage’s Are Affordable

When we look at the monetary value of homage’s, they are usually very affordable, which of course links into the above point that they are easily acquired.

The low cost of these watches basically means they have no real value to them. When we look at the watches they are trying to homage, these may be made from precious metals, so there is actually some value in these original watches.

Sadly homages are always going to be seen as low value watches and are not really going to go up in value over time, which is just another reason why they are not seen as collectable. 

(You can read more about – Are Homage Watches Recommended For Those New To Watch Collecting?)

Homage’s Are Not Original

A lot of the general problem around homages is the fact that they are not using original designs, they are very much taking their design cues from other watches.

This “copying” of the designs does mean that the collectability of these watches goes right down. While they are very much totally legal, they are not original and collectors would of course rather have the original.

However, this is also why we as watch collectors actually want to add these watches into our collection today. Of course we want the original watches too, but we can’t afford them, or get access to them …and homage’s fill that gap. It does mean our personal collection is not exactly collectable, but we are still happy with what we have.

Watch collecting isn’t about having watches that are worth a lot, or are rare, it’s about having watches that you like and can wear and enjoy.

The Resell Value of Homage’s Isn’t Always The Best

With all the above points, it should be no shock to you that homages do not have a very high resell value. They in fact usually sell for a lot less than they are brand new.

You will often see watches go for a lot  more money in the second hand market due to the high demand, but of course this is not the case for homages.

As they are easily available, they are more like any other second hand item and sell for much lower.

Don’t Buy Watches For “Investment Gains”

I will always tell people not to worry about buying watches to make a profit from them at a later date. You should buy the watch because you want to wear it and enjoy it, not because you see it as an investment.

Any gains are not guaranteed and this is especially true for a homage watch, where it will most likely go down in value.

If you are going to buy a homage, do so to enjoy it and make use of it, this is where its value lies, not in its monetary resell. 

Conclusion

Hopefully now you can see that while you can collect homages and fill your own collection with them …they are not collectable.

This shouldn’t put you off them. They can be great watches and if you like them, get them …and wear them and enjoy them.

Enjoying your homage watches is where the real value lies, so just enjoy them and make them sentimentally valuable, don’t worry that people do not see these watches as collectable.  

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