Every watch on this site goes through the same four stages. This page explains what they are, what we check, and where a reproduction can and cannot match the original.
1. Materials
The case is where most reproductions fall apart, so it is where we spend the money. Carbon references use a layered carbon composite block, laid up in offset sheets and cured under pressure, then machined so the banding appears on the flanks. Titanium references use grade 5 alloy. Where the original uses sapphire, we use sapphire with anti-reflective coating on both faces. Where it uses ceramic, we use zirconia ceramic, not coated steel.
Spline screws are machined from grade 5 titanium and are functional: they clamp the case stack and the gaskets. Straps are vented rubber or woven elastic depending on the reference, cut to the original pattern.
2. Movement
All of our references use fully skeletonised mechanical movements, hand-wound or automatic according to the original. Bridges are finished in matte grey with polished bevels, screws are blued or black-polished, and the rotor on automatic references is weighted and shaped to swing like the original. We do not use quartz, and we do not use movements with a solid dial plate hidden behind a printed skeleton.
Before casing, every movement is regulated in three positions on a timing machine. After casing, hand-wound pieces run a full day on the bench and automatics run a full day on a winder. The target is a daily rate inside plus or minus five seconds. Pieces outside that go back to the bench.
3. Inspection
Each finished watch is weighed on a calibrated scale and the reading is photographed. We check screw alignment, crown action, crystal seating, strap fit and clasp function by hand, under magnification, and we photograph the piece from the front, the back, the flank and on the wrist under the same light every time. Those photographs, with the scale reading and the timing readout, are sent to you before any payment is made. If you do not like what you see, you do not buy it.
4. Delivery
Watches ship double-boxed with the strap fitted and the crown pushed in. Every parcel is tracked and insured. Most destinations in North America and Europe see the parcel in 7 to 12 days, and the tracking number goes out the day it leaves. Customs paperwork is handled in a way that keeps the declared contents accurate and discreet.
Where a reproduction differs
We would rather you knew these up front. The movements are not the manufacture calibres of the originals and will not pass a caseback inspection by someone who knows them. Rotor weights are tungsten rather than platinum. Case engravings are sometimes shallower. Rubber durometers can differ slightly. Everything that affects how the watch looks on the wrist, how much it weighs and how it feels to wind and wear, we match as closely as we can and show you before you commit.