• Men's Watches

Best Homage Watches: A Watch Enthusiast’s Guide to Starting Your Collection Right

Why Homage Watches Are Worth Considering

Maybe you’re not quite ready to spend twelve thousand dollars on a new Pepsi GMT, or maybe you’re just a college student just getting into the world of wristwatches. Today, we’re gonna talk about why it’s okay to own an homage watch.

 

Quick Intro to Some of the Best Homage Watches

Hey everyone, welcome. My name is Chris. So, there are several reasons why you would even consider purchasing an homage piece.

So, like I said in the intro, if you’re a college student or just someone who’s really getting into the world of watches, you’ve probably read up on a bunch of watches that you’re interested in, or you’ve seen some YouTube videos on, let’s say something like the Pepsi GMT.

Maybe if you’re aspiring to own these pieces one day but just want to get your feet wet into what it feels like on the wrist, an homage piece is really a great way to live with a piece that’s very similar but not a replica piece.

The Seiko Alternative Isn’t For Everyone

Yes, I know a lot of people are gonna say if you’re into a dive watch, just get an SKX or a Seiko Five, but there are some people who don’t really like the aesthetics of a Seiko Five diver.

Maybe they just really love the way a Submariner looks but they just can’t really afford a Submariner.

So you know, of course, there are a lot of other options you can purchase from other manufacturers that are based on the Submariner or something that looks very, very similar to the Submariner, but if they want that almost one-to-one scale of a Submariner in this case, it can easily go with the Pagani Design.

If you’re aspiring to own a Pepsi GMT, Pagani Design makes some of their best homage watches. Later on, this article will also go into a surface-level review of these watches.

Homage vs. Replica: My Take

Some people that aren’t really deep into the watch enthusiast world, you know, maybe they just really love a GMT. They just want something that looks very similar to that without owning a replica.

So my take on homage pieces is it’s completely okay.

Personally, I never owned an homage piece, but if I’ve ever seen one out in the wild, let’s say like a Steinhart or a Pagani Design, it doesn’t bother me at all.

What bothers me more is if I see a really bad replica.

That kind of upsets me, especially being a watch enthusiast and knowing that what you have is not genuine.

It’s not the fact that it’s not genuine, it’s just a little disappointing seeing these replicas out in the wild, you know.

And the thing with homage pieces is that it’s not there to really fool anyone.

It has a big old logo on there, it says Pagani Design, and yes, maybe from afar from a distance it may look like a true Batman, but the person who chooses to wear this watch, I’m pretty sure they know what they’re wearing is an homage piece and it’s totally fine.

The great thing in today’s age is that there are so many watches you can choose from, from Seiko to Longines, but there are also these micro brands or, in this case, Chinese micro brands that are making very close representations of legendary watches like the GMT.

Now, for me personally, I never really thought about owning an homage piece because, for instance, my GMT has always been a dream of mine to own one day, especially at the retail level.

However, I can’t imagine myself wearing an homage piece because, in the back of my mind, I know that it’s not the real thing and it’s not going to truly represent what a Rolex GMT is going to feel like on the wrist.

I’m sure there are different tier levels of these homage pieces that are better than others, but just knowing that it’s not going to be quite the same finishing and as detailed as the actual piece is just my personal take on an homage piece.

Quick Side-by-Side: GMT Master II vs. Pagani Design

 

Let’s Look at These Pagani Design GMTs

Today, we have two Pagani Design GMTs, and yes, we all know what it’s trying to look like – it’s trying to look like a GMT Master II.

Now, the Pepsi version is with an aluminum bezel, and the Batman version is going to be with a ceramic bezel. I’m not quite sure why the Pepsi version has an aluminum bezel.

I believe it might be the fact that it’s kind of hard to manufacture a red and blue bezel versus a black and blue one. It’s just coming from my theory, but even for Rolex, they found it kind of difficult to find the perfect technique to make a red and blue Pepsi GMT bezel.

Initial Impressions: Pretty Good for $100

Now, I purchased these watches out of curiosity. Now, at first glance, I was pretty impressed.

Like after taking off all the plastic, they’re pretty well built watches for only a hundred dollars or less.

On the wrist, the dimensions are almost there, it’s not quite the same.

It’s a little bit inflated in some areas, like the bezel, and of course, the finishing is not going to be as sharp as a genuine GMT Master II.

However, if you’re really striving for that GMT Master II look or if you just want something very similar because you love the look of a GMT Master II, why not pick it up for a hundred dollars?

Maybe you can use it as an aspirational piece to work towards and pick up a genuine GMT Master II of your own.

The Details: Bracelet, Bezel, and GMT Function

A few things that really stood out to me, of course, are the bracelet. The bracelet’s not going to be as well refined. The bezel is a 120-click uni-directional bezel, which is, you know, not quite what a GMT is supposed to have, although I have to say it has a really satisfying clicky bezel.

Of course, the polished and brushed areas of the watch aren’t going to be as refined as a GMT Master II, but it’s still surprisingly really nice, and if you’re just going to casually wear this watch, I think you would have a really good time with this on your wrist.

One last thing I almost forgot to mention – the GMT functionality of the watch. It doesn’t function like a true GMT. It is a traveler’s GMT, but a lot of watches fall under this traveler’s GMT functionality.

A lot of people aren’t even using the GMT functionality anyway, and if you really want to use it, you can use it like a GMT Master One, which is a 24-hour bezel.

If you’re just getting into the world of watches, I think this is one of the best times to really experiment with what you like.

Also, these watches are automatic, so if this is gonna be your first mechanical watch, I think it’s a pretty good buy for a hundred dollars.

Watch This Review

Final Thoughts: Go Ahead and Pull the Trigger

So, in the end, buy what you like, even if it’s an homage. Enjoy it – it could be a stepping stone watch to the real thing. I would say as long as you’re staying away from the replicas I think it’s totally okay to buy an homage watch. Just make sure it’s one of the best homage watches.

As for these $100 homage pieces, I think they’re pretty good to scratch that itch if you want something similar to another watch that you really desire and if you’re not a watch enthusiast but just want something in the sub-$100 category that looks like one of these legendary watches, I think it’s totally fine.

Pull the trigger and hope that’s not your gateway watch into this whole madness of this wonderful watch world we’re all into. Thanks so much and I’ll see you next time!