The short answer
Quality on a fake Cartier Panthère small rests on four checks. Case size. Bracelet link movement. Dial print. Crown stone. The genuine small model is 22 mm wide, 30 mm long, and 6 mm thick. A replica that misses those numbers sits high on the wrist and reads wrong at arm's length.
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Start with the case numbers
Cartier publishes the specs. Panthère de Cartier small model: 22 mm by 30 mm, 6 mm thick, sapphire crystal, water resistance 3 bar, quartz caliber 157. Ask the seller for a caliper photo of the case. A "small" that measures 25 mm is the medium case. Caseback thickness and crown diameter follow from those numbers, so a wrong case drags the rest of the build with it.
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Bezel screws
The bezel screws are cosmetic on the genuine watch and on the replica. Fit is what matters. Screw heads sit flush with the bezel face. Slots are cut clean and sit centered in the head. Count the screws against a photo of the reference you want. Proud heads and off-center slots are the two common faults at the low end.
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Bracelet
The brick bracelet is the hard part to copy. Each link is a set of small rectangular blocks. Hold the watch and flex the bracelet side to side. Links on a good replica move as separate pieces with no grit and no slack. Links on a cheap replica move as one stiff band, or rattle. Run a finger along the block edges. Sharp edges catch thread and mark a low tier polish. The genuine bracelet closes with a hidden folding clasp built into the last link. A visible fold-over clasp on the outside is a wrong part.
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Dial and hands
Roman numerals are printed, not applied. Look at the strokes under a loupe. Good print has hard edges and no ink spread. Cartier hides the word "Cartier" inside one numeral stroke. On most Panthère small dials the mark sits in the VII. Confirm it with a macro photo. Many replicas skip the mark or print it as a blur. Hands are blued steel swords. Painted steel hands look flat black under a lamp.
Crown
The crown carries a blue spinel cabochon. Spinel has facets and shifts shade as you turn the watch. Glass and plastic stones look flat and hold one color. The crown is fluted. On the small model it is tiny, so a wrong dome shape stands out. Check the gap between crown and case. A wide gap means a wrong tube.
Movement
The genuine small Panthère runs quartz. A watch that ticks once per second is not a fault on this model, so do not use the tick to judge it. The small case has no date. A date window means a wrong dial. Read the caseback engraving if you can open the watch. Font weight and depth are the two tells.
What to ask the seller
- Caliper photo of case width, length, and thickness.
- Macro photo of the dial at the VII numeral.
- Photo of the crown from the side, at an angle.
- Photo of the clasp, closed and open.
- Photo of the caseback engraving, shot straight on.
Legal note
In the US, selling or importing counterfeit goods violates trademark law. CBP can seize shipments, and that applies to a single watch sent to a home address.