Frequently Asked Questions About – Homage Watches

You will hear a lot of discussion among watch collectors about homage watches and this inevitably leads to a lot of questions.

I have written a lot about homage watches on this site, but I still get a lot of the great questions which I have basically just complied here. They are not in any real order, but hopefully they help you understand more about the world of homage watches.

If you still have any questions, just let us know and I will try to answer them.

Are Homage Watches More Affordable Compared to the Original Timepieces?

Yes, the whole point of the homage watch is that it is supposed to be an affordable alternative. It looks kind of similar …but not quite as good, and therefore cheaper.

A lot of homages are inspired by luxury watches, so there is a big price difference, but not always, you can still find homages of already quite affordable watches.

A good example of this is Seikos, you can find plenty of homages of these watches and at times the price difference may not be much and then you will need to decide if it is worth paying a little more for the original design or not.

Are Homage Watches Suitable for Everyday Wear?

Homages are often the perfect watch to be used for daily wear. They are usually very affordable, and also have decent specs.

You can feel a lot more comfortable walking around with a cheaper watch on your wrist compared to the very expensive ones they often emulate.

Do Homage Watches Hold Their Value?

The short answer is no.

Homage’s are already low value and readily available when you buy them and there is nothing about them that will make them become collectable or go up in value over time.

The only value you can add is your own sentimental value from enjoying the watch as much as you can.

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

Are Homage Watches Water-Resistant?

This will depend on the model, but a lot of homages will be water resistant.

I think it is also important to know that some homage brands are manufactured to a higher standard than others, so while the dial may say one thing, I would be careful.

Usually you will know if a certain brand is known for its trustworthiness and quality and if you have any doubts, just be careful with your watch around water.   

Are Homage Watches Automatic or Quartz?

You can get both quartz and mechanical homage watches, including automatics.

It really just depends on what watch you are looking at and what company is selling it. It should be stated on the listing and then you can decide from there if you want to buy it or not.

(You can read more about – Should You Buy A Quartz Or Mechanical Watch?)

Where Are Homage Watches Typically Manufactured?

This is a good question. I don’t have any official stats, but I would say the vast majority of these types of watches are made in China.

A lot of watches in general are made there, and it seems they have a very high number of homage brands too from there too. You just need to look on Aliexpress for a few minutes to see the sheer volume of homage’s coming from China. 

(You can read more about – Is Buying A Watch From Aliexpress Legit?)

Can Homage Watches Be Serviced by Any Watchmaker?

Yes, a lot of homages are serviceable. Usually they have cheap movements, such as the Seiko Nh35 and similar.

Usually a watch maker will suggest you just replace these movements, as they are very cheap and readily available, but either way a homage can be fixed, or have parts replaced very easily.

I am sure there are some models and brands that use slightly more obscure movements, but these are usually the very low cost and poor quality ones. If you have a decent homage watch, a watchmaker should be able to sort it out for you if there are any issues. 

Are Homage Watches Sold by Authorized Dealers?

This is an interesting question. I guess it really depends on the brand. Some watches are a little more subtle with their homaging levels and these are also often from large well known brands, so this may well be sold by an authorised dealer.

However, the cheaper, more obvious homages are usually just sold online, direct from the manufactures, which you will find a lot from the Aliexpreess brands. 

What Are the Legal Implications of Owning an Homage Watch?

There are no legal implications. Homages are totally legal …do not confuse a homage with a replica. These may look similar at times, but they are in fact very different.

Homages are careful to stay legal, and I will admit that the  line is very thin at times, but it is still there!

(You can read more about – Are Homage Watches Legal?)

Are Homage Watches Limited Editions?

This will really depend on the watch brand, but I don’t really ever seeing any limited edition homagaes.

Usually the goal of the brand is to sell as many as possible and they will just keep making them so long as there is a demand. You are more likely to see a homage being made of a limited edition watch, as the homage brand wants to capitalise on the high demand and low supply that has been created from the original watch due to being limited. 

Do Homage Watches Have Any Unique Features or Complications?

Homages will not have any “unique” features, but they will have the same type of complications as any other watches.

As they are cheaper watches, they will usually only have basic complications, such as the date, but this will really depend on what watch you are looking at.

A lot of homages do have some sort of complication and you may also find the homage watch has something like a date function, where the watch it is taking inspiration from has not, or vice versa.

You will also find complications like chronographs are harder to find in homage brands, and if they do have them, they are usually quartz, which are a lot easier and cheaper to manufacture.  

How Accurate Are Homage Watches in Terms of Timekeeping?

This will depend on what movement is inside your watch, but you can get some pretty accurate homage’s.

A lot of homage watches will have Seiko movements and these are not too bad. You can certainly adjust them and make them more accurate if you want.

You can also find a number of homages that are using sw200s, which are from the Swiss company Sellita. These may only be entry movements, but they are still decent and can be pretty accurate. 

Can Homage Watches Be Customized or Personalized?

This is “sort of” type answer. Most brands produce the watches and send them out the door. They have no interest in personalising them and that is fine.

However, some brands will allow you to create a custom dial. Brands like San martin will allow you to design a dial and they will print this on to the watch. This is pretty cool and it shows they will custom make your watch.

As for customisations of the case, I’ve not really seen this anywhere. You could maybe email some brands and say “can I have a different clasp” or something and they could possibly accommodate this at an extra cost. I guess it depends on the homage brand. Ones like san martin are more likely to do this than the others.

Can Homage Watches Be Engraved?

I see no reason why you could not get a homage engraved. Most are made out of stainless steel, so they are perfect for it.

The biggest problem you will face is just trying to find an area to enrage. The casebacks are often already engraved with all sorts of logos and what not, but there are some brands that have sterile casebacks, which would be perfect for engraving.

You would just need to take it to your local engraver and ask them what they can do.

Are Homage Watches More Popular Among Watch Enthusiasts or Casual Wearers?

This is a tough one to answer. I think they are more popular amount watch enthusiasts. When you look at the general public, who don’t care about watches …they usually just have a cheap watch they picked up from the high street, no watch, or a smart watch.

Most of these people have no idea about luxury watch brands and they certainly don’t know about the brands that are making similar looking watches to these luxury brands.

I am sure some of the general public end up with homages, but I would say that they are not the main buyers of these. 

(You can read more about – Should You Collect Homage Watches?)

Are Homage Watches Considered Trendy or Timeless?

I think in a way homages are trendy …but this is because they are made due to the fact they are riding the wave of others success. Just look at how the homage market works …a luxury watch becomes really popular, but of course not everyone can afford it. So what happens…

Cheap homages of this watch quickly start appearing to fill that market for those who want the watch, but can’t afford the original. Homages exploit the trend, rather than create it.

As for timeless …this depends. Some of the designs they use can be considered timeless, but really it depends on what model of what you are buying.

Do Homage Watches Come With Warranties?

A lot of homages will come with a warranty, but the reality is I do not know how good these are.

A lot of watches will arrive with a warranty card …but it’s not signed. A lot of these companies are also in China, so both communication and just generally sending the watch back is going to be a pain. Really it depends on the company, but it can be done successfully.

Most people see the watches as so cheap that they just accept that if its breaks, it’s a write off. It isn’t worth the effort trying to use the warranty and they will just buy another cheap replacement.

 Are Homage Watches Suitable for Formal Occasions?

This will really depend on what watch you buy. There are plenty of homage’s of formal looking watches.

If you we take the Cartier tank for example, this is a very famous dress watch and looks great at formal occasions. You could easily buy a homage of this style of watch, there will be plenty of companies offering a square shaped watch that has a similar look to the Tank, and you could wear it to your own formal occasion if you wanted.

Really at the end of the day you could wear any watch you want. No one really cares. I would always suggest you try and get a nice dress watch, but if you don’t, it’s not the end of the world, most people don’t really pay attention to this kind of thing, so it’s fine.

How Do Homage Watches Compare To Other Watch Types Like Diver’s Watches or Pilot’s Watches?

This question doesn’t make any sense. Homage watches are not a style of watches. You can have homages of divers …homages of pilot watches and so on.

If we look at arguably the most famous dive watch, the Rolex Submariner, this is of course a dive watch and an original design by Rolex. A homage would be a watch that is similar looking to this. It has taken inspiration from this submariner design and while it is not a direct copy, you can clearly see where the idea has come from.

So really you can compare the Rolex submariner to countless homages, which is basically other companies attempts to make a similar watch, while not copying it directly.   

In pretty much all cases the original watch will be better than any homage of it, when you compare them.

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

Are Homage Watches Made With Genuine or Synthetic Materials?

This is a strange question. Watches are usually made out of things such as steel and brass, which I guess are genuine? …they they may also have plastics …so is that synthetic?

I think really this question is in relation to the straps, especially leather ones. This will depend on the watch. Some straps may be genuine leather, while others may be synthetic …it really does just depend on what you are buying.

Are Homage Watches Easy to Find In The Retail Market?

I would say yes. Aliexpress is full of homage watches and they are very easy to find on there as well as many other online sites.

If you want to go down to the local high street, you may not find this level of homage so easily …but you will still find homages, they will just be more subtle. These will be true homages, where they just take inspiration from other watches, rather than really trying to look very similar.  

Are Homage Watches Available in Limited Quantities or Mass-Produced?

It is hard to know exactly, but I would imagine it is a bit of both. Basically they will just keep making the watches so long as the demand is there.

If you think of Aliexpress homage brands, they might only make 100 watches and put them up for sale …then see what happens. If they start selling like crazy, they will just keep making more and more until that demand goes down.

I don’t think they are saying “okay let’s make 10,000 and see if they all sell” I think they work in smaller batches and just keep repeating this until they notice the sales really dropping. Letting the market guide them like this just makes more sense as it stops them having shelves full of unsold watches.

Do Homage Watches Attract Attention From Watch Collectors?

This is strange question. I guess the answer is yes.

Watch collectors are the ones who mainly buy these watches, so in that sense they are attracted to them.

However, If you mean “If I wear this homage, will watch collectors notice it and come over to talk to me about it” …then, maybe. Most collectors will be checking out every ones wrist, and seeing what everyone is wearing.

They may see your homage from a distance and mistake it for the original. They may talk to you about it, or not. If they do, just be honest and say that it’s a homage.

(You can read more about – What Are The Pros and Cons Of Purchasing A Homage Watch?)

Can Homage Watches Be Customized With Different Straps or Bracelets?

Yes, this isn’t a problem. Homage watches are just like any other watch, you can remove the straps and replace them with whatever you want  

Are Homage Watches Sold Online or Exclusively in Physical Stores?

I would say the vast majority of homages are sold online, especially the ones with the strong levels of homaging.

Some of the more subtle homages will be sold in physical stores. Really I would suggest you go down to your local shop and have a look what if on offer and see for yourself. Ultimately you will find more watches online, but you should be able to find something locally too.

How Do Homage Watches Compare To Other Popular Watch Brands in Terms of Pricing?

Homages are pretty affordable and are fairly cheap when compared to a lot of other great affordable brands.

It will really depend on what watches you are looking at, but homages do compare pretty well with a lot of popular brands in regards to prices.

(You can read more about – How Do Homage Watches Compare To Luxury Watches In Terms Of Craftsmanship?)

Are Homage Watches Suitable for Both Men and Women?

Yes, anyone can wear any watch. It doesn’t matter who you are.

If you like the watch and it feels good on your wrist, then that is all that matters, just wear it.

(You can read more about – Can Woman Wear Men’s Watches?)

Are Homage Watches Limited to Specific Watch Models or Brands?

You can find homages of all sorts of different watches …but of course you will find that there does seem to be a certain set of watches that get more homaging than others.

Just think of the most popular luxury watches …these are the ones you are going to see being copied by homage brands the most.

These are popular luxury watches … they look good, people want them and they sell well …so it makes a lot of sense that these ones get the most attention from the homage brands.

Conclusion

As you can see there were a lot of great questions asked about homage watches.

Hopefully you learned something new, but if there is still something you are not sure about, just ask and we will try and answer you.

(You can read more about – What Are Some Popular Homage Watch Brands?)