Can Homage Watches Be Considered Heirloom Pieces?

Watches are often considered as heirlooms, but can a homage watch be an heirloom? This is an interesting question and really it depends. 

I will go through what exactly an heirloom is and why a homage watch can be one if you want it to be, and also some reasons why it might not be the best option.

What Is An Heirloom?

If we are going to look at the potential for a watch to be an heirloom, I think it is first a good idea to work out what exactly an heirloom is.

Really it is just a fancy word for an item that a family finds valuable, and then this is passed down through the generations.

They are also often seen as items that can be linked to a family member who has passed away and this is really what makes the definition a little blurry. It is down to the individual family to decide what exactly an heirloom is or not.

I can’t walk into your house and start saying certain things would make a great heirloom, that is for you and your family to decide as you know the items and their importance and value in your life.

Initially the item may be held on for more of the sentimental value …let’s say your dad keeps his dads(your granddads) watch …when your father passes away and you inherit it …you might not have had a very close relationship with your granddad, so maybe  the sentimental value is not as high, but it’s still your granddads watch… now this watch has become an heirloom and you are going to want to hold on to it and pass it down to your son. He may have never met your granddad, but he knows this watch is important as it has been passed through your dad and now from you to him.  

What Do We Consider as Valuable?

Usually when we think of valuable, we mean in a monitory sense, but it can also mean in a sentimental way.

These heirloom items were linked to the family member, so they can have a lot of memories attached to them and this is why quite often an heirloom can fall into both of these categories and why it is only something your family can decide. It is easy to attribute financial value to something, but the sentimental value is very personal.

Things like watches and jewellery can hold both sentimental and as well as monetary value and it also doesn’t need to be both. You can have some worthless junk as an heirloom …but if it holds a lot of sentimental value, then it’s not junk to that person, it’s priceless. 

Why Do Watches Make Good Heirlooms?

When we look around our houses we may own plenty of stuff but it is watches and jewellery in general that makes a great heirloom, they tick a lot of boxes when it comes to being suitable for an heirloom.

They are small, so they are easy for someone to hold on to and store safely, they also last a long time and if with some servicing they are basically going to last indefinitely.

You could also argue that they are still functional, you could wear an heirloom watch and actually get some use from it.

They also quite often hold a lot of monetary value, as well as sentimental value as they are a direct link to the person who owned them.

Most of the things we own have no real value, or they will not last term or what is usually the case is they are too large and bulky. Just think of a car, it might have both monetary and sentimental value and also last a long time …but they take up so much space, so they are just usually sold on out of convenience.  

The Monetary Value Does Play A Role

The reality is that most heirlooms are expensive items. It is only natural that this is the case.

Sadly when someone dies you have to go through their stuff and the vast majority of it is just kind of “stuff” it doesn’t really have any value and maybe you can sell some of it, or donate it and often a lot of it just gets binned.

Just look around your house right now, it’s probably full of stuff that you don’t need, so what do you expect your family to do with it all.

However, you may own one or two high value items, so these can’t exactly just be binned and a little more consideration will go into these items. If they are also small and sentimental, like a watch …they are much more likely to be held on to and become an “heirloom”.

If the item is quite large, like a car …or a house, it’s probably going to be sold on, even if there is sentimental value there too. 

Homages Don’t Have Any Monetary Value

When we look at homage watches, they don’t really hold any value. They are basically cheap watches.

When your family is going through your items, they are going to look at your homages and know they are pretty much monetarily worthless. They could try and sell them on, they will not get a lot of money for them.

This really means that if they are going to keep your watch, it is for sentimental reasons. They will probably have fond memories of you wearing it and that is all.  

They Might Go Up In Value Over A Few Generations

While homages have no value now, I do think they may go up over the long term …and I mean real long term. You would have to pass these watches down over a good few generations.

This sounds kind of stupid, but imagine in 150 years time someone brings a Pagani Design out. These may be cheap watches now, but after 150 years it’s now a pretty historical item and I think it might actually be worth some money, even if it is a homage.

We see this all the time with really old stuff. It may have been everyday items back when it was used, but now it is a historical item’s. Look at how excited people get when they find an intact roman pot. These where just some cheap clay pots used for their wine to drink at lunch time …worthless to the Romans, priceless to us …so maybe the same could happen to our cheap homages we have today in a few hundred years.   

Homages Can Have Lots Of Sentimental Value

Really if you are going to have a homage watch as an heirloom, this is going to be due to its sentimental value. 

A watch is something you wear all the time, so it is an easy item to associate with someone and it can be the type of item that has a lot of memories attached to it, both for whoever owns the watch and the rest of your family.

Its personal connection to you, quite physically as its attached to your wrist does help make it more sentimental that some other items you may own that may be of equal value.  

Investments Are Not Heirlooms

Some people think that they should buy a new Rolex for example and then keep this totally untouched and sealed in the box as this is this new “heirloom” to pass down.

I guess technically is an heirloom, but really I would consider this an investment that you have made for your future generations. This kind of approach would be the same as setting up some sort of savings account and trying to call it a heirloom. It’s not quite the same.

Just because it is a watch, that is valuable and you want to pass down, doesn’t make it an heirloom. As I have discussed already, some of that value will come from the sentimental side of things and this is the difference between an heirloom and an investment for the future generations. 

(You can read more about – Can Homage Watches Be Considered A Good Investment?)

Homage Watches Are Small

Just like any other watch, a homage is small …and as I have mentioned already, this means it is an easy item to hold on to, regardless of its value.

Even if your watch is cheap and worthless, it’s easy for family to hold on to it and keep somewhere safe. This is exactly why so many heirlooms are quite small, or at least if they are large, they are easily stored somewhere, such as artwork on the wall.    

Will Homages Last Long Term?

The big question around homages and their ability to be a good heirloom really revolves around their ability to last long term.

There is no point trying to pass something down to the next generation if it breaks and falls apart before they even get their hands on it.

The cases of most watches, including homage’s are pretty sturdy, a lump of stainless steel is going to last pretty much forever, but what about the other components such as the movements and the crown.

A lot of high end watches will pretty much last indefinitely but even these may need some parts replaced and they will certainly need serviced now and again. Homage’s tend to use cheap movements, such as the NH35, which can be pretty reliable and last long time… but can they last enough to be passed down?

This is a tough one to know. You could argue that they could. If you treat them like a high end watch and get them serviced they could last just as long, it then just comes down to is it worth putting that much time, effort and money into a watch that isn’t really worth a lot …this really comes down to you and your family, but it could be entirely possible.  

(You can read more about – Are Homage Watches Considered To Be High-Quality Timepieces?)

Conclusion

So hopefully now you can see why a homage may not be the best idea to be a heirloom …although it is entirely possible.

It really all depends on what your family decides and if you are willing to take good care of your homage and it has plenty of sentimental value, then there is no reason why it cannot become an heirloom. Just because it is not a common practice, doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be done.

There will be plenty of people who have an old cheap Seiko that was their granddads, and there is no reason why you can’t pass down your own cheap watch, even if it is just a homage.

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