MAEN Skymaster Autavia 'tribute'

Maen are set to launch their Skymaster via kickstarter.
A 38mm vintage inspired Swiss made chronograph powered by an ETA 2894-2 for 799 euro. From the photos of the various models it's easy to see where the inspiration came from.

Definitely based on the Autavia. I quite like it, though. Will probably check it out when it's released, but as with all these microbrands, one has to pay close attention to the quality of the finishing. I would be expecting it to be pretty good at this price. I already see one or two details I don't like so much.

Agree- no question that it's "inspired" by the Autavia. I always wondered why TAG Heuer took no action against Seven Friday for the design of their watch. The case is a straight Silverstone copy

Saw a thread on WUS about this. Agreed, blatant homage (copy).

Can you protect the shape of a watch?

You can if it's protected as a model, in which case the protection is limited in time. However truly iconic designs can be protected as brands/logos for as long as the applicant pays the fees, but this is very hard to do in case of a 3d designs. For example the silhouette of the Eames lounge chair. The other way to address this would be a passing off litigation, in which case TH would be claiming these brands are misleading consumers into thinking they're buying the real thing. I don't think these copies fall into that category.