Short answer
A fake Patek Philippe 5320G is a copy of a 40 mm white gold perpetual calendar that Patek Philippe introduced in 2017. The genuine watch runs the self-winding caliber 324 S Q and carries the Patek Philippe Seal. Replica versions reproduce the outside of the watch and hide a generic or cloned movement behind an engraved rotor plate. Case thickness, dial printing, calendar mechanics, movement finishing and weight are the fields where a replica fails under close inspection.
Genuine reference points
The 5320G uses an 18k white gold case at 40 mm across. The dial follows a 1940s layout with applied gold numerals and syringe hands. Day and month sit in apertures at 12 o'clock with a leap year indicator, and the date and moon phase sit in the subdial at 6 o'clock. Caliber 324 S Q is a self-winding perpetual calendar movement rated at about 45 hours of power reserve. The perpetual calendar disc set is mechanical and follows a 28-year cycle, so the date rolls from February 28 to March 1 without a manual correction in a normal year.
How to check a replica 5320G
- Measure the case with calipers. Confirm 40 mm across the bezel and compare the height against the published figure. Replica cases are often 1 mm to 2 mm thicker because the clone movement needs more room than the 324 S Q.
- Weigh the watch head on a scale. White gold is dense, so a genuine 5320G feels heavier than a steel or plated replica of the same size.
- Set the calendar to a known date and watch it advance overnight. A perpetual calendar should show the correct day, date, month and leap year position the next morning. Most replicas run a simplified annual calendar or a plain date wheel.
- Push the caseband correctors with a plastic stylus. Count the recessed correctors and check that each one moves the function it is meant to move.
- Turn the watch over and inspect the movement through the sapphire back. Look for hand-bevelled bridges, Geneva stripes and a gold rotor. A flat, printed or glued-on rotor plate is a replica signal.
- Check the moon phase disc. Advance the moon phase through a full cycle and compare the two moons against a real photograph of the dial.
- Examine the dial printing with a loupe. Look at the aperture edges, the leap year window and the alignment of the subdial. Off-centre apertures and fuzzy print are common on replicas.
- Read the caseback engraving. Reference number, case number and metal hallmarks should be crisp and aligned, not shallow or doubled.
Details that usually expose a replica
- Case height that does not match the published specification.
- Calendar functions that do not advance correctly past the end of February.
- A movement finish that looks uniform and machine-applied under the loupe.
- Dial apertures that sit slightly off the vertical centre line.
- Lugs and crown that feel light or show plating wear at the edges.
- A price far below the genuine market level with no service history.
Paperwork and price checks
A genuine 5320G comes with a certificate, a leather folder, a setting stylus and a box that matches the reference. Ask for the paperwork, then compare the case number on the certificate with the number engraved on the caseback. Auction catalogues and dealer listings give a baseline for how a real 5320G is described and numbered. If the seller cannot produce matching paperwork or refuses an inspection by a watchmaker, treat the watch as a replica.
Bottom line
Judge a 5320G replica by what it cannot copy: a working perpetual calendar, correct case dimensions, dense white gold and a hand-finished movement. Anything else is a cosmetic shell.