An Homage - Useful or Not ?
To date, I have never bought an homage watch. I have nothing against them, but I have always decided to stick with the mainstream brands (Casio, Seiko, Tissot, Rotary, and Marathon).
Since I collect in the affordable range, I don't usually look at high-end watches and try to buy an affordable homage, but rather I try to find the best thing available in my budget with good specs and a reputable brand.
However, for my next watch, I have decided to save up and buy something more expensive than many affordable ones. One that has stuck in my mind is the Cartier Tank. I have been reading a lot about it and find it very intriguing. Although it'll take some time to save up for even the most affordable tank, I really wanted to understand how a rectangular watch would wear. And for the first time, I started looking at options that would be like the Tank.
I looked at multiple options, like the Rotary Cambridge or Seiko Tank, LIP T18, etc. I even tried an auction for a vintage Doxa rectangle watch on eBay. While all of them are good watches, I really didn't want to spend more than 150 pounds on this experiment (I'd rather put that in my Cartier Tank kitty). That's when I came across this Chinese watch, - Sanda 1108 or Sanda Tank. To be frank, I was very apprehensive because, first, it's dirt cheap and I wasn't sure of the quality, and second, it's a complete copy of the tank design (The others still had something of their own).
After a lot of thought, I decided to buy it and give it a try. I paid around 12 pounds, and the watch came in a week. For its price, it's surprisingly good, but nothing out of the ordinary. The main point was, will it help me decide to save up for a tank or not?
To my surprise, after wearing it for just a few hours, it has grown on me (in terms of the size and look, not the build quality) and made it clear to me that yes! I definitely want the real tank.
That's where I feel homages are useful, for sure. By no means do I want to start collecting homage watches. But in this instance, it has definitely done its job. Now time to save up. Till then, I'm probably going to enjoy this once in a while. After all, it's a perfectly functional watch!
Have been buying watches for few years now but have recently started taking watch collection as a serious activity. Have been reading and learning a lot about different types and brands of watches and...
I would love to see this on blue strap that matches the hands. Maybe a gator strap 🤔
A good approach to see if you are going to like something in the future. I do know for sure from reading your message that you are going to be totally in love with the Cartier Tank when you purchase it because your are focus on putting the effort in saving for it (I'd rather put that in my Cartier Tank kitty).
Nothing wrong with a try before you buy approach to homage watches. I’ve got a couple of homage watches so good I’ve put off ever buying the “original.”