The latest entry from Swiss fake Longines in their long running and well curated Heritage line has been announced. The Heritage Military Marine Nationale is an updated take on a classic watch designed for the French Navy. Longines, of course, has been down this road before with the Heritage series, becoming more adept as the years roll on in picking interesting pieces from their archives and giving them just the right amount of modern spin. The Heritage “Sector” I reviewed back in July is a personal favorite, and a good expression of what makes this ongoing series worthwhile: vintage design cues, modern movements, contemporary but still conservative sizing, and a compelling story. It all adds up to vintage inspired watches that even someone like me, who loves modern design and tires easily of reissued watches, can easily appreciate and enjoy.
Stainless Steel Fake Longines Watch
The Heritage Military Marine Nationale (we’ll call it the Marine Nationale from here on out) is inspired by the mid-century best copy Longines reference known as the 5774. This was a simple 33.5mm time only watch powered by the historic 12.68N caliber, and custom made for the French Navy beginning in 1947. The Navy required a watch that was both reliably accurate and capable of standing up to the elements, namely exposure to water. The end result was a watch of unusually robust design for the time period, with a clean, hyper-legible dial bearing a simple “Longines FAB. SUISSE” signature, and nothing else.
That original design has been bumped up in size for the new Marine Nationale (to 38.5mm, still discreet by modern standards), and of course the movement is a modern automatic, with a silicon balance spring, but otherwise it’s a faithful representation of the issued watch from 1947, which is exactly what we’d expect from Longines. Clear Arabic numerals at every hour are matched with smaller Arabics on an outer track counting off the minutes in increments of five. It’s field watch-esque, to be sure, and has the same kind of no nonsense absence of fussiness that we love about watches like the Hamilton Khaki Field Mechanical and others that have military roots.
Silvery Dial Copy Longines Watch
There are perhaps two surprising things about this watch that are worth mentioning. First, is the seeming incoherence between this watch having Navy heritage and an aesthetic that’s often associated with watches that are, specifically, land based. Remember that not everyone in the French Navy needed a dive watch (even though Tudor is currently capitalizing on the ones that did). The lack of a rotating bezel here is an authentic design choice that speaks to the original watch’s intended purpose – to be resistant to water at shallow depths, but not a tool for technical diving.
Secondly, we should address the coloration of the dial. Quality replica Longines has previously released watches in their Heritage line with dial effects that add an element of faux-patina. This of course is common with radium colored lume, but a smaller number of brands actually make their dials look weathered. Whether or not this is desirable is ultimately a matter of personal preference, but will surely be the topic of some significant debate once these watches start hitting social media and your local Longines retailer.
During the pandemic, many have used the time at home to catch up on a recommended TV series or film they may have missed in busier times, or re-watch some comforting favourites. In my seventh or eighth run-through of The West Wing television series, I almost spilled my beer in excitement when I spotted an Omega dress watch on my favourite fictional president (Bartlet 2020?).
This hobby has made watch lovers increasingly aware of what actors are wearing on their wrists. Just the other week I got a message from a buddy asking me what was on Sam Neill’s wrist in Jurassic Park III (an Oris if you were curious). The mark of a true watch enthusiast is when you find yourself rewinding and pausing, even at the risk of annoying your friends and family, to get the perfect screengrab of a watch worn by a character in film/television to post in your watch group — initiating a race among your #watchfam to name the reference spotted on your favourite character. The latest watch spot in pandemic movie night … Brad Pitt’s best fake TAG Heuer in Moneyball.
Brad Pitt wears the best watch fake TAG Heuer Kirium WL1113.BA0701.
The movie
Moneyball, based on the book ‘Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game’ by Michael Lewis, tells the story of the Oakland Athletics baseball team and its calculating general manager, Billy Beane. A struggling Oakland A’s franchise (who had just lost superstar Jason Giambi among others) was revived and rejuvenated by advanced statistics and mathematical probabilities, which at the time was a novel departure from the traditional means of analysis and recruitment in baseball. This critical thinking, brought to the team by the genius mind of Billy Beane, has now become the standard for how teams look for the next generation of talent.
Male Replica TAG Heuer Kirium WL1113.BA0701 Watch
The story of the watch
Fortunately for those wristwatch-curious viewers, Brad Pitt is often wearing a short-sleeve shirt, giving the Swiss fake TAG Heuer on his wrist ample screen time. Thanks to Jeff Stein, founder of OnTheDash and expert on all things TAG Heuer, this was an easy watch to identify. Why? Because he actually helped make it possible for Brad Pitt to wear the watch in the film.
How was the watch chosen for the film? By Brad, of course
According to Jeff, on the first day of filming, the property master for Moneyball presented Brad Pitt with three watches to wear as options for the movie. Two of the watches were from the property master’s own supply and the third was from the wrist of a fellow crew member. Naturally, Brad didn’t go for the prop master selections. It was the crew member’s actual watch that Brad would eventually declare worthy of his wrist; the TAG Heuer Kirium. Cue Jeff Stein. As a known TAG Heuer historian and expert, who even the brand calls on for help and research to this day, Jeff identified the watch for the property master and even sourced the three watches that would be the “back-ups” for Brad.
As Jeff tells it, in the name of continuity (as well as ensuring the crew member got his watch back), the prop master sent a photo of the watch to a production company who contacted TAG Heuer. TAG Heuer then contacted Jeff, as the watch was no longer in production or their catalogue. Jeff identified the watch and proceeded to secure three examples, at approximately $400 – $500 USD a piece. Thus, he irrefutably knows firsthand what the watch on Brad Pitt’s wrist was: the TAG Heuer Kirium WL1113.
Blue Dial Fake TAG Heuer Kirium WL1113.BA0701 Watch
The watch details
The quality fake TAG Heuer Kirium WL1113 was produced by TAG Heuer in the late 1990s, as part of its Professional collection. The particular watch worn by Brad Pitt in the film has a midnight blue dial, Mercedes-style hands (most notably found on Rolex sports models), a unidirectional rotating dive bezel, with a classic case build, water resistant up to 200 metres. Outfitted on its factory-integrated stainless steel bracelet, it was a perfect choice for a dive in the ocean or a dive on the (baseball) diamond.
As Jeff explains in the forum post, this watch really suited Brad’s character. A pragmatic man and thinker, working for a struggling MLB team, the Kirium made sense for someone who had a keen eye for value. A reliable and robust timepiece, it was a great match for the film’s protagonist. And while Brad Pitt’s Citizen “Bullhead” Challenge Timer in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood was not period correct, this watch was produced in the late ’90s, which means it’s very feasible that it was worn during a film set in the early 2000s.
Most men can relate to four accessories: belts, hats, sunglasses and watches. They are windows into the character and taste of a person. While a conscious or subconscious choice, it can reveal a sense of how a person thinks and chooses to express themselves. It’s arguably why when we watch spot during our favourite films, we rush to identify and source them ourselves. Horology, or at least its consumers, are highly driven by emotion. If we can slap something around our wrist that makes us feel stronger, bolder, tougher, wiser, and with a greater sense of prestige – we will make it happen whenever possible. Fortunately, in this case, if the Kirium watch resonates with you, it won’t take a movie star’s budget to source one of them today – a decade later, they are roughly available for the same price Jeff paid on behalf of the studio.
The first time I got to handle a Bell & Ross watch was in the mid-2000s during a visit to Kuala Lumpur. I remember feeling a bit shocked at how passionate the Bell & Ross collectors were and surprised at the camaraderie among them. They casually referred to themselves as “BRos.”
During a get-together with the BRos, I tried on the most popular BR 01 watch: the 46 mm square watch looked massive on my 17-centimeter wrist. I loved its design, but felt I just did not have the wrist size to pull it off.
However, this get-together was the spark that led me to pursue my perfect Bell & Ross instrument watch.
Pilot Rafale wearing his Bell & Ross BR 03-92 Black Matte Ceramic in the cockpit
Love at first sight: best Bell & Ross BR 03-92 replica
Over the next few years visiting Baselworld, I closely followed the evolution of the smaller 42 mm BR 03 series. And in early 2011, at a time when I was living in Prague, I visited the Bell & Ross headquarters in Paris, where I tried on the BR 03-92 Heritage, which I immediately took a liking to.
I bought the watch and took it to my favorite leather atelier in Prague for a custom strap. But my bond with this watch lasted a year and I ended up selling it in 2012. We are called WIS – Watch Idiot Savants – for a reason: I ended up buying and selling this watch twice over the next two years!
Fast forward to 2016, and I’m now living in Austin, Texas. As one of the sponsors of the Renault F1 team, Bell & Ross hosted a Formula 1 event in Austin. There I borrowed a BR 03-92 Black Matte Ceramic and it dawned on me that it was what I hoped the Heritage would be.
This was the perfect Bell & Ross watch for me, checking all the boxes for the characteristics I expected from an aviation-style instrument watch. I placed my order after the event, and it has been part of my core pilot’s watch collection ever since.
Male Fake Bell & Ross BR 03-92 Watch
What makes the Bell & Ross BR 03-92 Black Matte Ceramic so special?
So what does make the Swiss copy Bell & Ross BR 03-92 Black Matte Ceramic so special? In a nutshell, it is the simplicity of the design and appropriate materials. Bell & Ross removed any gimmicks, complications, bells, and whistles – the brand removed “the noise,” as I like to say.
My Heritage had orange numerals and hands (nowadays referred to as “fauxtina” lume), while the contrasting beige strap seemed like too much of a deviation from an aviation instrument watch.
More importantly, the bead-blasted steel case with black carbon powder coating was a scratch magnet and not as comfortable to wear as the ceramic due to its weight. I connected with the design of the Heritage model, but I was yearning for a tool watch.
Bell & Ross must have heard pretty much the same feedback from all the BRos as the brand solved the problem in 2014 by switching to ceramic cases. Ceramic is the perfect material for a tool watch: it is lightweight, does not scratch easily, is hypoallergenic, easy to wear, soft to the touch, and quickly adapts to body temperature.
Using ceramic was also consistent with the watch’s aviation theme. In aeronautics, and especially in aerospace, ceramics are the material of choice for parts that must withstand extremely high temperatures as well as exposure to acids, corrosion, and erosion, so is commonly found in thermal cladding and the nosecones of spacecraft.
Black Matte Ceramic Fake Bell & Ross BR 03-92 Watch
My Perfect Replica Bell & Ross BR 03-92 Black Matte Ceramic
My Black Matte has a high-contrast dial with bright white markers, numerals, and hands against a matte black background. The combination of black and white offers the best contrast for high legibility over any other color combination, which is necessary for an aviation-style instrument watch. The addition of anti-reflective coating and a generous application of Super-LumiNova makes for excellent legibility.
The 12, 3, 6, 9 dial layout with the smaller minute marker track shows direct influence from modern German flieger watches. Which makes total sense as Bell & Ross founders Bruno Belamich and Carlos Rosillo studied under the mentorship of German pilot watch “godfather” Helmut Sinn before launching their own brand based in Paris.
I like the way Bell & Ross executes the date between 4 and 5 o’clock. I usually dislike a tilted date display at that position, which is why, as much as I like Zenith’s El Primero chronograph, its date ruins it for me.
But Bell & Ross designed the small, round date aperture to fit the dial very naturally. The focus remains on the time unless you are looking for the date.
My BR 03-92 Black Matte is powered by an ETA 2892-2 automatic movement, which has a slightly slimmer profile than the 2824-2 movement. In recent years Bell & Ross has also chosen to use a base Sellita SW300-1 caliber, which is similar to the ETA 2892-2.
With a case height of just 9.8 mm I can easily wear it under my shirt cuff, too.
Luminant Dial Copy Bell & Ross BR 03-92 Watch
If I had a magic wand, what would I change about the quality copy Bell & Ross BR 03-92 Black Matte?
I’ll start with what I wouldn’t change: I would keep the ceramic case, black-and-white dial, date, slim movement, and rubber strap exactly as they are.
However, I would make the case slightly smaller, as Panerai has recently done with its downsizing of models (see Panerai Luminor Due 3 Days Automatic Acciaio: Good Things Do Come In Smaller Packages).
This watch wears flat on the wrist, but a flat watch with no bezel wears large, even at 42 mm. Bell & Ross also offers a 39 mm Black Matte BR-S in a variety of combinations, but it is powered by a quartz movement.
I have been wearing the Black Matte watch for four years very consistently as part of my rotation. I have swapped out the straps a couple of times, but in the heat of Texas’ climate I find it wears best on a rubber strap.
The ceramic case remains nice and cool during the hot days. I know it is rather cliché to refer to the Ross BR 03-92 Black Matte as being reflective of a brand’s DNA, but this watch is unmistakably Bell & Ross. Just the way I like it.
An introduction by editor-in-chief Elizabeth Doerr: At Quill & Pad we are often contacted by readers. Most are requests for information, but some lead to an interesting exchange of opinions. A recent message from Perry Heim had much to do with his thoughts on one of today’s blue-chip watches: the Swiss fake Patek Philippe Nautilus.
He has organized his thoughts well, which I believe makes for a great conversation starter.
Perry Heim writes:
I’ve had the idea for this piece in mind for quite some time now, but as always when I think of writing something I inevitably ask myself, “What’s the point?”
Well, after reading article after article discussing the virtues of Patek Philippe’s Nautilus – such articles seem to be popping up exponentially – it became clear to me that none state a self-evident truth that appears obvious to me. So I decided to give it a go.
Here is what I find so appealing about the best replica Patek Philippe Nautilus Reference 5711.
Patek Philippe Nautilus Reference 5711A (photograph courtesy GaryG)
Water resistance and a thin case
What I find most remarkable about the design of the Patek Philippe Nautilus Reference 5711 is that it offers 120 meters of water resistance within a case merely 8.3 mm high. You may ask, “What of it?”
In my humble opinion, the two most important factors when evaluating a luxury sports watch are elegance (hence, luxury) and durability (hence, sports). And while the following might err on the side of reductionism, I believe these two can be quantified quite easily using just two parameters: water resistance as a signifier of durability and case thickness as a measure of elegance.
Granted, there is more to luxury than elegance, and there is more to elegance than a thin case (the same going, of course, for sports, durability, and water resistance), so some may disagree with the significance of these two.
I do have more criteria. Being a watch enthusiast for several years, I have developed a specific ideal for my everyday watch. You know the watch I’m talking about: the beach-to-boardroom-go-anywhere do-anything kind of watch.
My ideal everyday watch has to be mechanical (automatic or manual winding, both fine by me) with an exhibition case back, some degree of luminescence, no thicker than 10 mm, and with a water resistance equal to or greater than 10 atm (100 m). As we shall see, finding the conjuncture of these last two is challenging within the confines of a single watch.
Tom Holland at the Wimbledon 2018 men’s finals wearing a Patek Philippe Nautilus Reference 5167 (photo courtesy Ralph Lauren)
Not-so-competitive landscape
I will now demonstrate that this is a feat unmatched by any other watch, save Patek Philippe’s own 5167 Aquanaut, which manages to fit the same movement in an 8.1 mm thick case while retaining said water resistance. Does this mean the 5167 is superlative to the 5711? Of course not; originality, design, and heritage are but a few of the additional factors at play here.
Putting aside these other aspects by which we are to judge a timepiece, and regardless of which one you prefer, Patek Philippe, at least of the holy trinity – an informal WIS grouping comprising Patek Philippe, Audemars Piguet, and Vacheron Constantin – appears to be alone in achieving this challenging combination of demands.
Patek Philippe Reference 5711-1A Nautilus (photo courtesy Tim Mosso)
What the other two holy trinity brands and a few select others offer
The water resistance of Audemars Piguet’s Royal Oaks are rated to a mere 50 m, with a screw-down crown on Reference 15202 and without one on the three-handed variants.
Many debates have arisen over the interpretation of water-resistance ratings, and while some claim that 50 meters with a screw-down crown is sufficient for swimming, I am reluctant to submerge any luxury watch with less than 100 m water resistance.
In any case, the models with a screw-down crown are about a centimeter thick. And while the 15202 is a delightful 8.1 mm thick, no one would advise you get it too wet.
And the Royal Oak Offshores? Sure, they’re water resistant. But whether Chronograph or Diver, they have all the thinness and finesse of a Big Mac.
Vacheron Constantin’s second-generation time-only Overseas is a fine candidate; with a depth rating of 150 meters and a reasonable case thickness of only 9.7 mm, my main gripe was its lack of an exhibition case back (I also felt the hands were a tad too short).
Vacheron Constantin added just such a case back to the third generation of the Overseas in 2016 – all the better to show off the new in-house 5100 caliber – but at the expense of adding nearly 2 mm to the case height. At more than 11 mm thick, it doesn’t appear at all sleek.
What about the white gold ultra-thin Overseas Perpetual Calendar? Oh, if ever there was a delicious watch to behold. Sadly, it achieves its clean design by doing away with a date window and second hand, and its 7.5 mm thin profile is accomplished at the expense of water resistance, down from 150 to 50 meters.
The A. Lange & Söhne Odysseus, Breguet Marine, and Glashütte Original Seventies all exceed 11 mm in height as is prone to happen with a big date complication (interesting enough, the new Marine did away with the big date but didn’t get any thinner).
Jaeger-LeCoultre’s sports watches tend to have a solid case back and are usually far from thin, as is the case, of course, with Rolex (surely to be expected with a base movement 6 mm in height). Omega’s current offerings are housed in cases with sapphire crystal case backs, but I find the Co-Axial escapements tend to render the timepieces with the dimensions of a small hockey puck.
Steel Cases Fake Watches
Other contenders
A couple of unusual suspects come to mind. Piaget’s Polo S and Girard-Perregaux’s Laureato are both rated to 100 meters and come in at just under a centimeter in height. Prima facia this sounds good but, alas, these fine timepieces only deliver further proof that numbers aren’t everything. In addition to being among those who find the designs of these pieces derivative, they just don’t feel all that thin to me.
Other noteworthy models, albeit discontinued, are Omega’s Constellation Double Eagle with the 2500 caliber. It’s still (or, rather, already) Co-Axial, you get a sapphire crystal case back and 100 m of water resistance, but unlike Omega’s current offerings it comes in under 10 mm in height.
Another is Blancpain’s Leman Aqualung (the limited edition of 1999 pieces, not the one with the grand date, mind you), quite fetching in my opinion.
Lastly, a watch I personally own and highly recommend if you can find one: the Nomos Tangente Sport Datum 531. Similar to the recent Hodinkee limited edition, the 531 is powered by Nomos Glashütte’s Beta caliber so it does have a date window in addition to an exhibition case back. It’s rated to 100 m without a screw-down crown (good thing, too, as it’s a manual wind) and is roughly 8 mm thick (roughly because Nomos claims a thickness of 7.9 mm with the exhibition case back, whereas my own Vernier caliper yielded a result closer to 8.1 mm.)
While it might have beat the quality copy Patek Philippe Nautilus insofar as the numbers go, the Nomos Glashütte Sport Datum doesn’t seem as thin due to its case being smaller (36.5 mm in diameter) and not as elaborate. Nonetheless, it was my choice for a luxury sports watch, though, arguably, without the luxury price tag.
Finally, we come to what just might be my watch of the year: Bulgari’s Octo Finissimo 100 m satin-polished stainless steel. As the name suggests, this Bulgari is sufficiently water resistant and only 5.25 mm thick. More than thin enough in my book.
So, is it a Nautilus killer? Not really.
Male Replica Patek Philippe Nautilus Watch
Patek Philippe Nautilus or Bulgari Octo Finissimo?
Personally, and in contrast to the Purists/Hodinkee point of view, I feel that a date window is rather apropos on a luxury sports watch (it’s a useful function on a daily wearer) as is a second hand – preferably a central second hand, which is easier to notice.
But most of all, I believe a sports watch ought to be lumed. The Bulgari Octo Finissimo isn’t. No doubt this is in order to preserve the integrity of the design, and I respect that. All of which is to say that, while I likes me some lume, I find the Octo Finissimo compelling enough that it just might be my next purchase.
The presence of lume, a date window, central seconds, and an additional 20 m of water resistance means that I still prefer a Nautilus. But supply, demand, and the market mean that a Patek Philippe Reference 5711 with my name on it will take quite some time.
Giant Patek Philippe Nautilus drawing by Simon Beck on Brean beach in Somerset, England
Nonetheless, I hope that in these few words I have, to some degree, illuminated a few aspects as to why I think Patek Philippe’s Nautilus Reference 5711 is so successful and desirable.
