Answer
A fake Audemars Piguet Jules Audemars is a counterfeit copy of a round dress watch that AP produced from 1999 until the line was phased out around 2019. Copies are common on auction sites and classifieds. Most fail on four points: the caseback engraving, the movement behind the sapphire back, the dial print, and the crown. A real Jules Audemars Extra-Thin holds a 2.45 mm in-house caliber. A copy holds a stock ETA, a Seagull, or an unbranded Chinese movement.
Audemars Piguet Jules Audemars Fake: How to Spot the Best Copies
What the Jules Audemars line was
Jules Louis Audemars and Edward Auguste Piguet founded the firm in 1875 in Le Brassus, Switzerland. The Jules Audemars collection carries the name of the first founder. AP launched it in 1999 as its classic dress line. Cases ran from 39 mm to 41 mm in 18k rose gold, white gold, yellow gold, and platinum. The range covered time-only models, small seconds, chronographs, perpetual calendars, tourbillons, and a grande complication. AP phased out the name around the 2019 launch of the Code 11.59.
audemars piguet jules audemars fake vs real
Where copies fail
- Caseback. AP engraves a reference number and a serial number into the metal. Copies use shallow stamps or acid etch. Letter spacing runs uneven, and the serial does not match any AP record.
- Movement. The Extra-Thin uses caliber 2120, built on the Jaeger-LeCoultre 920 base. It measures 2.45 mm thick, carries a 21k gold rotor, and shows hand finishing on the bridges and gears. A copy shows a plain rotor, coarse perlage, and burred screw slots. The sapphire back exposes all of this.
- Dial. Real dials use applied gold indexes and pad-printed text with sharp edges. Copies show thick paint, off-center subdials, and a date aperture cut too wide.
- Crown and case. The crown carries the AP monogram. Gold cases carry a precious-metal hallmark on the caseback or the lugs. Copies show plating wear at the lugs and a crown that sits flush or low.
Price signals
Dealer and auction listings for a gold Jules Audemars Extra-Thin sit between $12,000 and $30,000. Perpetual calendars and tourbillons run higher. A listing under $3,000 for a solid gold Jules Audemars is not a genuine watch. Ask for the service record. Ask which service center did the work. AP service in Switzerland and the US issues paperwork with each return.
Audemars Piguet Jules Audemars Buying Guide: Genuine, Not Fake
Legal status in the US
A counterfeit sold as a genuine AP is fraud and trademark infringement. Federal law 18 U.S.C. Section 2320 makes trafficking in counterfeit goods a crime with a maximum of 10 years in prison. US Customs and Border Protection seizes counterfeit watches at ports of entry. The Lanham Act lets the trademark owner sue for damages. A replica sold with a clear label as a replica falls in a different category from a watch sold as genuine. The second one is fraud.
Checks before you pay
- Ask the seller for the reference number and the serial number in writing.
- Take the numbers to AP or an authorized dealer for confirmation.
- View the movement through the caseback. Check the rotor metal and the bridge finish.
- Weigh the watch. A gold case weighs more than a plated copy of the same size.
- Pay a watchmaker for a movement inspection before money changes hands.
Papers and boxes are easy to copy. The serial number and the movement are the two items a counterfeiter cannot make match.