Short answer
A replica Reine de Naples with a moon phase copies a Breguet women's watch that sells for more than 30,000 USD in gold. Copies sell for about 120 to 400 USD. The moon display on most copies is not a 29.53-day lunar cycle. It is a 24-hour disc that turns once a day and shows a sun and a moon. A true moon phase tracks the synodic month: 29 days, 12 hours, 44 minutes. Three details separate a good copy from a poor one: the oval case curve, the crown at 4 o'clock, and the small dial size.
What the original is
Breguet dates the line to a watch ordered in 1810 by Caroline Murat, Queen of Naples. Breguet delivered it in 1812. It was an oblong watch built to sit on the wrist, and it came before the wristwatch became common. The modern Reine de Naples arrived in 2002. The 8908 model uses a cambered oval case that Breguet lists at 36.5 mm by 28.45 mm. The dial sits off center. A power reserve scale sits at 3 o'clock. The moon aperture sits at 6 o'clock. The crown sits at 4 o'clock and carries a cabochon stone. The movement is self-winding.
How a moon phase works
A mechanical moon phase uses a disc with two moon images. A 59-tooth wheel turns that disc one step each day. Two moons on one disc give a full cycle of 29.5 days. A watchmaker sets the ratio at the factory. Most replicas skip this part. They fit a 24-hour wheel instead. That disc turns a full circle each day, so the moon shows at night and the sun shows by day. That is a day and night indicator, not a moon phase. A buyer can test it. Set the watch to noon and leave it. A true moon phase holds the same moon position for days. A 24-hour disc moves to a new position within hours.
Parts that change with price
- Case metal: 316L steel with gold plating, often 2 to 5 microns thick. Solid 18k gold copies exist and cost five to ten times more.
- Case shape: an oval bezel needs machining on two axes. Cheap copies show flat sides and a soft transition at the lugs.
- Dial: mother of pearl on the original. Copies use plastic film or a printed laminate.
- Cabochon: synthetic ruby or glass on copies. Real gemstone on the original.
- Diamonds: cubic zirconia in most copies. Cut diamonds on the original.
- Crystal: sapphire on better copies, mineral glass on cheap ones.
- Weight: a plated steel copy weighs less than a gold original of the same size.
Specs to ask about
- Movement maker and caliber number.
- Moon display type: 29.5-day disc or 24-hour disc.
- Case size in millimeters, measured on both axes.
- Plating thickness in microns.
- Water resistance in meters, and whether the case was pressure tested.
US import and legal facts
Counterfeit watches are illegal to import and illegal to sell in the United States. Under 19 U.S.C. 1526 and trademark law, CBP can seize and destroy a shipment. A buyer in the US who orders a replica risks losing the item and the money paid. Resale is a separate offense with statutory damages per mark. Repair is hard as well. Breguet service centers do not work on copies, and parts for the copy movement come from the same factory that built it. Service on a copy is done by the seller or a local watchmaker with generic parts.