Twenty twenty-three was a year where familiar complications were reimagined. The year’s standouts in terms of complications are characterised by good execution. Granted, most of of them are evolutionary, except perhaps for the top 1:1 replica Audemars Piguet Universelle watches, but a classic complication done well is arguably superior to a novel idea done badly.
We asked our team members well versed with the year’s complications for their favourites and here they are.
The year’s most complicated and most impressive (multi) complication came from a surprising brand, Audemars Piguet. Even though it was the Royal Oak Travis Scott and Royal Oak Concept “Spider-Man” that captured the headlines, the Code 11:59 Universelle was questionably AP’s most important luxury fake watches of the year from a watchmaking perspective.
The Universelle manages to pack almost two dozen complications, including a grande sonnerie, perpetual calendar, split-seconds chronograph, and notably, automatic winding, into a case that’s just 42 mm wide and 15.55 mm high – a positively slender case by the standards of grand complications. By comparison, the F.P. Journe Astronomic is 44 mm by 13.7 mm, while the high quality replica Patek Philippe Grandmaster Chime watches measures 47.7 mm by 16.07 mm.
AP managed to do that with sophisticated and ingenious engineering, most notably by integrating the split-seconds mechanism into the automatic winding hub. The clever technical solutions are also evident in the calendar, which has an extra-thin construction adopted from the Royal Oak RD#2 and an easy-to-operate interface. This user-friendly approach is also found across the other complications, making the Audemars Piguet Universelle copy watches for sale arguably the easiest grand complication to operate – a substantial achievement in this rarefied segment.
Reflecting AP’s substantial stable of movements that are built on the same basic architecture, the Swiss made replica Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Concept Split-Seconds Chronograph GMT watches, also launched this year, shares several similar features, including the oversized, two-digit date and the split-seconds integrated into the rotor. So for someone who just wants only the cleverly-constructed chronograph, this is an appealing proposition.
Admittedly, the Universelle isn’t the prettiest cheap super clone watches, although the open-dial version is substantially more appealing than its solid-dial counterpart. I can imagine a few tweaks that would enhance its attractiveness, at least in my eyes, so future iterations of the models are likely.
Another “big three” brand that merits a mention is Patek Philippe with its Minute Repeater Alarm ref. 1938P-001. Created to mark Philippe Stern’s 85th birthday – the model reference is his birth year – the ref. 1938P combines the brand’s R 27 minute repeater movement with the chiming alarm first seen in the Grandmaster Chime (which like the AP watches above show how mechanisms and movements can be iterated and shared).
The base movement means the replica watches shop is a conventional minute repeater activated via a slide on the case, but the additional alarm mechanism allows it to chime a pre-set time. Patek Philippe remains the first and only brand to have a time-striking alarm mechanism.
A monochromatic portrait of Mr Stern sits on the left half of the enamel dial – the most criticised element of the 2024 fake watches. On its fact the portrait looks out of place, but for a specific group of people – longtime, important clients of the brand who are personal friends of Mr Stern – it surely serves as a reminder of the relationship and Mr Stern’s stature.
Arguably more of a shortcoming is the case, which at 41 mm by 14.2 mm makes it one of the larger Patek Philippe complicated replica watches online. So despite the classical, 1980s style case, this is a chunky watch.