Quick answer
A fake grand complication 720.025 is a replica watch built to look like a high-end perpetual calendar piece with several complications on one dial. On almost every replica of this class, the calendar subdials and the moon phase disc advance. The minute repeater, the split-seconds chronograph, and the tourbillon cage do not do what the original parts do. Treat 720.025 as a seller reference code, not a factory caliber number. Confirm the movement family, the case size, and which subdials actually move before you send money.
What the reference code tells you
Sellers reuse codes like 720.025 across different dials and different factories, so the number alone does not identify a single build. It marks a category: a large case, a busy dial with three or four registers, and a price point far above a standard three-hand replica. Two watches listed under the same code can carry different movements and different case thicknesses. Ask for the code plus a movement photo, and judge the watch on those, not on the number.
Which complications usually work
- Day, date, month, and moon phase: usually functional, often set by recessed pushers.
- Chronograph: functional on quartz and on most mechanical builds.
- 24-hour or leap-year indicator: frequently decorative or slaved to the date wheel.
- Minute repeater: not functional, usually a slider that moves nothing or a fixed gong.
- Tourbillon: a rotating cage on some builds, a printed or static cutout on others.
Prerequisites before you inspect one
- A 10x loupe or a phone macro lens.
- A photo of the genuine dial layout for side-by-side comparison.
- A timing app or timegrapher reading if the seller has one.
- Written confirmation of movement type, case diameter, and thickness.
How to check a fake grand complication 720.025
- Ask the seller for the movement name and a clear photo of the caseback and rotor.
- Compare the subdial positions with the genuine layout and note any register that sits in the wrong place.
- Request a short video of the dial while the seller advances each calendar function.
- Watch the moon phase disc for a full 29-day sweep or a jump, since slow creep points to a decorative disc.
- Time the chronograph against a stopwatch for sixty seconds and check the reset to zero.
- Listen to the repeater if one is fitted, then confirm whether the sound comes from a gong or a speaker or a caseback cutout.
- Measure the case thickness with calipers, because stacked calendar modules add height that the original does not have.
- Check the crown positions and confirm the pushers are not glued or blank.
- Verify water resistance claims against the caseback gasket and the crown threading.
- Ask for the return window in writing before payment.
Red flags
- Photos that only show the dial from one angle.
- A price far below other listings for the same code.
- Claims that every function works with no video proof.
- A seller who will not name the movement.
Cost and servicing
Expect a functioning calendar replica in the mid hundreds of dollars and a quartz version well below that. Servicing is the weak point. A stacked calendar module has many small parts, and most local watchmakers will not touch a replica. Budget for replacement rather than repair, and keep the purchase small enough that a dead movement is not a loss you feel.