Absolutely love a luxury watch, but first want to be sure whether it really suits you before making a significant investment? Or maybe you don’t want to wait until you have saved enough for the dream watch, but you still want a watch with the same look and functions? Then affordable alternatives are the perfect solution!
In this blog we have listed some fantastic alternatives to five well-known luxury watches. These watches offer the same style and appearance, but are much friendlier to the wallet. And best of all? You can have them on your wrist tomorrow!
Homage or imitation?
The top brands in the watch market are so popular for good reason; they have a rich history and tradition. These brands have often introduced groundbreaking innovations that have advanced watchmaking and their designs have become the standard for the entire industry.
When we talk about affordable alternatives, we don’t mean imitation or replica watches that imitate popular models, including logos and details, to pass them off as the original. Instead, we prefer to talk about an homage: a watch that nods respectfully to the original. It is not an exact copy, but a new design within the same style conventions and with similar functional specifications.
Discover the charm of a tribute and enjoy the style. Without the high price!
1. Cartier Tank
The Cartier Tank is a watch that is high on the wish list of many watch enthusiasts. In the Seiko collection we find watches for women and men with the same shape and style; An elegant rectangular case, classic, well-contrasting hands and slightly slanted Roman numerals. And with a Seiko watch you can be sure that you always purchase a watch with a good quality movement.
Would you prefer a Swiss Made watch? Rectangular watches in this style are also available in the Frederique Constant collection.
2. Rolex Datejust
Rolex is perhaps the best-known and most sought-after watch brand in the world. The Rolex Datejust is an iconic watch. Everyone recognizes the serrated bezel, ‘baton’ hands and the eye-catching date ‘cyclops’. The Jacques du Manoir watches are therefore a great tribute to anyone who loves the Datejust style and its Swiss Made.
One of the bestsellers on our site is the MTP-130 series from Casio, whose serrated bezel is a nod to the design of the Datejust. The MTP is available in various cheerful colors and, with a price of around €60, it is a nice watch to purchase several of and alternate.
3. Omega Speedmaster
The alternative to the Omega Speedmaster is of course the Swatch MoonSwatch, which is almost a 1 to 1 copy of the original. However, the MoonSwatch is (deliberately) difficult to supply, which means that many people cannot enjoy this model. The Swatch Night Flight Again chronograph is a good alternative.
For lovers of watches with space heritage, the Bulova Lunar Pilot is an excellent choice.
4. Tudor Pelagos
An example of a luxury diving watch is the Tudor Pelagos; A quiet layout with clear indexes and hands, generously provided with lumens for optimal readability. Unidirectional rotating bezel with luminous marking at 12 o’clock.
This type of diving watch is well represented in Seiko’s Prospex collection. The timepieces manufactured in-house by Seiko are of high quality and are certainly not inferior to comparable Swiss timepieces. In addition, you can choose from quartz, solar or automatic movements, and several models are PADI or ISO certified.
The Seastar diving watches from Tissot also have a very good price/quality ratio. The appearance of these diving watches is slightly more classic, but inside they have a Swiss, automatic Powermatic movement with no less than 80 hours of power reserve.
5. Richard Mille Skull
Richard Mille watches have a very distinct shape and over-the-top design. Real watches that you should dare to wear! The watch brand Philipp Plein focuses on young people who dare to be different from the crowd. We find quite a few alternatives in the Plein collection for people who are interested in the astronomically priced Richard Mille watches.
For ladies who want to try a larger tonneau (barrel-shaped) watch, the Ice-Watch Boliday collection is a colorful alternative!
More alternatives to luxury watches?
Is your favorite luxury watch not listed in this article? Let us know on our Instagram or Facebook channel and who knows, we might come up with a follow-up soon!