The closest thing to a wearable Breguet 7787BR clone is a high-tier Asian automatic built around a working moon phase and a real power-reserve indicator, housed in a 39 mm rose-gold-plated case with a fluted band and straight welded lugs. That build is the top pick among the copies sold as "first copy." It wins on five criteria: whether the complications actually function, whether the case matches the original's diameter and profile, dial and print quality, movement finish, and whether the watch can be serviced at all. The sections below follow those five points, with one honest note up front: no copy is the real watch, and selling or importing counterfeit branded goods is illegal in the United States.
Know the Target: What the Breguet 7787BR Is
The 7787 belongs to Breguet's Classique line. The reference wears a rose gold case around 39 mm across, a fluted case band, straight welded lugs that flow into the strap without a seam, and a white dial carrying Breguet's Arabic numerals and blued hands. A moon-phase display and a power-reserve indication share the upper half of the dial, and a sapphire back shows a self-winding calibre with a silicon escapement. That layout is exactly why the watch is hard to fake. The moon phase is an astronomical display geared to a 29-day cycle, not a spinning day and night disc, and the case stays thin despite carrying two complications.
Criterion One: Do the Complications Work?
This is the single fastest way to separate tiers. A copy with a genuine moon-phase mechanism advances one tooth per day and drifts only slightly over months. A cheap copy uses a 24-hour disc painted with a moon, which flips twice a day and looks wrong to anyone who knows the reference.
- A correct copy: moon phase driven by a dedicated gear train, power-reserve hand tied to the mainspring barrel, both adjustable from the crown or a recessed corrector.
- A wrong copy: day and night disc sold as a moon phase, painted-on power-reserve scale with no hand, date wheel bolted under the dial.
Criterion Two: Case Size, Lugs and Profile
Breguet's welded lugs are the giveaway. On the original, the lug is one piece with the case middle, and the strap slides into a slot. Many copies bolt or screw a separate lug block onto a generic case, which adds height and shows a seam at the join. Check the diameter first, then the thickness, then the lug join.
- What to look for: roughly 39 mm across, case band with fine fluting that runs vertical and even, drilled or hidden spring bars, crown with a coin edge.
- Common faults: 41 mm or larger cases, thick slab sides, fluting that stops short of the lugs, plating that shows grey at the edges after a few months of wear.
Criterion Three: Dial Finish and Print
The dial carries most of the visual weight. Breguet numerals have a specific curve, the minute track sits close to the chapter ring, and the blued hands are thin with a hollowed pomme tip. Print that is slightly bold, numerals that are too wide, or a moon aperture with a rough stamped edge all read as wrong at arm's length.
- Signs of care: crisp applied or printed numerals, even graining or enamel tone across the whole dial, moon disc with a drawn face and stars rather than a sticker.
- Signs of a rush job: misaligned sub-dial, ink spread around the print, moon aperture cut off center, hands that stop short of the track.
Option: Entry-Tier First Copy
The cheapest tier usually runs a quartz or basic automatic movement behind a printed dial. It photographs well and feels light in the hand.
Pros
- Low cost, so a scratch or a dead battery is not a loss.
- Quartz versions keep time well and need no winding.
- Widely available in the first-copy market.
Cons
- Moon phase is almost always a 24-hour disc, so it is wrong twice a day.
- Plated case shows base metal at the lugs within months.
- No parts supply and no realistic service path.
Best for: a costume piece for a single event, or a test of whether you actually like the look on your wrist.
Option: Mid-Tier Asian Automatic
This tier steps up to a mechanical automatic, often a 28,800 vph Asian calibre with a decorated rotor and a real moon-phase module grafted onto the base movement.
Pros
- Mechanical feel, sweeping seconds, and a working moon phase on the better examples.
- Case and dial tolerances are closer to the reference, so the watch sits flat on the wrist.
- Strap changes are easy and the lugs usually take standard spring bars.
Cons
- Movement finishing is cosmetic and often uneven under a loupe.
- The added moon-phase module can make setting fiddly and is delicate.
- Depth and water resistance are usually overstated.
Best for: regular wear where you want the mechanical experience and a moon phase that behaves like a moon phase.
Option: High-Tier Clone
The top tier copies the movement architecture as well as the outside, with hand-finished bridges, a correct 39 mm case, welded lugs, and a moon phase geared to the proper cycle.
Pros
- Closest match to the reference in proportion, weight and dial layout.
- Correct complication behavior, including a power-reserve hand that tracks the barrel.
- Holds up to a loupe and to side-by-side photos.
Cons
- Cost can approach the price of a used watch from a legitimate maker.
- Still not serviceable by Breguet or by most independent watchmakers.
- No resale value and no warranty you can enforce.
Best for: a collector who wants the reference look on the wrist and accepts that the watch is a copy, not an investment.
The US Legal and Practical Risk
Counterfeit watches carrying a real brand name are trademark-infringing goods. US Customs and Border Protection seizes them, and buying, selling or importing them can expose you to civil claims and, in some circumstances, criminal liability. Practically, a seized parcel is gone with no refund, and a seller who ships from overseas rarely answers a chargeback. There is also no service network, so a failed moon-phase module means a dead watch.
Which One to Pick
If you want a working moon phase and a mechanical movement, the mid-tier automatic is the sensible middle. If proportions and dial accuracy matter more than price, the high-tier clone is the only tier that gets close. If you are testing the look, the entry tier is enough and you should treat it as disposable. If you want the real thing without the new-watch price, a pre-owned genuine Breguet Classique or a comparable moon-phase watch from another maker will hold value and can be repaired. Whichever route you take, inspect the moon phase, the lug join and the dial print before anything else, because those three details decide whether the watch looks right on the wrist.