TGIF: The Plethora of Homage Watches

There are many watches that have been inspired by the classic watch designs of famed watchmakers. In some cases, there is a feature or two that work their way into a design, in other cases a watch may be created as an homage to a classic watch and may look nearly identical save for some branding, and finally there are some watches are counterfeit watches that illegally infringe on trademarked brand logos by copying them completely.

A Genuine Rolex Sea Dweller Dive Watch

Why are there so many homage watches?

One of the things that opens the gates to homage watches and the incorporation of features into modern watches from many watch brands is the sheer age of the iconic designs. I'm not a hardcore student of classic brands that I can't afford, but look at when some of the most iconic watch designs were introduced by their manufacturers:

• Rolex Datejust (1945)
• Rolex Submariner (1953)
• Rolex Explorer (1953)
• Blancpain Fifty Fathoms (1953)
• Omega Seamaster 300 (1957)
• Rolex Cosmograph Daytona (1963)

I'm no legal expert, but in the United States, a utility patent protecting the inner mechanisms of an invention like a watch is good for 20 years. A design patent protecting aspects of the watch shape is good for 15 years. It's no wonder that the doors are wide open for homage watchmakers to copy much of a watches look and shape. However, trademarks on brand names and logos can last forever as long as they are renewed every ten years. This means that homage watches like an Invicta Pro Diver are legal, but counterfeit watches never are.

My Invicta Pro-Diver Automatic

The Advantages of Homage Watches

While some collectors may lament the plethora of homage watches, as a practical matter, they allow all of  us to experience the look of classic watch styles at affordable prices. The Baltany Explorer Homage (below) lets wearers enjoy a Rolex Explorer inspired design. It's a high quality watch built with good materials and solid craftsman ship and it's available for less than $300 here on Amazon. 

A Baltany Explorer Homage

While a Rolex Explorer may never be affordable or prudent for most of us, a Baltany may provide plenty of rugged outdoor watch joy for any of us. The challenge for the old guard of a watchmakers is to invent something new and have decades of exclusive rights to the next icon.

Watch Wearing Wednesday: Invicta Men's Pro-Diver Automatic with Coin-Edged Bezel

Here's a simple dive watch that I bought about 3 years ago.  It's an Invicta Men's Pro-Diver Automatic Watch with a Coin-Edged Bezel that I bought off of Amazon for less than $100. In the dim lights of a local Mexican restaurant, it looks great. It has rotating uni-directional bezel with a coin edge that is easy to grip and rotate.  It also has an exhibition case back.

Invicta Men's Pro-Diver Automatic with Coin-Edged Bezel

 

This watch reminds me of a certain famous brand of dive watch in many ways.  But, it has a very affordable price tag.  I like many features of this sharp-looking Invicta watch and I'll write a full review soon. 

Watch Wearing Wednesday: Invicta Pro-Diver Stainless Steel Quartz Watch

Sometimes, you just want to wear something substantial and flashy.  On those days, you need look no farther than the Invicta Pro-Diver stainless steel quartz watch. It's a bad dude. The case diameter is 48 millimeters and the case thickness is 16.8 millimeters. That's big!

The Invicta Pro-Diver Stainless Steel Quartz Watch

If you'd like to pick up a watch like this, you'll find them available here on Amazon.

The Invicta Pro-Diver Stainless Steel Quartz Watch Out on the Town

If you'd like to read my full review of this watch, check it out here:

Wristwatch Review:  Invicta Pro Diver Stainless Steel Quartz Watch

Wristwatch Review: Invicta Specialty Quartz Pro Diver Chronometer

Pro Diver with Tachymeter Markings and Polyurethane Strap

It's easy to make fun of the Invicta watch shows on latenight infomercial TV. But, those shows often feature some very nice watches.  My wife recently spied this Invicta Specialty Pro Diver Chronograph watch on evine television and ordered it for me.  The watch arrived very quickly.

An Invicta Pro Diver Chronograph Watch

Design.  This Invicta is an attractive gold and navy blue watch with a blue polyurethane strap.  It has tachymeter markings on a non-rotating bezel.  The watch has three subdials.  At 3 o'clock, you'll find a 24-hour clock.  A 6 o'clock subdial provides the stopwatch seconds. The 9 o'clock subdial provides up to 60 minutes of elapsed time.

Invicta Pro Diver Chronograph Watch in Box

 

Invicta is known for providing value by giving extra unexpected touches.  This watch came with a very cool bright yellow one-slot dive case.  On the watch itself, the dial has a guillochè pattern that provides a background with texture.  It's a touch normally found only on very expensive watches for the elite.  It makes this Invicta look rich.  On the flip side, the caseback has a nicely etched design and provides information about the watch.  The strap has the Invicta logo etched onto the buckle.

Construction.  This Pro Diver watch has a stainless steel case that provides 100 meters of water resistance.  The back is a screw on back which should make changing the battery a little easier somewhere down the road.  The strap is made of flexible polyurethane.  According to the evine website, this watch has a flame fusion crystal.  The watch has lume (which Invicta has trademarked as  Tritnite) on the hour, minute, and second hands.

Invicta Pro Diver Case Back

Dimensions.  This watch has a 45 millimeter diameter case that is 12 1/2 millimeters thick.  The maximum wrist size is 8 3/4-inches.  It's a comfortable, well-proportioned, watch that I didn't find clunky.

Drawbacks.  This watch is really nice.  For me, the only drawback might be the longevity of the polyurethane strap.  Otherwise, it provides a rich look in a comfortable watch.

Overall, I really like this watch.  Initially, I wasn't a big fan of watches in gold.  However, this watch uses gold as an accent and looks really good.  This watch looks like a million bucks, but retails for a lot less.