Good read
What Is An Homage Watch, Anyway?
Are some of my favorite watches “homages,” “knock-offs,” or something else?
flip.it
‘This definition of “homage” is certainly too broad. But if we narrow that definition, this “gray area” about what watch is cool and what watch is a knockoff becomes entirely subjective.’
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I think most watches are homage watches, even if certain design elements are reused, and not the whole watch. There are actually very few original designs out there, simply because there is a specific customer expectation of what a watch should look like, and we are largely seeing variations of that expectation.
There are certain technical aspects of the movement that can be patented, but since the mechanical watch has become somewhat of an anachronism, technical innovation in that space is fairly limited, as it would invalidate the concept of the automatic watch itself.
So yes, I agree the discussion is fairly pointless, as most watches are homage watches to a certain degree, just some more than others.
I agree with the author, "homage" has far too broad a meaning to be a useful way of describing a watch.
I'm not sure why copy/clone isn't used more to describe "homages" that are direct copies of watches.
That said, I find it annoying when people use "homage" as a way to put down an affordable watch that takes inspiration from another watch. It's usually snobbery masquerading as concern for the art of watch design.