How Do Homage Watches Compare To The Original Watches They Pay Tribute To?

One of the biggest kick backs towards homage’s is that they are just cheap knockoffs and nothing like the original watch, but is this true?

Well, sometimes yes, other times no …comparing the homage to the original watch is really going to depend on a lot of different factors that will go through below, but basically the original watch is always going to be the better watch.

The very nature of homages usually means they are a “cheaper” version, but that doesn’t always mean bad. You can still get some very high quality homages, it’s just that the watches they are paying tribute to are an even higher level of quality.

Homages Are Always Cheaper

When we look at homages they are always going to be cheaper than the original watch.

This is sort of the point of them, they are usually aiming to appeal to the people who cannot afford the original. This is why they are usually homaging high end watches, they know the demand for these watches is high, but not everyone can afford them.

However, you can still find homages of pretty affordable watches. You can find plenty of Seikos that are homaged and while these are often the more “expensive” Seikos, they are still very affordable and the price difference between the original and the homage can be pretty close at times.

It Depends On The Homage Watch

Really if we want to compare the difference between a homage and an original …then we need to look at the homage watch itself.

If a watch is particularly popular then you may find a number of different homage brands try and make a version of it and this of course means that the quality will vary greatly between these.

Some homage brands are really good and make excellent quality watches, while others are a little subpar and maybe not worth your money at all.

It Depends How Strong The Level Of Homaging Is

We should also look at the level of homaging too, which means how much “inspiration” has been taken …which really means, how much copying has happened. 

Some homage brands really push the limits of what is a homage and what is a basically a legal clone. Other brands may do their version a little more tastefully, where the watch they have made is merely inspired by the original watch, rather than directly trying to copy it exactly. 

If the watch is just paying tribute it can have its own feel and be respected a little more as you can almost say it is its own watch. However, if the watch is basically just a direct copy it is always going to have that “poor mans” feel about it when compared to the original.

It is never going to be able to copy the watch to the same level, so it will always appear to fall short, regardless of how good the quality is. 

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

It Depends On The Original Watch That Is Being Homaged

I think it is also important to look at the original watch.

As I already mentioned some homages made to be like affordable brands like Seiko, and really the difference isn’t going to be a lot. Often homage brands use Seiko movements, like the Nh35, so you are almost getting an unofficial Seiko, that also kind of looks like a Seiko …so yeah, that’s a bit strange.

However, if you go to the other end of the scale and look at the high end watches, there is going to be a big difference between these watches. They may be made from precious metals and be covered in diamonds …and of course the homage version will not have any of this and even if they attempt to make the watches look similar, the materials are certainly not the same.

This really does mean it can make it hard to compare different homage’s. A homage of a Seiko needs to be pretty good and close the original or it is going to be a pretty bad watch, whereas on the other hand you can make an incredibly high quality homage …but it can still fall very short to the standard of a high end luxury watch.

If this watch wasn’t a homage, you would sing its praises as it is really well made and finished. However, as it is only made from stainless steel and it is trying to compete against the elite levels of the high end luxury watch that is made from platinum, it is always going to be terrible in comparison.

The standard of the original watch really can affect how we see the homage and often it isn’t a fair comparison.  

The Materials In Homages Will Usually Be Cheaper

When we compare the materials you can find in either watch, the luxury watches will usually have better quality materials.

Homages are going to be using the cheaper and more basic variations of things and then of course when you look at the high end luxury watches there really is no comparison. You can’t really compare precious metal and diamonds to basic stainless steel.

Homages Can Give You A Similar Look And Feel To The Original

The good thing about homages is that they can look good enough. You are not trying to get pure perfection and a complete copy, that is not the point of a homage.

A homage is supposed to give you a watch that is a little different …but has a similar feel.

If I want to know exactly what it is like to have a 100k watch on my wrist, then the only way to do that is to buy 100k watch and wear it. However, I can get pretty close with a homage.

You can pay a fraction of the price and get a general feel for what it might be like. This can be especially true with the watches that are a little stronger with homaging level. the weight and wear of the watch may not be completly the same and the usability may feel different when you twist the crown, due to the cheaper components, but you will be able to glance down and get a rough idea what the original may be like.

This can be very helpful if you are unsure about a watch. You can basically do a test run with a homage and see how you like it.

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

Conclusion

Hopefully this helps you understand that it is not always easy to broadly compare homages with the watches they are paying tribute to, it really depends on the individual watches.

In general they are going to be cheaper and a slightly lower quality than the original watch, but this doesn’t mean they are bad, some of the watches they are paying tribute to are extremely high quality, so even if the homages fall short, you will still end up with a very good watch and you can still get the same feel, even if it is slightly different.

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