A replica Villeret complete calendar copies Blancpain's Villeret Quantième Complet, a slim dress watch that shows day, date, month, and moonphase on one dial. The best copies run a modified automatic movement and use a real 29.5-day moonphase disc. Cheap copies print the moonphase on a flat sticker that never moves.
Below: how the complication works, which movements hold up, the price tiers, and a QC checklist you can send to any seller.
What Is a Villeret Complete Calendar?
The Villeret Quantième Complet is a dress watch from Blancpain. It pairs a round case and a clean dial with a three-part calendar and a moonphase at 6 o'clock. It is not a perpetual calendar, so it does not track leap years.
Replica versions target the same 40mm look, and some sellers offer 42mm. The dial stays clean because the calendar data lives in small windows rather than on subdials.
How Does the Complete Calendar Complication Work?
Three extra gear trains sit on top of the base movement. One turns the date ring once per day. A second steps the day and month discs at the end of a month. A third advances the moonphase disc by one tooth per day.
The day, date, and month train
Most Villeret layouts show day and month in two windows near the top of the dial and a date pointer or window at 3 o'clock. The date hand on the genuine watch is a blued serpentine shape with a pointed tip.
A working replica steps the date at midnight and moves the day and month discs on schedule. A broken replica changes the date at noon, or skips the month step for months at a time.
The moonphase disc
The moonphase disc holds two painted moons on a dark blue field. The disc turns one step each day, so the moon face crosses the aperture in about 29.5 days. A 24-hour day/night wheel can look similar in photos but does not follow the lunar cycle.
Movement Options in Replica Villeret Complete Calendars
- Miyota 9015 with a calendar module: 28,800 vph, smooth sweep, parts on hand at most watchmakers. Common in the $300 to $600 band.
- Clone Calibre 6654: closer rotor engraving and bridge shape, but spare parts are scarce and service is hard.
- Quartz with a calendar module: the moonphase can work, but the ticking seconds hand is a giveaway on a dress watch.
- Low-grade Chinese automatic: the cheapest option, and the one most prone to a stuck month disc.
Case, Dial, and Hands: What Good Looks Like
Blancpain cases use a stepped bezel and lugs that flow into the case band. Good replicas copy those curves. Bad ones add thickness and blunt the lugs.
- Thickness: aim for 11.5mm to 12.5mm. Past 13mm the watch floats above the cuff.
- Crystal: domed sapphire with coating on both faces.
- Dial: opaline or enamel look with applied markers, not printed dots.
- Hands: leaf or Breguet shape with a polished bevel and a clean blue finish.
- Moonphase: a textured painted moon on a real disc, not a sticker.
- Caseback: engraved rotor and text that matches the brand spelling.
What Should You Pay for a Replica Villeret Complete Calendar?
Prices fall into three bands. Under $150 you get printed dials, a fake moonphase, and a rough automatic or quartz movement. From $250 to $500 the moonphase works, the case hits the right size, and the dial printing cleans up. Above $600 sellers claim a clone movement and closer finishing, but the gain is smaller than the price jump.
QC Checklist Before You Pay
- Ask for a video, not photos. Watch the month disc step at month end.
- Track the moonphase across three days. The moon should move a visible amount.
- Ask for caliper readings on diameter and thickness.
- Check the date hand. It must land on the numeral, not between two.
- Zoom on the caseback and read the engraving back to the seller.
- Press every pusher. They should click and reset with no stick.
- Confirm the lug width so you can buy a strap that fits.
Red Flags in Listings
- No video of the calendar changing.
- Photos lifted from a factory site or the genuine brand.
- The label 1:1 super clone with no movement name listed.
- A price below the going rate for a working moonphase.
- A seller who dodges questions about the caseback.
Servicing and Strap Notes
Calendar modules carry more gears and springs than a plain three-hand movement, so they need service sooner. A watchmaker who handles Miyota can service the module. Clone movements go back to the seller for repair.
Replica straps ship stiff and thin. Budget $40 to $80 for a leather strap with alligator grain and a signed-style buckle. The strap changes the fit more than any other part.
FAQ
Does a replica Villeret complete calendar have a working moonphase?
Some do. Higher tiers use a real 29.5-day disc driven by the movement. Lower tiers use a printed disc that stays still or a day/night wheel dressed up as a moonphase.
How often do you reset a complete calendar?
A complete calendar needs correction after February and after every 30-day month, so five or six times a year. Avoid setting it between about 9 p.m. and 3 a.m., when the calendar gears are engaged.
What case size do replica Villeret complete calendars use?
Most come in 40mm or 42mm with a thickness of 11.5mm to 12.5mm. Listings repeat the genuine specs from the brand page, so confirm with a caliper video.
Which movement should you pick?
A Miyota 9015 with a calendar module is the safe pick for price, reliability, and service access. A clone 6654 looks closer to the original but costs more to keep running.