Quick answer
If a listing offers a brand new Audemars Piguet Edward Piguet for a few hundred dollars, it is a fake. The Edward Piguet line was retired more than a decade ago, so no dealer has unsold stock sitting in a safe, and genuine pre-owned examples trade in the four to five figure range. The copies floating around are usually a tonneau or rectangular case with a quartz movement inside, wrapped in a story about an estate, a relative, or a small private collection.
Why this particular model gets copied so often
The Edward Piguet is a dress watch from a brand everyone knows for the Royal Oak. That gap matters. Casual buyers recognize the name but not the details, and the case is a smooth rounded rectangle or tonneau, which is far easier to reproduce than an octagonal Royal Oak bezel with eight visible screws and a tapisserie dial. Add the fact that the line ended around 2011, and you get fewer reference photos online, fewer owner threads, and more room for a rough copy to pass as real.
The checks that expose most fakes
- Thickness and case proportions. Genuine Edward Piguet cases are slim dress-watch cases, often 7 to 9 mm thick, because they house a hand-wound calibre. Copies run 10 to 12 mm thick since the case has to swallow a generic automatic or a quartz module.
- How the small seconds behaves. Watch the subdial for 30 seconds. A hand that ticks once per second is quartz. A hand-wound AP small seconds sweeps in several small steps per second at 21,600 vibrations per hour.
- Dial printing and subdial alignment. Look at the wordmark, the monogram at 12, and the Swiss Made signature. Fakes tend to have thick, fuzzy print or a slightly wrong font weight. On offsets where the subdial sits low on the dial, it must line up with the real gear train position, not with what looked good on a computer screen.
- Caseback and movement finish. Most references use a sapphire display back showing a decorated hand-wound movement: Geneva stripes, perlage, polished bevels, and an engraved balance cock or bridge with brand marking. Copies show a plain rotor, stamped text, or no decoration at all.
- Engravings and hallmarks. Gold cases carry the 750 or 950 metal stamp, a Swiss hallmark, a reference number, and a movement or case serial. On fakes these are shallow, unevenly spaced, or the numbers on the caseback do not match the paperwork. A gold-plated case often has no inside hallmark once you open it.
- Case metal weight. Solid white, yellow or rose gold feels heavy and warm in the hand. Plated brass is light and rings hollow when tapped. A fake in a "gold" case usually feels like a coin, not a paperweight.
What replicas usually get wrong
- Crown sits too proud or too far from the case flank.
- Date font and window bevel are off, or the window sits too close to the chapter ring.
- Strap and buckle use generic spring bars instead of fitted ends and a signed clasp.
- Caseback screws are flat and oversized rather than polished and countersunk.
- Serial numbers repeat across multiple watches from the same seller.
If you are chasing the real thing
Buy from a dealer who allows returns and who will photograph the movement, the inside of the caseback, and the hallmarks. Ask for the AP archive extract, which confirms the reference, case metal, and original delivery date. Budget for service too: a full service on a hand-wound AP calibre commonly runs into four figures because the parts and finishing work are not cheap. A watch with no service history and a price far below market is not a bargain, it is a warning.
Red flags to walk away from
- Seller refuses a clear movement photo.
- "New old stock" with no archive extract and no service record.
- Quartz movement in a case that should be mechanical.
- Price under $1,000 for anything described as solid gold.
- Serial number on the caseback does not match the certificate.
If you knowingly buy a replica, treat it as costume jewelry. A watch carrying AP branding cannot be passed off as genuine, and selling one that way is fraud, not a smart flip.