Fake Audemars Piguet Jules Audemars Moon Phase: What You Are Actually Buying

A fake Audemars Piguet Jules Audemars moon phase is a replica of a thin dress watch built around a moon phase aperture, a date display, and an automatic movement. First copy versions of this model range from quartz lookalikes to mechanical builds with a working lunar disc. The most reliable single test is the moon phase itself. On a true moon phase complication the disc advances once per lunar day, about 24 hours and 50 minutes. On a cheap imitation the same disc is a day and night wheel that flips once every 24 hours with the date. A five minute check separates the two.

Prerequisites

  • Published specs for the genuine reference, including case diameter and thickness
  • A loupe or a phone macro lens
  • Calipers or a ruler with millimeter marks
  • A written return policy from the seller before payment

Inspection Steps

  1. Pull the crown to the hand setting position and move the hands to a time between 9 and 3 before you touch the moon phase corrector, so you do not damage the disc gearing.
  2. Press the corrector and count the clicks until the moon disc returns to the same image. A lunar disc needs about 29.5 steps, a day and night wheel needs two.
  3. Note the disc position, wait one full day, and look again. A real moon phase shifts by roughly one lunar day, close to 50 minutes short of a calendar day.
  4. Measure the case across the bezel and through the lugs with calipers. Jules Audemars dress cases sit near 39 mm wide and about 9 mm thick.
  5. Study the dial lettering under magnification. Compare the brand signature, the model line, and the moon artwork. Blurred serifs, uneven spacing, or a flat printed moon instead of a raised disc mark a low tier build.
  6. Check the date aperture for shaved numerals, a tilted wheel, or an uneven gap around the frame.
  7. Turn the watch over and read the caseback engraving. Look for shallow stamping and for movement decoration visible through a display back.
  8. Wind the crown 20 to 30 turns, then shake the watch gently. A working automatic rotor should start the balance within a few seconds in both directions.
  9. Time the watch against a known clock for three days. Acceptable first copy mechanical movements usually hold within plus or minus 20 seconds per day.
  10. Confirm the return window and the refund method in writing before money changes hands.

Red Flags

  • The moon disc jumps at midnight with the date change
  • The moon is printed foil with no depth or texture
  • Case thickness above 11 mm on a dress model
  • Hands that scrape the dial or sit unevenly above the markers
  • A seller who will not send a live photo of the exact watch

Setting and Daily Care

Set the moon phase only when the hands are clear of the change zone, and reset it after any long period without wear. Keep the watch away from magnets, and have a mechanical first copy serviced every three to five years. A replica is not a genuine Audemars Piguet watch. US law bars selling counterfeit goods as authentic, so buy for personal use and never pass a first copy off as an original.