There are plenty of other homages, from Steinhart’s take on the “MilSub” to the modified Seiko “Fifty Five Fathoms”, that ape the real things, and others that are more inspired by original designs, like the cushion-cased Panerai-like watches of Magrette or the Bremont-esque Trident of Christopher Ward, the latter of which is an homage to a modern watch rather than a vintage. Thanks to MkII, not only could a dive watch fanatic own a vintage Fifty Fathoms for one month’s salary instead of six, he could take it diving without fear of flooding an expensive piece of history. Their watches are faithful in their dimensions and styling to the originals, but are fitted with modern ETA Swiss movements and sapphire crystals. They’ve made homages to famous timepieces such as the Benrus dive watches used by Special Forces in the Vietnam War and the Blancpain Fifty Fathoms, arguably history’s first purpose-built diving watch. MkII is a small (read, “one-man”) watch brand based in Pennsylvania that specializes exclusively in homage pieces. Before we get into the debate, let’s look at a case study of one of the most successful homage watches in recent history. But while legions of fans gratefully purchase these ersatz Grail timepieces, homages also have their detractors - those who write them off as mere derivative copies that don’t deserve attention. Rather, homage watches provide more affordable versions of timepieces that would otherwise be forever out of the majority of watch buyers’ price range. Their builders don’t try to pass them off as the real things, or (illegally) put the names of the originals on their dials. Homage watches should not be confused with fakes or replicas. An homage watch is one that apes the look of a more famous existing timepiece - sometimes vintage, sometimes contemporary - but sells for a fraction of the price of its inspiration. This is the realm of the so-called “homage” watch. Within the watch industry there exists a thriving category of timepieces that is wholly unoriginal, reviled by some yet beloved by many. Editor’s Note: This story has been updated to include a new buying guide with five exceptional homage watches.
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