Short answer
A fake Breguet is a watch that carries the Breguet name and does not come from Breguet. The brand was founded in Paris in 1775 and has built watches in Switzerland since 1976. New Breguet watches sell from about $15,000 for a steel Type XX to more than $100,000 for a tourbillon. Counterfeits sell for $100 to $900. Price is the first test.
Price checks
- Classique 5177 in rose gold: list price near $25,000.
- Tradition 7057: list price near $35,000.
- Reine de Naples 8918: list price near $40,000.
- Type XX in steel: list price near $17,000.
Prices change with metal, dial, and year. Check the current figure at a boutique or on the Breguet site. A new Breguet at $400 with a box and papers is a counterfeit.
Movement
Breguet uses in-house calibres. The Classique 5177 runs the 777Q, an automatic with a power reserve near 55 hours. The Tradition 7057 runs the 507DR with a reserve near 50 hours. Counterfeits use stock or cloned movements from Asia, or low-grade Swiss ebauches. Check the beat rate. Most modern Breguet calibres run at 28,800 vph (4 Hz). Many fakes run at 21,600 vph, and the seconds hand moves in a stutter. Decoration on a real Breguet includes Cotes de Geneve, perlage, chamfered bridges, and blued screws.
Case and dial
- Hands: blued steel with a round hole near the tip.
- Guilloche: cut on a rose engine. Fakes print or stamp the pattern. Under a loupe the fake lines show flat tops.
- Case band: fluted sides on Classique models.
- Lugs: welded to the case on Classique models, not wire bars.
- Signature: Breguet in script, Swiss Made at 6 o'clock, correct font and spacing.
Some Breguet dials carry a secret signature that shows at an angle. Many models do not. Its absence is not proof of a fake.
Numbers and papers
Breguet engraves a case number on the caseback and a movement number on a bridge. Modern watches ship with a certificate that lists both. The numbers must match each other and the papers. Vintage Breguet watches made before 1970 can be checked against the Breguet archives, which hold records back to 1780. A seller who will not give the case number before payment is a risk.
Verification
Breguet boutiques and authorized service centers in the US open a case and confirm the movement. An estimate costs about $100 to $300. This step beats any online checklist.
Law in the US
Trafficking in counterfeit goods is a federal crime under 18 U.S.C. 2320. A first offense carries up to 10 years in prison. US Customs and Border Protection seizes counterfeit watches at ports of entry, and a watch bought abroad can be taken at the border. Ownership alone is not a federal charge. Sale and import are.
Replica and counterfeit are two labels
Some sellers label a watch as a replica and state that it is not genuine. Others pass the same watch off as a real Breguet. The second case is fraud. Either way, a fake Breguet has no service support, no factory parts, and no resale value at a Breguet auction.