Buying advice
Fake Audemars Piguet Concept Chrono watches sell for $200 to $1,200. Price depends on movement, case material, and finish. A $200 watch uses a quartz or basic automatic. A $1,200 watch uses a clone of the AP 3126/3840 calibre. No replica is genuine. Audemars Piguet does not authorize any replica production.
Price tiers
- $150-$300: quartz movement, mineral glass, steel case, printed dial.
- $300-$600: automatic movement (Miyota or Seiko), sapphire glass, 316L steel.
- $600-$1,200: clone AP 3126/3840, ceramic bezel, forged carbon, sapphire crystal.
Prices above $1,200 mean a scam or a watch with a genuine movement. Genuine AP Concept Chrono watches cost $30,000 to $150,000 on the secondary market.
audemars piguet concept chrono fake vs real
Parameters to check
- Case width: 44 mm for the Concept Chrono. Fake cases measure 42 mm or 46 mm.
- Thickness: 16.5 mm for the genuine. Replicas range from 15 mm to 18 mm.
- Movement: look for a balance wheel at 6 o'clock. A quartz movement has a ticking seconds hand.
- Caseback: sapphire display. Fake engraving misspells "Audemars Piguet" or uses wrong font.
- Weight: genuine titanium or forged carbon weighs 90-110 g. Steel fakes weigh 150-200 g.
Pitfalls
- Customs seizure. U.S. Customs and Border Protection can seize counterfeit watches. You lose the watch and the money.
- No refunds. Most sellers accept payment by wire or crypto. Chargebacks are rare.
- Photos stolen from genuine listings. Ask for a timestamped photo.
- "Swiss made" claims on fakes. A $250 watch cannot have a Swiss movement.
- Water resistance. Fakes leak at 3 ATM. Do not swim with them.
Check seller reviews on forums. Ask for a video of the movement. Avoid sellers who use stock photos. If the price is below $150, expect a toy. If the price is above $1,200, expect a scam.