Most people haven’t heard of Pagani Design. Since you found this article, you’re one of the few who have and are wondering if their homage dive watches are any good. Pagani Design is a Chinese watch manufacturer which raises alarm bells for some people because Chinese products are not always known for their quality.
Pagani Design specializes in making homage watches that resemble luxury watches. Their watches can be yours for quite literally 1/100th the cost of a true luxury watch. If you’ve ever wanted to own a Rolex Daytona or Rolex Submariner, would you be willing to endure a two-year waiting list? Also, do you have over 10 grand of disposable income lying around? Pagani Design watches can give you a taste of what it’s like to wear a luxury watch without the wait and at an affordable price.
As much as we like to dream about owning a luxury watch, when it comes time to pull the trigger, most of us just can’t seem to do it. Let’s be honest, there will always be a more important expense. So why not compromise a bit and get a Pagani Design homage watch? They look and function nearly identically to the original, and the quality is surprisingly high.
What is Pagani Design?
If you can’t dig up much information about Pagani Design, that’s because there really isn’t much out there. It’s not a company with a hundred year long history; it’s not as established nor reputable as the other luxury watch brands are.
Like many Chinese companies that come and go, Pagani Design went from being completely unknown to being all over the major e-commerce sites like Amazon, Alibaba, and Ebay. Unlike most other Chinese brands, Pagani Design has now been around for a few years with mostly positive reviews, and that’s only possible if their products provide great value and have a high demand.
Keep in mind, many of these Chinese brands often carry the same product as each other because they all come from the same factory. So if you notice that Pagani Design watches are suspiciously similar to another company such as Pagrne Design, Benyar, and Bersigar, well that’s probably because they are the same.
Are Pagani Design watches worth it?
As we mentioned, Pagani Design watches are Chinese-made and imported from China. Many people question the quality and reliability of these products. Products made in China have a stigma of being cheap but low-quality, oftentimes breaking on you quickly or not even fulfilling what it claims it can do. This is often true, but every once in a while the stars align and you get a Chinese product that is both cheap and functional, often putting the original product to shame.
Speaking of the original product, are we really claiming that a homage watch is as good as the original Rolex Submariner? No, of course not, but it’s pretty darn close, especially considering the price you’re paying is a fraction of a fraction of the original price. We’ll give more specific examples regarding how these watches compare to the original in a section below where we review the best Pagani Design watches.
Are homage watches in general worth it?
There are many brands, both Chinese and non-Chinese, that make homage watches. Do not think for one second that homage watches are just some quick cash-grab. Some homage watches are so well made that they are legitimately collected, perhaps even worn as a beater watch by watch enthusiasts.
In terms of value, assuming the homage watch is well-made, it is obviously worth the money. People who buy luxury watches are not worried about the cost, caring more about the social standing and prestige behind owning a luxury watch. For us mere mortals, homage watches may not give us that same prestige, but we can at least get a good-looking watch at an affordable price.
Besides, many watch brands actually have their watches made in China, or their watches contain Chinese-manufactured components, and some Chinese-based watch manufacturers are extremely well-known. For instance, Sea-Gull are known for their quality and affordable timepieces; they are a reputable Chinese company with decades of history, not some cheap knock-off company.
Are homage watches legal?
For the customer, yes. First, let’s clear up some terminology here. Homage watches are not the same as fakes. A fake is when a copycat product tries to pass itself as the genuine article. Pagani Design proudly displays their logo on their watchfaces, not Rolex’s, so technically they aren’t fakes.
Second, whether Pagani Design has stolen the original designs made popular by Omega, Rolex, Tudor, and the like is up for debate. When making an homage, there necessarily has to be a similarity, but it should also be different enough to be an original watch all its own. Maybe Pagani Design has done that, maybe they haven’t, but it’s not our place to judge.
Some people are against homage watches out of principle. They question whether they should buy an homage watch for the following reasons:
- They question the legality of these “copycat” products.
- They are afraid they are stealing from the manufacturers of the original watches.
- They are afraid that child labor was used in the manufacturing of these watches.
- They question the quality of these watches.
- They don’t want to get scammed.
It’s up to you to decide if you think it’s acceptable or moral to purchase a watch from Pagani Design or a similar Chinese brand. We’re just determining if it’s worth your money or not.
Are luxury watch manufacturers losing money when I buy a Chinese product?
Generally, no. Think about the kind of person who would buy an authentic Rolex or Omega luxury watch. Do you think they are the type of person to debate spending $100 or $10,000? If anything, a budget diver seems like a terrible option for the affluent.
Wealthy people want the prestige that comes with wearing a genuine luxury watch. They want the attention and they want people to ask them if it’s genuine; they are not the type to settle for an homage watch. Thus, these luxury watch brands aren’t getting their customers poached by homage watch manufacturers.
Conversely, the average person such as you and I are highly unlikely to spend $10,000 on a luxury watch anyways. I am not and probably will never be a customer of Rolex. I just want an affordable watch that looks good and does what I want. There is never a debate about if I should get the real thing or not. Getting an homage watch is the only way mere mortals like us can get a luxury brand’s designs without taking out a mortgage.
To summarize, nobody is losing a sale. The homage watches that look and function like the original but at a fraction of the price was an untapped market that the likes of Rolex and Omega were never going to touch because it would sully their brand. Besides, these companies are not exactly hurting for money in the first place, so I don’t lose any sleep at night for buying and wearing an homage watch.
Should I actually wear it while diving?
We wouldn’t recommend it. Though Pagani Design claims their watches are water-resistant down to 100 m (300 ft), these watches are not ISO-6425 certified which means it hasn’t been rigorously stress tested. It should be safe to wear on a rainy day or while doing some surface water sport activity. However, to actually fully submerge the watch and expose it to the pressure at depth will almost certainly cause it to leak.
There’s a reason why these watches are referred to as “desk divers.” They are best-suited to be worn as a beater watch for your day-to-day life. If you actually do plan on wearing the watch to go diving with, since this is not an ISO-6425 certified watch, you do so at your own risk. It may be possible to do some shallow diving in shallow waters or for swimming.
Best Pagani Design Dive Watches
Pagani Design Daytona PD-1644
Specs:
- Diameter: 40 mm
- Thickness: 12 mm
- Lug width: 20 mm
- Water resistance: 100 m (300 ft)
- Additional features: Analog chronograph watch with sapphire crystal and Japanese quartz movement.
The PD-1644 is Pagani Design’s Daytona homage. Obviously, despite its resemblance to the original Rolex design, it’s not a true luxury watch. However, you’ll be surprised at how well-built this watch is.
First, both its band and case are made of stainless steel. The crystal is made of sapphire which you don’t often see in inexpensive watches. Next, the bezel is ceramic, and this watch has a respectable water resistance rating of 100 m. Now, it’s not ISO-6425 certified, however it should hold up just fine in rain, showers, or in shallow water.
When inspecting the build quality, we found the PD-1644 to be resilient to minor scrapes, bumps, and impacts. The durable sapphire crystal is not easily scratched, and so despite being a budget watch, it’s surprisingly durable.
Moving on to its design, the first thing you’ll notice is that it’s very faithful to the Rolex Daytona. From a distance, you could fool even a seasoned watch collector! Up close, you’ll notice the obvious logo difference. Just like in the actual Daytona, this one has a tachymeter bezel. The dial and subdials have similar hour and minute markings just like the Daytona. It even comes with a date window, which is an improvement over the original.
When it comes to using it, the most basic feature is the PD-1644’s luminosity. Its hands and markers are filled with lume which glows in the dark and recharges in sunlight. It’s not as bright as some other watches, but it’s adequate.
The date window, which we mentioned above, displays the day of the month. It’s easily adjustable by pulling the crown out once, turning it to the desired date, then pushing the crown back in. With a diameter of only 40 mm, it’s suitable for people with small wrists.
Lastly, the PD-1644 is a chronograph which you can tell by the three subdials. The bottom-middle dial is the seconds dial, the left one is the hour dial, and the right one is the 24 hour dial. You can activate the chrono hand by pressing the button located above the crown once. Pressing it again stops the chrono hand, and pressing the button beneath the crown reset the watch with flyback.
Overall, the Pagani Design PD-1644 Daytona homage is a steal for its price. It costs a fraction of the original and has a build quality that can rival it. With all of the homage watches of varying degrees of quality out there, there is always a risk of getting a stinker. However, occasionally you find something that’s legitimately well-built at a great price like the PD-1644. If you want to experience what it’s like to wear a luxury brand watch without going bankrupt, give this one a try.
Pagani Design Explorer II PD-1682
- ⌚Imported
- ⌚GOOD QUALITY MEN'S WATCHES：PAGANI DESIGN 1682 is a Luxury automatic mechanical watches Movement Provide accurate time.
- ⌚COMFORTABLE MEN'S WATCHES: High-grade material is very comfortable to wear watches, it can match your clothes perfectly to various occasions,...
Specs:
- Diameter: 42 mm
- Thickness: 12 mm
- Lug width: 22 mm
- Water resistance: 100 m (300 ft)
- Additional features: Stainless steel, automatic movement, sapphire crystal
Even when it comes to homage watches, some are not easily available. The Pagani model is now one of the only Rolex Explorer II homages you can easily get your hands on. Even the PD-1682 has a limited amount in circulation, and that’s a shame, because we are fans of the original.
The Rolex Explorer II is a sport GMT watch that first saw release in the 70s. However, it didn’t become quite the classic that the Submariner and other watches did. Pagani’s attempt at creating a watch that could rival the original, the PD-1682, is alluring. It looks nearly identical; it has all the features of the original model, the same orange GMT hand, silver bezel, and pure white dial.
Even the small details are present in the PD-1682. From the Mercedes hands, to the bold markers, and even the cyclops lens over the date window. It’s powered by a Peral movement instead of the usual Seiko or others. Lastly, the GMT complication (a second time zone) comes at a price. This is quite the package, and the reviews are good.
If you’re after a Rolex homage that isn’t a Submariner, the Pagani Design’s Explorer II homage the PD-1682 is an obvious choice. Those who are interested in getting one should do so as quickly as possible; there’s no guarantee how long it will be in production.
Pagani Design Submariner PD-1639
- Pagani Design Watches: casual watch for men, case diameter is 43mm, 13mm thickness and 220mm stainless steel watchband, suitable for the wrist less...
- High-Quality Material: full 316L stainless steel construction, comfortable watch strap with fold-over clasp, very easy to handle, synthetic sapphire...
- Automatic Watches: Japanese automatic mechanical NH35A movement, very accurate timekeeping, self-winding and long service life
Specs:
- Diameter: 43 mm
- Thickness: 13 mm
- Lug width: 20 mm
- Water resistance: 100 m (300 ft)
- Additional features: Stainless steel, automatic movement, sapphire crystal
The Rolex Submariner is arguably the most copied watch in luxury watch history, and the PD-1639 is Pagani Design’s take on it. A particularly rare Submariner model is the green version, which has been affectionately given the nickname “The Hulk”, has been discontinued.
And that’s one reason why homage watches are so awesome: since Rolex no longer makes this variation, it has only gotten more out of the reach of the average person unless they decide to get an alternative. The PD-1639 fills that gap.
There’s not much to say; the Rolex Submariner has a reputation that precedes it, and Pagani Design’s version looks nearly identical to the iconic original, down to even the minute details. It’s a comfortable, medium-sized desk diver with an exhibition back and a signed crown. The tough rear exhibition back allows you to see the beating heart of the watch, the Seiko movement.
Pagani Design have succeeded in imitating the most recognizable dive watch in the world, and the elusive green version that has been discontinued can be brought back from the dead with the green version of the PD-1639. If you want this rare look, getting an homage watch is a cheap way to do it.
If you’re interested in other Rolex Submariner homages, check out this review we did of the best ones.
Parting words
Are Pagani Design watches any good? It depends on how you look at it. Pagani Design does not do anything original. It takes inspiration from or outright copies the famous design of luxury Swiss watches. Depending on your morals, you may find it to be despicable. However, in the case of the discontinued Submariner Hulk, it’s a little easier to justify purchasing it.
We’re not here to argue ethics. What we can tell you is that Pagani Design’s watches are excellent value for the money. You don’t often get an automatic watch with sapphire crystal for around $100. What’s more, they aren’t using cheap Chinese movements, either. Inside each Pagani Design watch is either a Seiko or Miyota movement. You’ll often find these in watches from premium brands.
Overall, we were very impressed with Pagani Design watches. They are very good and affordable. The build quality, design, and functionality are all top notch, especially for the price you’re paying. If you were to compare these watches to other similarly priced watches from brand names, they will blow them out of the water. You’ll be hard-pressed to find a better homage watch manufacturer than Pagani Design.
Photo Credit: Watch Complications
Last update on 2024-04-10 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
