Homage watches?

[Talbot]

My military homage.

 

[DanielPetmr]

If anyone had told me I would be impressed by a "fake" watch at any time in the past I would have laughted at them...and maybe been a little insulted The "homage" watches aren't intended to decieve you into believing it is a Rolex. These are just a recreation of a good watch for pennies on the dollar. Just as it should be.

One of my touch stone as an adult was to be able to buy and wear a Rolex. No clue how I came to that decision but I did.

My first real watch was a high school graduation present from my parents. A nice watch. A fitting my summer job for a few years. Sadly it took leave of the case on a climb @-30F in Canada one winter by in the '70s. It would take another decade before I bought a Rolex.

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I started with a Date version that I evenetaully had refinished and gave to my Father. Then on to a good many models of the Submarinier and SD. Today I own one, a vintage 16800. And a neat "homage", itself to the earlier vintage Rolex dive watches with matte dials.

I seldom wear a watch these days but am still amazed that this 16800 keeps almost perfect time over a few weeks @ + or - just 1 or 2 seconds in that time frame.

There is a reason that Rolex is still such an "in demand" tool watch even today.

Having owned vintage and new Rolex Subs from the mid '70s up to the early 2000s it is easy to say there is a difference on how the older vintage watches sit on your wrist and how different thy are when reading the time as my eyes have aged.

Enter the "homage" watches. More than one company making a copy of the earlier vintage British military issue Submariner. A quick google search will find a couple of them for you. Most of the parts are Seiko. Some do a better job at trying to hide the Seiko history than others. But what you generally get is a very durable and reasonably accurate, mechanical, automatic, Seiko NH 38 movement . Stainless case and a choice in crystals, domed or flat, acrylic or mineral crystal. 24 jewel, 41 hour reserve and 21,600 bph. Accuracy wise? -20 ~ +40. Not great but not terrible either, for an inexpensive, mechanical, self-winding watch! My single example is half that for error, which I understand now, is not that unusual.

A lot of "Homage" watches available now. Several versions of the Rolex Submariner as a starter, then, the GMT and from what I have seen the Explorer I and II can also be had. I don't need another. But I sure like the weight on my wrist and how easy it is to read the MilSub version.
Dewalt DXAEC80 download instruction manual pdf

As does my lovely wife. Which is the reason we now have two "fake Rolexes". Sorry, my mistake. Two "Homage" watches". And I am wearing a watch daily again, much to my own surprise.

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Since getting into watches (mostly Casios of various flavors) recently, I've noticed the term "homage" being thrown around. Is this term just a watch thing? Copies... clones... knock offs.... that's what these things are. Which is fine... but "homages" they are not. They're not honoring anything, they're copying designs to make a profit off another company's legacy!

 

[Yahoody]

History is a fun thing to read.

https://www.ablogtowatch.com/brief-history-waterproof-watches/2/

Setting aside the snob factor of having a modern copy with a brand name attached. Maybe the homage watches are simply a very nice watch made from the high-quality parts that are now available to everyone. And offering real value @ pennies on the dollar by comparison.

Your comment is rather funny really if you know anything about the history of the more famous watch brands, be it Smith, CWC, Rolex, Tudor or pretty much anyone you care to name. The most famous watches are very likely just copies of a watch that came before the "famous maker's" version.

Designed from the ground up in 1952, the Fifty Fathoms was born from the mind of French secret service agent, Captain Bob Maloubier, MBE, who worked with the Special Operations Executive during WWII.

Which of course Rolex knocked off shortly after. In 1953, Rolex introduced their Submariner line of dive watches in the form of the reference 6204.

Worth a read:
https://www.gearpatrol.com/watches/a557312/military-watches/

Funnier yet, as I type this, I have 7 mechanical watches and one quartz movement sitting at my desk. Retail prices on those watches range from $110 to $17,000. By far the best time keeper is $700 Quartz. (even a cheap Casio will out perform any mechanical Rolex) The best mechanical watch for keeping time, in this bunch, is a toss up between a $365.00 homage and a $110 Invicta. Funnier yet as they both use the same, <$50, Seiko NH35 movement. The 2 Rolex watches fall in right behind those two


And another COSC rated homage to the original Fifty Fathoms. And again, a much better watch than the original. As it should be 75 years later.

CW's current version:

 

[Yahoody]

Here is a fun collection and the original. All of which are great watches. And all the newer versions, those pesky homage versions, are much, much better watches than the original Smith W10

"Developed by famed British clock- and watchmaker Smiths, the W10 was built from the late 1960s through the early 1970s and is unique as a military watch for having been manufactured in England, with an in-house, English-made movement, to boot."

Vintage Smith W10:

And a current Smith:

CW's version is COSC rated:

CWC's version

 

[Yahoody]

I liked the new Smith's enough to get one of my own. Thanks for the insight on that one

!