Short answer
A fake Villeret moon phase copy is a replica of the Blancpain Villeret Complete Calendar, reference 6654. Copies sell for $250 to $600. The genuine steel model lists near $20,000. Most copies use an Asian automatic movement with a calendar module bolted on top. The moon phase disc in most copies has 59 teeth. That disc runs a 29.5 day cycle and drifts one day in about 2.7 years. Blancpain uses a 135-tooth disc and states one day of error in 122 years. This gap is the main technical difference between a copy and the real watch.
Fake Villeret Moon Phase Brand Guide: Spotting and Avoiding Fakes
Genuine 6654 specs to compare against
- Case: 40 mm steel, 10.94 mm thick
- Movement: calibre 6654, automatic, 28,800 vph, 72-hour power reserve
- Functions: day, date, month, moon phase
- Layout: day aperture at 9 o'clock, month aperture at 3 o'clock, moon phase at 6 o'clock, serpentine date hand in the center
- Correction: day and month correctors sit under the lugs, so no pushers show on the case band
- Crystal and back: sapphire on both sides
Moon phase disc: 59 teeth against 135
A 59-tooth disc advances one tooth per day and completes a cycle in 29.5 days. The lunar month is 29.53 days. The error adds up to about one day every 2 years and 8 months. Copies with this disc need a reset at that point. The genuine 6654 uses a 135-tooth disc, which tracks the 29.53059 day cycle with a correction needed about once every 122 years. On photos, the copy disc shows a flatter moon image, softer craters and a wider gap between the moon and the aperture edge.
Movement types in copies
Three groups show up in listings. The first is a Seagull ST21 or ST25 base with a bolt-on calendar plate. The second is a Miyota 9015 with a module. The third is a custom clone that copies the 6654 layout. Base movements run at 21,600 vph or 28,800 vph. The module adds height. Case thickness lands at 12.5 mm to 13.5 mm, against 10.94 mm for the genuine watch. A copy that measures under 11.5 mm is rare.
fake villeret moon phase replica
Dial and case tells
- Date hand: genuine is blued steel with a red tip and a snake curve. Copies show a thicker hand and paint that sits proud of the tip.
- Logo: check the letter spacing in "Blancpain" and the depth of the print.
- Apertures: day and month windows should sit level with each other and cut clean at the corners.
- Case band: any pusher at 4 or 8 o'clock marks a copy, since the genuine uses correctors under the lugs.
- Case back: rotor engraving, jewel count and calibre text are shallow on most copies.
Price bands
- $250 to $350: basic module, 59-tooth moon disc, plated rotor
- $400 to $600: better dial print, sharper moon disc, closer case thickness
- $700 and up: sold as a super clone, often with a claimed in-house clone movement
No listing price proves movement quality. Ask for a movement photo and a timing machine readout.
Checks before you buy
- Measure thickness with calipers. 10.9 mm to 11.5 mm is close. 13 mm is not.
- Set the watch to a known moon phase date and count the disc advance over 3 days.
- Watch the day, date and month change near midnight, not at noon.
- Check date hand alignment at 1, 15 and 31 on the track.
- Look for case band pushers. The genuine has none.
- Ask for a photo of the rotor and the balance area.
What no copy matches
Movement finishing, the free-sprung balance, the 72-hour reserve, the under-lug corrector system and the 135-tooth moon phase train. A copy can look close on the wrist at 1 meter. It cannot hold the same timekeeping spec or the same moon phase accuracy. A buyer who wants the calendar to run without resets should expect the copy to lose about one day of moon phase accuracy every 2.7 years.