Now before you all start, this question is actually based on an article in an American based watch magazine, called 'Wristwatch' that I pick up here in Thailand (no relation to the annual catalogue of the same name). This magazine is hard to find on-line, or it is for me at least, although I have managed that, I couldn't find the article on-line, so copied it from the authors linkedin page.
He is basically saying that homages are more damaging than fakes to the industry in the long run and gives his reasons for stating this.
I'm not going to sit on the fence here. I don't like blatant homages, but if other's are happy with them, that's fine, albeit, I don't get the appeal.
Here's the article:
The Critical Importance of Fakes to Swiss Watch Marketing
Nov 5, 2015
A Rolex with an automatic movement, stainless case and cyclops eye bezel for less than $300 sure seems tempting, and who would know, really? It would just be a little secret between you, the online merchant and your ego. Besides, it's just a placeholder until the real one is in the budget, right?
This internal dialogue illustrates why the market for fake watches is actually a critical part of the Swiss brand building machine. Contrary to the belief that consciously purchased fakes are bad for the market, I argue that they are actually a necessary component of the ecosystem and, with new technologies, may emerge as the vanguard of a new market hybrid: the home-brewed mashup fake.
Fakes have had an allure for as long as people have coveted things they can't afford, and reasonable copies have been available. The problem with a fake, however, is the knowledge of it what it is and what it represents, regardless of how deceptive or well-crafted the example. No matter how hard you squint at that fake Rolex, Omega or Brietling, it will never have the warm, smooth feel, particular glint in the light or well-turned finishing of the original. And as long as it serves a placeholder purpose, it may not matter.
Unlike homage products from manufacturers like Ocean7 and Helson, consciously purchased fakes actually move a brand forward. Homage products that look like the real deal, but aren't, eventually demand an explanation. How many times can an owner say "well, it looks like the Omega Ploprof and it has a Swiss movement and a Chinese case, and it's a really good watch, I just can't afford the real thing right now." The justification gets old. For the price of one homage watch, a user can pick a decent fake and put the balance towards a real watch purchase. An homage product doesn't motivate a buyer to upgrade, but to justify. With the right markings, a fake begs no explanation and demands replacement with the original. It create a gnawing aspiration, and this translates into brand building and ultimately a bigger market for Swiss watches.
But the age of online fakes may be moving to the garage. As 3D printers become more sophisticated, a consumer will be able to download plans for a dial and a case and brew their own brand name fake. A Valjoux 7750, the mainstay of the Swiss watch industry, is available on Ebay for less than $400. In the right hands these new fakes could be assembled with a more personalized touch, which means that the same customization that has been alive and well in the auto industry for generations, may be coming to the watch market.
Want an original Shelby Cobra, but don't have a million plus lying around? There's a kit for that; just drop in the engine and interior of your choice, and screw on a nameplate. Soon we may find home-brewed fake watch developers putting their own twist on brand names and developing hybrid mashups that will actually bear a personal value, as they enter the realm of statement. What would a gun-metal ceramic Rolex Submariner case with an Omega Speedmaster dial look like? The home brewer will be able to craft this Romega Speedmariner, and maybe, one day, actually purchase both originals.
While it may seem a hard pill to swallow, consciously purchased fakes keep desires for originals very much alive. And if anything, we're entering the golden age of fakery. This truly begs the question…are we moving beyond the originals into a no man's land of unique, personalized mashups? New technologies and reverence for originals will marginalize and ultimately hurt the homage manufacturers. Why buy their semi knockoffs, that look more like a fuzzy Xerox than the crisp original, when you can make one of your own, the way you really want it?
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/critical-importance-fakes-swiss-watch-marketing-steve-lundin
He is basically saying that homages are more damaging than fakes to the industry in the long run and gives his reasons for stating this.
I'm not going to sit on the fence here. I don't like blatant homages, but if other's are happy with them, that's fine, albeit, I don't get the appeal.
Here's the article:
The Critical Importance of Fakes to Swiss Watch Marketing
Nov 5, 2015
A Rolex with an automatic movement, stainless case and cyclops eye bezel for less than $300 sure seems tempting, and who would know, really? It would just be a little secret between you, the online merchant and your ego. Besides, it's just a placeholder until the real one is in the budget, right?
This internal dialogue illustrates why the market for fake watches is actually a critical part of the Swiss brand building machine. Contrary to the belief that consciously purchased fakes are bad for the market, I argue that they are actually a necessary component of the ecosystem and, with new technologies, may emerge as the vanguard of a new market hybrid: the home-brewed mashup fake.
Fakes have had an allure for as long as people have coveted things they can't afford, and reasonable copies have been available. The problem with a fake, however, is the knowledge of it what it is and what it represents, regardless of how deceptive or well-crafted the example. No matter how hard you squint at that fake Rolex, Omega or Brietling, it will never have the warm, smooth feel, particular glint in the light or well-turned finishing of the original. And as long as it serves a placeholder purpose, it may not matter.
Unlike homage products from manufacturers like Ocean7 and Helson, consciously purchased fakes actually move a brand forward. Homage products that look like the real deal, but aren't, eventually demand an explanation. How many times can an owner say "well, it looks like the Omega Ploprof and it has a Swiss movement and a Chinese case, and it's a really good watch, I just can't afford the real thing right now." The justification gets old. For the price of one homage watch, a user can pick a decent fake and put the balance towards a real watch purchase. An homage product doesn't motivate a buyer to upgrade, but to justify. With the right markings, a fake begs no explanation and demands replacement with the original. It create a gnawing aspiration, and this translates into brand building and ultimately a bigger market for Swiss watches.
But the age of online fakes may be moving to the garage. As 3D printers become more sophisticated, a consumer will be able to download plans for a dial and a case and brew their own brand name fake. A Valjoux 7750, the mainstay of the Swiss watch industry, is available on Ebay for less than $400. In the right hands these new fakes could be assembled with a more personalized touch, which means that the same customization that has been alive and well in the auto industry for generations, may be coming to the watch market.
Want an original Shelby Cobra, but don't have a million plus lying around? There's a kit for that; just drop in the engine and interior of your choice, and screw on a nameplate. Soon we may find home-brewed fake watch developers putting their own twist on brand names and developing hybrid mashups that will actually bear a personal value, as they enter the realm of statement. What would a gun-metal ceramic Rolex Submariner case with an Omega Speedmaster dial look like? The home brewer will be able to craft this Romega Speedmariner, and maybe, one day, actually purchase both originals.
While it may seem a hard pill to swallow, consciously purchased fakes keep desires for originals very much alive. And if anything, we're entering the golden age of fakery. This truly begs the question…are we moving beyond the originals into a no man's land of unique, personalized mashups? New technologies and reverence for originals will marginalize and ultimately hurt the homage manufacturers. Why buy their semi knockoffs, that look more like a fuzzy Xerox than the crisp original, when you can make one of your own, the way you really want it?
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/critical-importance-fakes-swiss-watch-marketing-steve-lundin