We’ve entered into the dog days of summer and, as our very own Andy Hoffman reported just yesterday, the used perfect replica watches market posted its best quarterly performance in three years. I’ve gone my whole life assuming that “dog days of summer” referred to literal dogs being warmer than usual, only to find out today that it’s named after Sirius, the Dog Star, the brightest star in the constellation Canis Major (“Greater Dog”). As it turns out, the ancient Greeks and Romans noticed that Sirius rose with the Sun this time of year and believed that the combined power of the Sun and Sirius caused the extra-hot weather. The more you know.
It’s a busy time of the year, and this whole dog days thing has rattled me to the core. Let’s get into what matters: the “best” fake watches UK for sale from around the internet this week.
1941 Patek Philippe Calatrava Ref. 96 Replica Watches with Black Dial in 18k Rose Gold
Popular within the enthusiast niche as of late, the high quality fake Patek Philippe reference 96 watches — the original Calatrava — remains a divisive watch still, 93 years after its introduction. The “cool” thing to do is like them (guilty as charged), while the more realistic among us might flinch at the 30.5mm case diameter. As a fan, I’ll stand up for the humble 96 in saying that the proportions are excellent. If you focus on that one measurement, I can see why you wouldn’t lust for this cheap copy watches, but I beg you to try one on first. The 18mm lug width makes a serious difference.
Stepping down from the soapbox, the OG Calatrava was produced for nearly four decades, up until 1973, and served as the backbone of Patek’s simple round wristwatch offering. It is considered the brand’s first serially produced wristwatch and would go on to become emblematic of what makes dress Swiss fake watches, well, a dress watch. I could continue to rant about the reference, but I assume my more confident horological historian readers have already rolled their eyes once or twice.
This particular 1:1 super clone watches isn’t just any old 96 — this is among the most desirable precious metal variants to be had. Cased in rose gold (pink if you’re fancy), this early second series example boasts an ever-important and collectible black dial. In either yellow or rose gold, black dialed 96s are some of the rarest, not accounting for the unique or almost unique variants, and truly a collector’s dream. With all of vintage Patek, there is a sycophantic love for original examples of any reference with a gold case and black dial. It all has to do with the rarity and unique look on the wrist. If you see someone with a black-dialed vintage Patek in public, I beg you to introduce yourself.
The example we have here begs the age-old discussion of rarity and originality versus the three C’s of vintage top replica watches collecting — condition, condition, and condition. Put simply, this one is honest but has honestly lived a life. The dial is littered with cracking and bubbling on the lacquer finish, but, most importantly to some collectors, it has not been cleaned, restored, or “messed with.” It is original and the case is too, showing wear and signs of a previous polish, but clearly has not been prepped for sale at any point in its 84 years of service.
The last original 96 to sell with a black dial and rose gold case did $35,280 at Sotheby’s in 2021 — a touch before the reference’s recent rise in popularity. The condition there was original but not perfect. A near-perfect yellow gold example sold this past May for $79,459 at Phillips — that’s the high water mark for a watch like this. Presented as found with a Patek Extract from the Archives confirming the dial type, today’s UK reproduction watches is priced considerably below both of the above.
The sellers, Niko & Ari of Steel City Vintage Watches, are located in Bethlehem, PA, and are asking $33,000 for this uncommon Patek 96.
1970s Fake Audemars Piguet Automatic Ref. 5205 Watches in 18k White Gold
Pivoting away from the ultra-rare slightly, we find ourselves faced with best-selling replica Audemars Piguet time-and-date reference watches from the 1970s. Powered by the caliber K2072, this simple yet interesting white gold watch offers a ton of value. In the mid-60s, AP started to increase wristwatch production slightly, and when I say that, I mean increase by the hundreds rather than thousands. The brand produced so few China knock off watches prior that it didn’t take much. This production increase caught steam in the 1970s, following the launch of the Royal Oak, when the brand started purchasing automatic ébauches from JLC at scale.
The movement here is one of those JLC ébauches, but it’s worth noting that Audemars Piguet handled finishing to an ultra-high level in-house. With more examples in the market than most other vintage AP references, best quality replica watches like the 5205 are often overlooked as common and priced below $10,000. For a 35mm in diameter, solid 18k white gold, great looking Calatrava-esque watch from AP — I find that a bit crazy. Sure, it’s no Royal Oak and it doesn’t have some of the more unique design queues of other AP creations of this era, like the ref. 5093 “Disco Volante,” but this is an undeniably great watch. That said, there is some charm in the case shape with oversized, flat-topped lugs and with a screw-down caseback; these have more of a modern feel than you would expect out of duplicate watch from the 70s.
The seller, Rawad from Huntington Company, is asking $9,900 for this very clean example of buy bootleg Audemars Piguet’s ref. 5205 watches.