If you love the look of iconic mechanical watches that you can't buy, don't be discouraged, but check out other brands that skillfully incorporate iconic design elements of popular and popular watches into their products. Let's talk about the so-called "homage" (from fr. hommage - appreciation, tribute - work-imitation).
Hommage in its original meaning ceased to exist with the end of vassal relations characteristic of the cruel Middle Ages, and today this concept defines something that is created as a tribute to a recognized master. Homage is a very common phenomenon in the world of art, whether it is painting, sculpture or cinema, there are homages in the art of watchmaking.
Plagiarism and copying are also inveterate visitors to design bureaus, and sometimes it is quite difficult to figure out where there is a clear desire to create watches similar to popular and successful models of another brand, and where is a sincere reverence for the talent of another designer, recognition of his genius and merits. We will look at controversial and successful examples of homage in watches a little later, for now, for fun, look at how things are in the auto industry - compare Land Rover Evoque (2011) and Landwind X7 (2014), Rolls-Royce Phantom (2003) and Geely GE (concept 2009), Ford Mustang (1969) and Toyota Celica Liftback (1973). It is possible that the appearance of frank copies is justified by contractual relations, but for some reason this option does not seem real ...
Let's leave the cars, let's go back to the watches, and let's have some fun again - let's remember Swiss Icons, which Edouard Meylan, the current head of H. Moser & Cie, planned to auction back in 2018. Meylan created a model-parody of the ossified conservatism of watch design, and separately of how to promote and appeal to customers (a very funny video can be found on the Internet, even if the project was not allowed to materialize). The parody came out very original: the bezel from Swiss Icons seems to have borrowed the two-tone color scheme and font from the Rolex GMT Master II, and the shape is from the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak watch, the dial is a mixture of Panerai and Patek Phillipe Nautilus styles, the case is reminiscent of the work of Hublot, the crown protection is again about Panerai, and the golden tourbillon bridge is about Girard-Perregaux, don't forget about IWC and Breguet...
In a word, in one piece, the daring young man fit the iconic watch design elements that have been shaping the appeal of large and important Swiss brands for many years.
Here is how Edouard Meylan himself explained his idea at that time: “many brands, including companies with a rich history, produce only template watches and stir up artificial interest in them just to stay on the market. They organize high-profile events and make their ambassadors people who have nothing to do with the watch industry; such measures are only meant to make more noise. It all comes down to who has the longest history, the most famous ambassadors, or the most fans. But all this is in vain, because the main thing is the product itself.
Swiss Icons wanted to be auctioned after the International Salon of Fine Watchmaking in Geneva 2018; The proceeds will be donated to the Swiss Watch Culture Foundation to "support apprenticeship programs in the watch industry and maintain a level of professionalism in the arts and crafts associated with the industry." But it wasn't there... The reaction of those who were "laughed" was not long in coming. In the evening, on the day of the announcement of "Swiss Icons", from YouTube channel a funny video was removed from the stamp, and a day later an official letter from H. Moser & Cie. arrived, explaining the refusal to issue this unique copy and its auction, respectively. According to rumors, the AP CEO was offended more than others, I remember that he did not hide his dislike for Meylan that winter ...
Why this long introduction? The homage elements listed in Swiss Icons can be found in the products of various watch companies. Someone shamelessly copies (or imitates, what's the difference), someone successfully integrates elements of a popular, almost universally beloved, look into their products. Let's take a look at a few iconic original designs and see which watches are easy to spot.
Nautilus surfacing and the shadow of the royal oak
Well, who doesn't know about the Patek Phillipe Nautilus! The creator of the truly legendary model was Gerald Genta. During his most prolific period, he designed the Royal Oak for Audemars Piguet, the 222 for Vacheron Constantin and the Ingenieur SL for IWC. From an aesthetic point of view, this iconic sports watch has not lost its relevance to this day, which once again underlines the genius of Genta. Of all this galaxy, the Nautilus has undergone the least changes since then, its original design turned out to be so attractive that even after half a century it is not so easy to buy this watch, for the majority it is simply unrealistic.
Another merit of the "nautilus" (passing according to the internal nomenclature of Patek Phillipe as model 3700) was that with its appearance, the rules for designing cases have changed radically, but more on that some other time. The aforementioned Audemars Piguet Royal Oak also haunts lovers of status items, which means that watch brands of all stripes cannot but try to fill the vacuum in the market and offer their own versions of watch collections in which Genta's notions (he is a genius, because over his creations timeless) can be seen, in general, with the naked eye, as they say. And don't think that, like in the auto industry, mainly Chinese cheap brands are huffing and zealous - compare watches from the Chopard Alpine Eagle, Bell & Ross BR05 or Baume & Mercier Riviera collection with Nautilus and Royal Oak, you will definitely find similarities - but this is not copying and not plagiarism, I would consider it a homage for profit.
Here is a vivid example of a worthy integration of elements of the appearance of cult models in inexpensive collections: D1 Milano. Some more Armand Nicolet models (collection J09) refer to Nautilus, as it seems to me - look, suddenly you will see it that way.
Popular Pepsi
Headband blue with red on these pages, we recently discussed, let me remind you the main thing. In the 1950s, during the heyday of passenger jet aviation, the Swiss Rolex and the American airline PanAm joined forces to create a watch that could tell the time in two time zones at the same time, as such a function was a professional requirement for PanAm pilots. Arguments about why exactly red and blue found their place on the now famous rim continue to this day, many years after the first GMT-Master with a two-tone red and blue rim was born in 1955.
This division was supposed to help in determining "day" (red) or "night" (blue) when reading from the dial. In the minds of the inhabitants, aviation is a complete romance, and the objects associated with it get more than enough popularity. Bomber jackets, aviator glasses and, of course, "pilot" watches - few of us do not have at least one of these eternally fashionable things. It is no wonder that a watch created specifically for pilots, and even with such a recognizable design from afar, became desirable overnight.
The popularity of the GMT-Master appearance has earned and still earns not only Rolex sellers. Should any two-tone watch bezel with or without world time function be considered an imitation of the original? I'm not sure it's worth being so strict, but it's not a sin to criticize someone.
We find an obvious victim - Invicta Pro Diver IN8926BRB. The external similarity is obvious, even if there is no GMT function and an arrow assigned to it, and there is no point in diving into comparison and analysis anymore, the tasks facing the manufacturers of these two models are too different. Does Invicta retain at least a little of the emotional charge of the GMT-Master? In my opinion, no doubt, and as for the quality of performance - well, there is something to complain about, but at such a price it is a sin. When buying an Invicta Pro Diver IN8926BRB, you are not buying a fake Rolex, but a kind of homage to a big brand watch. After all, no one claims that only another master can pay tribute to the GMT master (pun intended!) Maybe an apprentice.
Racing cars on the wrist
This is how Richard Mille called his watch. Richard Mille has an original vision of how modern watchmaking should be, and the original image of modern watches he created made many market participants lose their peace and sleep. Some have decided to repeat the success of Ricardo – as Mille is called by family and friends – and have launched their own brands and collections following the success of Richard Mille, satisfying the demand for RM watch's captivatingly luxurious form and function, engineering solutions and innovations.
The current offer of models similar in appearance to Richard Mille watches is offered, for example, by Cvstos, the watches are also not cheap, but still 10 times more economical than RM. And this, you see, is a very weighty argument for many. In years past, when Richard Mille was more open to informal conversations, I repeatedly asked him how he felt about displays of “respect”, which clearly showed the exorbitant influence of his approach to creating the appearance and design of the brand's watches. Mille, although he was annoyed by the presence of outright fakes (that is, fake watches with his name on the dial), was rather calm about attempts to “copy” his “racing cars on the wrist”.
His watches offer technical solutions and performance on the edge of the possible. The use of ultra-advanced technologies makes them very expensive, any conditional copying or unobtrusive reference to RM is possible only for the appearance, appearance of his models. And here, Mille used to say, “no one tells me that my watch looks like such and such, they tell me, look, they made a watch that looks like yours. No one has ever told me that someone made a watch like mine, only better than mine.
As we conclude these quick observations, let's not forget this. The watch industry, like any other, relies on laws and patents in its activities. I have no doubt that if there was even the slightest reason for the big brand that created the legendary and coveted piece to stop using recognizable design elements by other brands, the action would not be long in coming.
When you see the recognizable features of "nautiluses", "royal oaks", pilot's watches and diver's watches too, in the products of watch companies that seemed to be not the first, you should not snort and wrinkle your nose - it's better to look at how well the watch is made, whether it was a success " homage". And ignore fakes - treat yourself with respect.
