What You Are Buying
A first copy of the Blancpain 5050-1130-52A is a replica of a Villeret complete calendar dress watch, not a generic quartz knockoff. The genuine reference is a 40 mm automatic with a day aperture, a month aperture, a date indication, and a moon phase, so a copy only looks convincing if those four displays sit in the right places on the dial. The short answer: buy from a seller who will send movement photos and case measurements, then verify the four displays and the case numbers on arrival before you wear it. Below is the full check sequence.
Prerequisites
- The seller's listing photos, including caseback, crown, and movement shots
- Digital calipers or a steel ruler
- A loupe or a phone macro lens
- The published Blancpain spec for the 5050-1130-52A for comparison
- A payment method with buyer protection
Inspection Steps
- Confirm the reference number. Ask the seller to state the full number, 5050-1130-52A, in writing and check that the same number is engraved between the lugs or on the caseback. A mismatch means the case and the listing describe two different watches.
- Measure the case diameter. The genuine complete calendar case runs about 40 mm across, so a copy that measures 38 mm or 42 mm sits wrong on the wrist and on the strap line.
- Measure the case thickness. Compare it against the genuine profile. Extra thickness is the most common giveaway, because copy movements with calendar modules need more room than the original calibre.
- Study the dial layout. Check that the day and month apertures sit at the correct positions under the twelve, that the date track follows the same arc, and that the moon phase aperture is cut below the centre. Crooked apertures are the second most common giveaway.
- Inspect the moon phase disc with a loupe. The original uses a defined gold tone disc with sharp stars and a clean lunar edge. Flat printing, blurry stars, or a plastic sheen means a low tier copy.
- Look at hands and markers. Check for a slim blued seconds hand, applied indices with polished edges, and a printed minute track that does not bleed into the dial finish.
- Request movement photos before payment. Look at rotor engraving, perlage on the bridges, blued screws, and the jewel count. A seller who refuses movement photos is selling blind.
- Test every calendar function on arrival. Use the corrector pushers to advance the day, the month, and the moon phase, and confirm the date flips at midnight rather than at noon.
- Check the crystal and the strap. The crystal should be domed sapphire with a visible anti reflective tint, and the strap should be stitched leather with a deployant or pin buckle that matches the case finish.
- Wear it for a week and log the daily rate before you decide to keep it. Anything beyond about fifteen seconds a day is a repair request, not a keeper.
Red Flags
- A price far under the normal copy market for this reference
- Brand spelling or dial text that differs from the original
- Caseback engraving that does not match the listing number
- Photos that are all catalog renders and no real shots
- A seller who will not answer questions about the movement
Care and Expectations
Treat a first copy as a dress watch, not a tool watch. Keep it away from water, wind it on a schedule if it is manual, and store it flat when it is not on the wrist. Copy calendar modules are the first part to fail, so use the pushers with a soft tool and never force a date change near midnight. Expect a service life measured in a few years rather than decades, and budget for a strap replacement before you budget for anything else.