Why the ‘homage’ argument rages on….

Is there more of a divisive question in the watch community than ‘Are homage watches ok?’

In my experience so far, this has been the question that elicits the most heated arguments from enthusiasts, and while the latest collection of homage/anti-homage posts have been circulating I have taken the opportunity to ponder why…

Why is it, when we are generally a collection of folks who will have “Wear What You Love” on our grave stones, do we feel so personally aggrieved when someone says “I think originals/homages are better”?

If someone stated: “I prefer chronographs. Dive watches just don’t give me the same feels”

NO ONE WOULD CARE.

So what the hell is so triggering about homages?

Here is a quote from Brian, AKA @Mr.Dee.Bater over on WatchCrunch with his theory…

All luxury goods exist solely for humans to use as signaling devices.

The reason that some people feel soooooooooo much moral outrage at the idea of fakes is because the fakes take away from the genuine luxury article’s ability to endow the wearer with the allure of high socio-economic status – if the observer cannot tell if the article is genuine or fake, then the signaling power of the article is negated

The same holds, but to a lesser degree when it comes to homages – homages blur the line between “ultra expensive luxury good” and “easily and cheaply replicated good” – and we see much moral outrage yet again from some folks toward homages”

So he’s saying that it’s taking away the luxury items ability to signal, or, more importantly, giving the cheaper option just as much signalling power.

Yeah, I can believe that, but I think there’s a bit more to it on both sides.

Let’s think about it….

Scenario 1 – Homages are completely wrong.

If we accept that homage watches… (for this thought exercise let’s talk about the likes of Pagani Design and San Martin)… if we accept that they are fundamentally wrong, then what does that imply about the wearer?

It implies they are ok with the intellectual theft from hard working designers, that they happily support such unethical practices by buying these watches which, in turn, gives a poor reflection on their character.

It implies that they are happy to waste their money on poor quality items and that they are second-class enthusiasts for choosing to buy these pieces.

If they can’t afford the real thing then they should stick instead to the original designs they can afford.

Scenario 2 – Homages are completely right.

If we accept that homage watches should be appreciated equally and in their own right, and given no more scorn than a chronograph enthusiast would to dress watches… then what does that imply of the people who choose to buy the originals?

It implies a colossal waste of money on a watch when you can essentially buy the same thing for 1/10th of the price.

Surely only fools would make sure a poor financial decision?

Or are they buying the original just to flex? Is that why you’re so precious about it, just as Brian said? Is their ego so fragile that they actually get offended by the ‘common folk’ having something just as good as them? And actually are the homage buyers the smarter ones for spending so much less???

Of course, these are massively overstated arguments, and many people live in the grey area between these two thoughts, but the problem comes from the language we use when we are discussing this topic.

For example…

“Well I would never buy a homage. I think they are basically fakes and could never proudly wear one.
But I’m happy for other people if that’s what they want to wear.👍”

Or…

“I would never be conned into paying the massively inflated prices the luxury brands are asking nowadays, when the homage is such better value. But it’s your money if that’s what you want to do with it. You do you bro. 👍”

I get why people respond like this. They want to say “I’m right, but I still want to seem friendly and open minded…. but you’re wrong. And I’m right.” but, it can’t just be me that sees how these kinds of responses feed the flames of the argument?

What I would love to see is some actual opening of minds going on. I would love to see people saying:

“You know what, I’ve never thought that homage watches are for me because they make me feel like I’m trying to be something I’m not, but your comments have shown me how I can think about it a different way, so thanks for that.”

Or…

“I always thought that spending all that money on a watch was just a way of flexing, but actually, hearing you talk about what it means to you and what got you to that decision, has made me understand it a bit better. I’m not sure it’ll ever be for me, but you’ve shown me how it could be one day.”

I am not talking about rolling-over every time someone has an opposing opinion, but rather expressing your side while acknowledging that the issue isn’t black and white and there may not be one right answer.

We need to see that it’s not weakness to show flexibility in our thinking, but that it actually demonstrates strength of character.

May we have many passionate and envigorating discussions ahead of us.

Take care all.

Kaysia