Fifteen Minutes With UK Luxury 2025 Steel Patek Philippe 1518 Replica Watches
On the Monday before Watches and Wonders, already 10 meetings into our busiest week of the year, I got a text from my friend, the collector, dealer, and Talking Watches alumnus Adam Victor that read something like this:
“You know, Davide [Parmegiani] is in town. You might want to go by and say hi. I promise it’ll be worth your while.”
I had a packed schedule with only about 20 minutes between appointments, but I trust Victor’s take on these kinds of things. I also know that the upcoming Monaco Legend auction (where Parmegiani is co-chairman) might be one of their most varied yet. I just didn’t know what Adam meant until I walked down into the basement of a little gallery off Rue du Rhône and saw Parmegiani sitting with Corrado Mattarelli, new Deputy Chairman at Monaco Legend Group, with something unmistakable on his wrist.
For the last year or so, I’ve been kicking around a story listing five watches that haven’t been sold publicly in 10 years (or so) but would completely change our perception of the watch market if they were offered. In short, what perfect 1:1 replica watches would reach massively higher prices than in the past? The last steel 1518 sold for CHF 11,002,000 in 2016, so the price should certainly be higher now. The Breguet dial platinum ref. 2497 was also on the list – and kicked off my in-depth research on the reference – as was the only publicly available platinum 2499 (the other is in the Patek museum) and any of the four correct steel 1518s. I say correct 1518 because yes, there’s a fifth. That watch was a loose 1518 movement recased in steel by a dealer who owned it, not out of trickery but because, well, since the watch lost its case already, why not? But the one that Parmegiani recently offered to the market is real, and it’s spectacular.
I’ve gone from dreaming about those three high quality fake watches to knowing where most of them are – or at least how I could maybe get to them if I, for some reason, needed to (not that I have any reason beyond curiosity) – but I never really thought I’d handle them.
If you asked me five years ago if I’d ever handle a 1518 in steel, I’d tell you it was impossible. There was no route from where I was in my life to holding one of these Swiss made copy watches. Turns out the route was to some day just walk through the door of a gallery in Geneva and down into the basement. In February, we wrote about Parmegiani bringing this 1518 in steel to market (his third time for this serial number, his ninth time overall across examples). So, what do you do when someone hands you a steel 1518 and walks away?
All I can tell you is what I did. I put it on my wrist and sat there. Who knows if I’ll ever get the chance again, so might as well. It was both an overwhelming experience because I knew the rarity of the piece and its status among collectors. As the first ever serially produced perpetual calendar chronograph and also being one of the few in sporty stainless steel, wearing one is the equivalent of driving a 250 GTO – even if you don’t own one. It’s the story of the AAA online replica watches and imagining being the kind of person who would have owned it back in the day. I took a few pictures, then felt I was imposing, so I went to give it back. But Parmegiani walked away, seemingly assuaging my nerves and giving me more time.
There’s a right and wrong way to handle a valuable watch (or any watch you don’t own, really): respectfully, carefully, securely. Never put the watch down on the crown, manipulate the crown on your wrist, or activate the functions without asking first. Since I’m rarely buying, I tend to take the emotional approach. I always noticed John Goldberger always seems to subconsciously run his thumb over the crystal as if he’s trying to feel something come through the top UK super clone watches. Then there’s this kind of ritual of holding it or putting it on and looking away; you look at a friend to see what they think, out in the distance as if you don’t really care, just anywhere but the watch.
Eventually, you can see if you like how it looks on you before looking at things like hallmarks and condition, and pull out the loupe. These are the things that you should be looking at (and having someone else look at with you) if you’re spending a lot of money on a watch. Whether it’s a lot to you or a lot to someone else, it doesn’t matter; what does matter is that you make sure you’re confident in what you’re getting and the condition. This is an emotional hobby, but it’s good to tackle emotions first and practicalities second, so you don’t let emotion get in the way of making a good decision. We’ve also covered the history of this cheap replica watches and the other examples In-Depth, so if you’re looking for that critical evaluation, you can read that story. But if you’re just enjoying something (like me), the loupe isn’t necessary.
Anyway, for me, my camera is the loupe, and it’s permanent. Sure, the camera is a part of my process as a journalist and someone who wants to use that knowledge and experience to grow. Beyond capturing the condition of the Swiss wholesale fake watches for posterity, I’m not worrying about whether the date windows are sharp, rounded (which they sometimes are on earlier dials anyway), or recut, if the dial has been washed (which it looks to have been to some extent), or if it’s pristine. Regardless, I’m not assessing it as a buyer but was living in the moment largely for the emotion of it.
Caveat emptor applies to any vintage watch, not just the eight-figure ones. At the same time, the steel 1518 is such a legendary object that you either want it or you don’t. You can afford it or you can’t. It’s a lot of money, no matter how you slice it. But there’s another option: you can just enjoy one of the most Swiss 1:1 perfect copy watches Patek has ever made.
I don’t say that lightly. I do think that the 1518 in steel is just a nearly perfect thing. Why they made four in steel, I don’t think we’ll ever know. Why not make more? Well, that’s not the wholesale Patek Philippe replica watches way. Steel has never again been an option for perpetual calendar chronographs until the ref. 5004A. And yet, the experience of wearing one reminded me why people fell in love with the Universal Tri-Compax from the same era. Not nearly as complicated, not quite as elegant, but both are nostalgic in the same way – one is just so much rarer, with so much more history, and carries so much more weight. And yet, wearing it, I could imagine being the guy that just puts it on and lives life without worrying about the price tag, rarity, or really anything else. That’s the feeling that makes the watch incredibly casual, amazingly wearable, and insanely covetable. But for $20 million, will the watch sell?
Parmegiani told me they’ve received several offers, some of which have come close to the asking price and others that have been strong but offered a few pieces on trade. The owner wants to wait until the right number comes, and Parmegiani has exclusive rights to sell the best quality replica watches for the next few years. I have a feeling that eventually, this watch will find a new home.
And then, my time was up. I was going to be late for my next meeting, so I found Parmegiani and handed him back the watch. Just as soon as he had it, he passed it on to my friend Cameron Barr from Craft + Tailored, who was sitting nearby, and soon enough, he’d have his own few minutes with the 2025 online fake watches. It’s just a thing, after all, why be more precious with it than you need to be? Everyone deserves a chance to have a few minutes with their grail upon grails, whether it’s this or something else.