Are Knock-Off brands ok?

Homage watch brands are 💯 fine. Even if it’s a 1 - 1 copy design. Infact I love the fact someone can own a Rolex sub homage and can afford it. All walks of life deserve access to what ever design is created by man. We all put our pants on the same way when we go to work.

But a straight up fake is morally wrong.

It's the real or "authentic" brands that I don't like. The House of Wildorf needs no pity.

You’re not being deceived, it’s not counterfeit and San Martin watches are well regarded. I don’t think you’ll ever find consensus in this forum. If you don’t feel good about it don’t do it. If you ask me, why not? Do it.

We all put our pants on the same way when we go to work.

Wiggling and kicking our butlers as we try to evade having to where pants today.

Has it been 24 hours already?

Very complicated and everyone seems to have a different view based on level of coping and wether the company doing the copying is China or Swiss based. But without ethical restrictions it's hard to argue that a £600 replica that experts struggle to tell from a £10,000 original isn't good value for money.

Thank you for not calling them “homages”.

An homage is an item created with respect and admiration, or to honour, something or someone.

Companies like Lorier openly, and proudly, advertise the brands and models they are influenced by; and their models clearly display those influences, without being direct copies of any of them.

By contrast what companies like San Martin or Pagani Design, etc. are doing is reproducing successful designs (normally at much lower cost) in order to make money from their popularity. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with that. One can argue such companies are ‘democratising’ high-end design. It’s also a sensible business business model - why wouldn’t you produce objects that the market has already told you is popular?! But, don’t for one second think there is any ‘honouring’ or ‘respect’ going on.

Exact copies are fakes and illegal. I think you mean homage watches (San Martin etc). Nothing wrong with homages and San Martin have a very good rep.

https://www.watchcrunch.com/Willcortes_v/posts/fakes-all-over-229605#comment-903174

https://www.watchcrunch.com/Willcortes_v/posts/fakes-all-over-229605#comment-903168

https://www.watchcrunch.com/Willcortes_v/posts/fakes-all-over-229605#comment-903166

For those in the Great Scavenger Hunt of '23, y'all should know I don't often wear pants... IFYKYK 🤪.

#skiesoutthighsout

“D - whatever floats your boat!”

#allday_errday

#deathwish=life

☕

Wish I could give you a 100% AND a bulls eye but it isn't possible so I chose to give you a bulls eye based on your user name.

Related: I have that San Martin and Tudor should ABSOLUTELY make a 36mm version of the Ranger.

San Martin is good stuff!

The biggest “homage” companies are the “original” ones themselves. Copy after copy of the same tried and trusted designs.

Once the price goes over a grand they are no longer called homage/knock offs even though they are still homage/knockoffs. If it looks just like the submariner, it doesn’t really matter that they used a common Swiss movement instead of a common Japanese movement, it’s still basically a copy. They just used more expensive parts to produce the copy.

Honestly I think very few brands have come up with truly original watches. Sort of like the dreadnaught guitar, there are a thousand companies making a thousand variations but it’s still a dreadnaught.

I am going with exact replicas really don't exist do they? If you could buy a replica Rolex for pennies on the dollar and it be exactly the same as the real Rolex, that's for sure not ok ethically, but would be kind of difficult for many not to go ahead with. I would guess that replicas that cost way less are not nearly as well made or have the quality of mechanics even if they look great. Am I wrong?