If you are searching for a fake Breguet Classique 5287, here is the short answer first. This is one of the harder watches to copy well. Most pieces sold under that name get the dial and the case profile wrong, and a photo can look convincing while the watch in your hand does not. The closer you look, the fewer copies survive.

What the 5287 actually is

The 5287 sits in Breguet's Classique line, the brand's traditional dress family, and it is a hand-wound chronograph in a gold case. The details that matter are the ones Breguet is known for: a coin-edge caseband, lugs welded into the case rather than screwed or soldered on, a dial with hand-cut guilloché, blued steel Breguet hands, and a sapphire back over a hand-finished movement. Breguet marks its watches with a Breguet number on the dial and a serial number on the case, and the certificate ties the two together. Any copy has to match all of that, and matching the last two is the hard part.

Where fakes give themselves away

• The dial. Real guilloché is cut on a rose engine, so the pattern has depth and slight variation from row to row. Stamped or printed versions look flat under raking light. Check the edge of the pattern, not the center.
• The hands. Blued steel has a deep, even blue with a soft sheen. Painted blue reads purple in direct sun, and the edges are thicker than they should be.
• The case. Welded lugs flow into the case with no seam or gap. Many fakes use separate lugs you can spot from the side. The coin edge is also a tell: real fluting is cut, not cast, and feels sharp rather than rounded.
• The movement. A 5287 is hand-wound, and the finishing is meant to be seen through the back. Copies often hide a stock automatic or a quartz movement behind a decorated plate.
• The markings. Look at the engraving on the back. Deep, crisp cuts differ from shallow stamped numbers, and the font matters.
• The weight. Gold has a heft you notice right away. Plated brass or steel feels light, and the plating wears thin at the lug tips.

Checking one in person

Turn the dial under raking light and look for the depth of the pattern. Check the hand finish at the tips and the center cap. Work the crown and the chronograph pushers: a good chronograph movement starts and resets crisply, while a cheap one feels mushy or snaps back late. Ask to see the back, and ask for the certificate. Compare the Breguet number on the dial with the serial on the case. If the seller will not let a watchmaker open it, that answers your question for you.

The risks that do not show in photos

Counterfeit watches carry trademark problems. Selling or trafficking in them is a federal offense in the United States, and shipments get seized at the border. There is also the practical side. Breguet will not service a counterfeit, parts do not exist, and no independent watchmaker wants the liability of working on one. Water resistance claims are meaningless. Resale value is close to zero, which stings the moment you try to move it. Words like first copy are marketing, not a grade.

Better ways to get the look

If the appeal is the Breguet style, a vintage dress chronograph from another maker gets you the same silhouette at a fraction of the price with a real movement inside. A well-kept pre-owned Classique from a reputable dealer costs more, but it holds value and can be serviced. Either route beats a watch you cannot insure, repair, or sell.