Short answer
A fake Villeret moon phase is a copy of the Blancpain Villeret Quantième Complet, reference 6654. The genuine watch has a 40 mm case, a complete calendar, and a moon phase aperture at 6 o'clock. Replica versions sell for $220 to $650. Most run a Chinese automatic movement with an added calendar module. On the cheapest builds the moon phase disc moves one step per day on a 30 or 31 step track, so it drifts against the real 29.53 day lunar month. Better replicas use a 59 tooth disc and hold close to the true cycle for about two and a half years.
Genuine 6654 specifications
- Case: 40 mm, stainless steel or 18k red gold, sapphire crystal front and back.
- Dial: day window left of 12, month window right of 12, date hand on a 31 point track, moon phase at 6.
- Movement: Blancpain calibre 6654, automatic, 321 parts.
- Moon phase: Blancpain lists the deviation at one day per 135 years.
- Case band: recessed correctors for day, month, and moon phase.
"Quantième Complet" means complete calendar. It shows day, date, month, and moon phase. It does not account for leap years, so the owner sets the date after February.
Three moon phase builds in the replica market
- Date driven disc. The disc advances with the date mechanism. The disc carries 30 or 31 positions. Drift is about one day per month, and it stops matching the sky after a few months.
- 59 tooth disc. Two moon images on a disc driven by a 59 tooth wheel. The cycle is 29.5 days against a true 29.53059 days. Drift is one day in roughly 2.5 years. This is the common build above $400.
- High tooth count disc. A small number of high end builds copy the Blancpain gear ratio. These are rare and hard to confirm without opening the case.
Points to check on a replica
- Thickness. The calendar module adds 1 mm to 2 mm on many replicas. Measure with calipers.
- Moon phase aperture shape. The genuine opening is a wide sector, not a full circle.
- Day and month font. Replica printing is heavier and sits off center in the window.
- Date hand finish. Look for polish on the tip and correct length against the track.
- Correctors. Genuine correctors sit flush in the case band. Replicas use flat pins or skip them.
- Caseback engraving depth and rotor finish.
- Movement name. Ask for the base caliber: Miyota 9015, Seagull ST25, or a Hangzhou 6 series.
Price bands
Under $300: date driven moon phase, mineral or low grade sapphire, no correctors. $350 to $500: 59 tooth disc, sapphire on both sides, decorated rotor. Above $550: better case finishing, closer dial print, and a movement service is still unlikely at the factory.
US legal position
US Customs and Border Protection can detain and destroy shipments that carry a counterfeit trademark. 19 U.S.C. 1526 bars importation of goods with an infringing mark. A buyer risks the parcel and the payment. Selling a replica as a genuine Blancpain is trademark infringement and fraud. Repair shops in the US often decline replica work.
Questions for a seller
- How many teeth on the moon phase wheel, or how many steps per month?
- What base movement, and who modified it?
- Case diameter and thickness in millimeters.
- Water resistance test result, not the rating.
- Return window and who pays return shipping.
Unknown: no public data exists on the exact gear count used by each replica factory, and factories change suppliers without notice.