Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Watch: How to Identify a Counterfeit?

Today, Audemars Piguet is the oldest Manufacture still owned by the family of its founders. The brand was created by two young watchmakers, Jules Audemars and Edward Piguet, in 1875. For almost 150 years, the brand has continued to innovate and push back the technological boundaries. Nevertheless, in view of its success, many counterfeiters are constantly rushing to replicate the brand's watches. They put them up for sale on second-hand resale sites, making you believe that they are authentic models. That's why, in this article, we give you our advice on how to tell a genuine Audemars Piguet watch from a fake.

Thickness :

First of all, pay attention to the thickness of the watch. Audemars Piguet Royal Oak watches are renowned for being very flat. Achieving a flat watch requires a great deal of expertise. Replica manufacturers cannot achieve the same height.

The legitimate case thickness of a watch from the luxury brand is supposed to be 9.8 mm for reference number 15400. This is not the case for counterfeit watches, which are generally 10.5 to 11 mm for the same reference. Ask your retailer for the dimensions of the AP Royal Oak watch you wish to purchase.

The main dial :

Let's move on to checking the main dial and, more specifically, the small squares that make up the dial. The pattern of squares all over the dial is called the "tapestry". If you have a good camera, we advise you to take a photo of this part so that you can zoom in freely on each part.

On authentic models, the squares are embossed very smoothly. This is not the case on watches from replica factories, where the squares appear to be inconsistent with each other.

The squares on fake watches are generally too thick and badly positioned, whereas real squares have a coherent and elegant position.

On the left, an authentic Audemars Piguet watch, on the right, a counterfeit.

Screws :

You should also pay close attention to the small screws on the luxury watch, and more specifically to their size. They tell you a lot about the authenticity of the AP watch. The screws on the fake watch are poorly detailed.

On counterfeit watches, the screws are not all identical, and some have different thicknesses, depths and locations. This is not likely to be the case on genuine models.

Curious to find out more about counterfeit luxury watches? Have a look at our articles on Rolex watches, Tudor watches and Bulgari Serpenti watches.

Engraving :

Last but not least is the engraving of the brand name on the back of the watch. Counterfeiters are unable to copy fonts perfectly.

On fake models, the letters are too thick and too square. The narrowness of the letters suggests that they are narrow. On original models of the brand, the lettering on the back of the watch is clean, fine and precise.

On the left, a genuine inscription, on the right, a counterfeit watch inscription.

Secure the purchase of your pre-owned Audemars Piguet Royal Oak watch with Obvy :

If you wish to buy your Audemars Piguet Royal Oak watch on private resale platforms, we advise you to use Obvy to ensure the security of your transaction.

Obvy is a secure payment platform that helps you avoid the scams that are common in transactions between private individuals. When you make a transaction on Obvy, the funds are only credited to your seller when the buyer certifies that the goods purchased are in order. If this is not the case, you are automatically refunded and the item is returned to the seller.

By using Obvy to carry out transactions between private individuals, you can also benefit from payment in several instalments.