Short answer

A replica Breguet automatic is a copy of a Breguet self-winding watch. Breguet is a Swiss brand founded in Paris in 1775 by Abraham-Louis Breguet. The Swatch Group has owned it since 1999. Real Breguet automatics sell in the low five figures in U.S. dollars. Copies sell for about $30 to $900. The movement inside the case sets most of the price.

What automatic means

An automatic watch holds a rotor that turns with wrist motion and winds the mainspring. No battery. No daily hand winding if the watch is worn. Breguet automatic calibers include the 517GG, used in the Classique 5177, with a 65-hour power reserve. Caliber 581 mounts the oscillating weight on the edge of the movement, a design called a peripheral rotor.

Breguet models that get copied most

  • Classique 5177, caliber 517GG, 38 mm case, engine-turned dial.
  • Classique Chronométrie 7727, caliber 581, peripheral rotor.
  • Marine 5517, date and center seconds, steel or titanium.
  • Type XX and Type XXI chronographs, automatic with a 48-hour reserve class.
  • Tradition 7057, hand-wound, so it is not an automatic. Copies of it still show up under this keyword.

Movements found inside copies

Three groups.

  1. Quartz. A battery movement under a Breguet-style dial. $30 to $80. The seconds hand ticks one step per second.
  2. Entry automatic. Miyota 8215 or Seiko NH35A. Both run at 21,600 vibrations per hour, which is 6 beats per second. $100 to $250 for a complete watch.
  3. Mid tier. Sea-Gull ST2130 or Hangzhou 6300, built to the ETA 2824-2 layout. 28,800 vibrations per hour, 8 beats per second. $250 to $500.
  4. Top tier. Sellita SW200, ETA 2892, or a decorated Chinese caliber with a rotor engraved to mimic the 517GG. $500 to $900 and up.

Case, dial, and hands

Breguet case work uses a fluted caseband, welded lugs, and a guilloché dial cut on an engine-turning lathe. The hands are pomme style with eccentric moon tips. Real dials carry a secret signature, a small hidden mark. It was cut by hand in the past and by laser now. Copies seldom match the fluting depth or the hand profile. Case metal in copies runs from plated brass to 316L stainless steel, with 904L steel on the best examples. A sapphire crystal with an anti-reflective coating appears near the $200 mark.

Price bands

  • $30 to $80: quartz, plated case, mineral glass, stamped dial.
  • $100 to $250: entry automatic, 316L steel, sapphire on some units.
  • $250 to $500: 2824-style automatic, printed dial markers, screw-down caseback.
  • $500 to $900 plus: Swiss or Swiss-pattern movement, decorated rotor, case dimensions closer to the original.

Legal status in the United States

A counterfeit watch infringes the Breguet trademark. Trafficking in counterfeit goods is a federal crime under 18 U.S.C. 2320. A first offense carries up to 10 years in prison and a $2 million fine for an individual. A second offense carries up to 20 years. U.S. Customs and Border Protection can seize shipments at the border. Personal possession and resale are treated as different matters under the statute, but import and sale carry risk. That is the law as written.

Points to check on any copy

  • Beat rate. 21,600 vibrations per hour costs less than 28,800. Count the ticks per second.
  • Power reserve. Wind it, set it down, note when it stops. Real Breguet automatics run 38 to 65 hours.
  • Rotor. A thin rotor with shallow engraving signals a low-cost automatic.
  • Caseback text. Real Breguet uses set reference and serial formats. The exact format for a given reference is unknown here without that reference in hand.