Short answer
A fake Breguet 5395BR is a counterfeit of the Breguet Classique 5395BR, an 18k rose gold perpetual calendar. The genuine watch has a 38 mm case, a perpetual calendar with day, date, month and leap year, a moon phase and a sapphire caseback. Few copies of this reference exist. The calendar mechanism is the reason: a true perpetual calendar costs far more to build than a replica workshop will spend.
Most watches sold as a "5395BR replica" carry a complete calendar with day and month discs. It reads the same on a wrist. It fails on function and finish.
What the genuine 5395BR has
- 18k rose gold case, 38 mm
- Silvered gold dial with guilloche, Roman numerals, Breguet hands
- Perpetual calendar: day, date, month, leap year
- Moon phase aperture
- Sapphire caseback, alligator strap, gold buckle
Checks that separate a fake from a real 5395BR
- Case height. A calendar module adds depth. Copies run 1 mm to 3 mm thicker than the Breguet figure. Measure with a caliper and compare to the published spec.
- Leap year behavior. Set the watch to 28 February of a leap year and advance it. A perpetual calendar moves to 29 February. A complete calendar jumps to 1 March.
- Leap year indicator. Many copies print the 1/2/3/4 disc or fit a hand that never moves. On the real watch the indicator steps once a year.
- Movement finish. Breguet engraves and finishes its own calibres. Copies show a stock base movement with a laser-etched rotor and a printed model name.
- Hallmarks and engravings. Swiss 18k gold carries the St. Bernard head hallmark. The caseback shows the reference, the serial and the gold mark. Copies stamp shallow text or skip the hallmark.
- Moon phase. The disc runs on 29.53-day gearing. On copies the moon print is flat, the aperture edges are sharp and the stars sit in the wrong place.
Price signals
The 5395BR lists well above $60,000 new and trades in the tens of thousands used. Any 5395BR offered for $300 to $3,000 is a counterfeit. No maker sells a new perpetual calendar at that price.
Before you buy
Ask for a video of the date change at midnight and a clear photo of the movement. Ask for the serial and the reference from the caseback. Send both to Breguet or to an auction house specialist. A seller who refuses these steps is selling a fake.
Legal position in the US
Counterfeit watches are illegal to import. US Customs and Border Protection seizes them and the buyer has no recourse. Breguet will not service a copy, and most independent watchmakers decline work on a copied calendar module. Resale value is zero.