Rolex is unanimous with luxury living. Some of their watches are more expensive than others. Yes, the Submariner is one of them. It’s easily the brand’s most famous dive watch. Instead of making you pay an arm and a leg, we’ve discussed some great dupes in our best Rolex Submariner homage review.
Below, we’ve talked about quite a few Rolex tribute watches. We’ve made things easier by discussing the specs of some of the most noteworthy ones.
Our Pick
The timepiece looks exactly like the Rolex Submariner. It comes with a stainless-steel body, as well as a black dial and case. Its bezel is toothed, making it look like the teeth of a shark.
The watch isn’t too big. Its case is 1.57 inches (40 mm) across. This is the same size as the Submariner. The Pro Diver also comes with a strap that’s as wide as its Rolex counterpart’s.
The 8926OB is water-resistant. However, it doesn’t hold a torch to the Rolex device. It can only handle 660 feet (200 meters) underwater. It’s not ISO 6425 certified either, so you can’t dive with it. One of the best things about the Submariner is that it can withstand 1000 feet (300 meters) of water.
Unlike its luxury alternative, the Invicta doesn’t come with a durable window. It’s made from mineral, which is much weaker than sapphire. The sapphire on the Rolex piece is especially resistant as it comes with an extra layer of scratch resistance.
The 8926 is an automatic device. It doesn’t have a swiss automatic movement – these watches cost an arm and a leg. The timepiece has the NH35A mechanism inside it. It’s the 4R35 that Seiko uses. It provides a 41-hour power reserve and 21 jewels. The more jewels present, the smoother a watch will run. That’s why the Submariner has 31. It also has a bigger power reserve, lasting 48 hours.
The Invicta 8926OB comes with self-winding and hacking. They’ve quickly become staples in the watch industry.
Considering that the device is a Japanese automatic, not much craftsmanship has gone into it. Japanese timepieces are generally made through automated processes.
There’s a calendar on its dial. There isn’t one on the standard Submariner. The one with the calendar is a tad bit more expensive.
Of course, the 8926OB comes with a luminous dial. It has ample lume on its hands and marker. When swimming, this makes its face easier to read underwater.
What makes it special:
Its NH35A movement
The watch isn’t as water-resistant as the Submariner. It can only handle 660 feet (200 meters) underwater. You can snorkel with it but that’s about it – the timepiece is not ISO 6425 certified.
Know that the Casio MDV106-1AV was built to work in water. It has a quality stainless steel body, so corrosion is not an issue. Its case and crown are sealed tight too. Speaking of its case, the bezel on it is toothed. Its edges aren’t as prominent as on its Rolex counterpart.
It looks like the Submariner except for its strap. It is resin. Considering that it’s a homage to a watch that has a stainless-steel bracelet, we’re disappointed. If it’s any consolation, know that resin is very waterproof. It’ll fling water off it like its life depends on it. It also repels other substances, like mud.
As you know, the standard Submariner doesn’t have a calendar on it. The Casio 1AV decided to include the feature. The calendar is small, so it can be hard to read. Speaking of its face, you’re probably wondering what the glass on its window is. It’s mineral, which means it’s not that durable.
Its dial also has a red seconds’ hand. We think it makes the dupe easier to read. Of course, there is lume all over its display. Luminous paint is on its markers and watch hand.
The timepiece is larger than its counterpart. Its case stretches 0.157 extra inches (4 mm). Not only is it larger, but it has a completely different movement. The MDV106 rocks a Japanese quartz mechanism. If you didn’t know, quartz watches are powered by batteries.
What makes it special:
Its resin strap
Our Premium Pick
The SNZF17 is bigger than the Rolex Submariner. Its case is 1.71 inches (43.5 mm). Unlike the entry above, its strap isn’t resin. You’re getting stainless steel. The strap on the timepiece is of high quality. It’s also as wide as its Swiss counterpart’s.
The watch’s looks are deceiving. It also comes with a calendar that looks like the more expensive Submariner version. Like the Casio MDV106-1AV, the calendar on it isn’t too big. We appreciate that it placed the date along with the day, this is something that’s not that common.
Its hour markers look a lot like those on the Submariner. They have luminous paint as well. The pigment is on its hands too.
If you’re planning on diving with the device, know that the watch can handle 650 feet (200 meters) underwater. But it isn’t ISO 6425 certified. If you’re going to be swimming with it, know that its stainless-steel body would keep things safe. We’ve already discussed that the material is resistant to corrosion.
It's window is made of tough mineral glass.
With your purchase, you’re getting a quartz watch with special solar powered movement. If you like hacking or self-winding, then you might be disappointed as this homage doesn't require any of those things. It's solar powered movement ensures long lasting battery life and accuracy.
What makes it special:
Its solar powered movement
For the most part, it looks like a great dupe. The thing is, its steel is a bit off when compared to the Submariner. It has more of a blueish hue.
The dupe is almost the Rolex watch’s size. Its case measures 1.61 inches (41 mm) across.
The timepiece isn’t as water-resistant as the Submariner. It can only handle 660 feet (200 meters) underwater. Orient advises you to not dive with it – the most you can do is snorkel with it and do some water surface activities.
Its display isn’t sapphire. Like most of the watches discussed, it’s mineral. There isn’t an additional scratch resistance layer to the crystal.
The movement inside of it is automatic. It’s not Swiss like the Rolex watch, but Japanese. To be more precise, the Ray II contains the Orient Caliber F6922. It comes with a 40-hour power reserve and 22 jewels inside of its gears. In general, this is good. But the Rolex Submariner has a 48-hour reserve and has 31 jewels inside its gears.
Orient did a good job with its hour markers. They’ve been duped the best. It looks like there’s a calendar trend going on. The Ray II was invited to the party as it comes with one in the 3 o'clock position. It contains the day and date, which you know we appreciate.
Its hands look unique. Not only do they have an unusual shape, but there’s a sharp red seconds hand in place.
The timepiece is the most expensive on our list. It feels the part.
What makes it special:
Its blueish steel bracelet
The timepiece is the same size as the Submariner. Its bezel is toothed similarly too. We even think its hour markers look a lot like the Rolex’s. However, it has a black and blue dial. The blue means the watch doesn’t look like an identical dupe.
Speaking of the hour markers on the watch, they have a lot of lume. We also think the timepiece did a good job nailing the Submariner’s watch hands. They’re near-identical – excluding the additional arrow seconds’ hand.
If you take a look at its bezel, you’ll see Arabic numerals throughout. The Submariner doesn’t have as many.
Just like its Swiss alternative, the PN K567 has a quality stainless steel body. Fanmis says that an alloy is mixed in there too.
Unlike most of our entries, the Fanmis GMT has a sapphire display. The watch boasts that an extra layer of scratch resistance is also in place.
The watch has a calendar. It isn’t the smallest. It’s in the 3 o'clock position and only reads the date.
The homage is water-resistant. However, it can’t last that long underwater. It can only handle 100 feet (30 meters). Timepieces that can handle such depths don’t usually come with rotating bezels, but the watch decided to surprise us.
It’s an automatic device. We, unfortunately, don’t know the specific name of its mechanism, so we can’t tell you how many jewels it has, or its power reserve. But it comes with self-winding and hacking.
What makes it special:
It has a black and blue bezel
The Most Affordable
From all the watches discussed, the Depth Master looks the least like the standard Rolex Submariner. It’s paying homage to a green variant. We have to say, it does a good job at this. Its dial even has a sunburst effect, making the green extra shiny like the Rolex variant.
The timepiece is the same size as its counterpart. Unfortunately, its toothed bezel does not have that many edges. In terms of its hour markers, they look similar to its more premium alternative, but are not identical. Yes, they have ample lume in them.
We don’t think its watch hands look like the Rolex’s. They also carry a nice amount of lume.
The device isn’t automatic. The Depth Master is the second Japanese quartz on our list. Its mechanism is the Japanese Miyota. It’s ultra-accurate.
You’re not getting a very water-resistant piece. The homage can only handle 330 feet (100 meters) underwater.
The glass on its window isn’t sapphire. You’re getting mineral. We would’ve loved if it came with an extra layer of scratch resistance, but you don’t always get what you want.
What makes it special:
Its green dial
The dupe can handle as much water as the majority of homages on our list – it’s resistant up to 660 feet (200 meters). No, you can’t dive with it on. It’s also one of the few watches that come with a sapphire display.
The device is the Rolex piece’s size. Its case stretches 1.57 inches (40 mm) across. Its bezel is toothed similarly. We feel like its stainless-steel strap is as wide as the Submariner.
Its hour markers do a good job replicating the Swiss timepiece’s. Of course, it’s packed with luminous paint. The watch hands are more identical.
It’s similar to the calendar variant as it has one in the 3 o'clock position. It’s not a small one and reads the day’s date.
The timepiece is automatic. No surprise, it doesn’t have a Swiss movement. The Seagull mechanism is inside of it. It comes with 25 jewels and a 40-hour power reserve. Just know that the Seagull movement is Chinese.
We’re glad that it comes with hacking and self-winding.
What makes it special:
Its seagull movement
Now that you know the dupes, let’s answer a couple of questions you may have.
You can’t just purchase a Rolex from anywhere. You need to purchase it from the brand’s physical outlets. Remember that Rolex pieces are expensive, so you could get scammed if you buy them from an e-commerce site.
Unless you’re ready to sell a kidney, stick with our homages. The watch costs around $10,000. If you get it used, you’ll be able to save cash.
As mentioned, there are different variants of the watch. The one with the calendar is more expensive.
You’re paying an arm and a leg for it, so you’re getting extensive 5-year coverage.
Throughout our article, you may have noticed that we refer to the dupes as “homages”. What exactly are homage watches? They are pieces modeled off more famous, expensive ones. They cost a fraction of the price. They don’t work as well but fool people into thinking you’re wearing the duped timepiece.
The Rolex Submariner is an iconic watch. It’s known as one of the best dive pieces around. It’s no surprise that there are countless Rolex homage brands and models. When purchasing a Rolex Submariner alternative, you should look at its quality. There’s no point getting a watch that looks a lot like it just to have it stop working in no time.
Check out our other top watches
The Rolex Submariner is an iconic watch. It’s known as one of the best dive pieces around. It’s no surprise that there are countless rolex homage brands and models. When purchasing a Rolex Submariner alternative, you should look at its quality. There’s no point getting a watch that looks a lot like it just to have it stop working in no time.
