The short answer
Most fake Must de Cartier Pasha watches fail on the case metal and the crown cap. Real Must Pashas from the 1980s and 1990s use a vermeil case, which is sterling silver plated with gold, and the caseback carries French silver hallmarks plus a plating mark. Fakes use brass or steel with paint or thin electroplating, and the caseback is blank or stamped with a vague "Stainless Steel" line. Check the metal first, then the crown cap and its chain, then the movement. A fake usually shows two or three defects at once, not one.
fake pasha must de cartier watch
Before you start
- A 10x loupe
- A digital scale accurate to 0.1 g
- Calipers
- A watchmaker who will open a screw-back case for you
- Photos of the exact reference you are comparing against
1. Check the case metal and hallmarks
Vermeil is the fastest tell. It is a silver case with a gold layer, and French law required marks that fakers rarely copy in the right place.
- Look inside the caseback for a "925" stamp, a Minerva head guarantee mark, and a plating mark such as "PLAQUE OR G 20".
- Weigh the bare case head; a gold-plated silver head feels dense for its size, while a brass fake feels light and a steel fake feels cold and hard for the same volume.
- Rub the caseback edge with a soft cloth and look for a copper or brass tint bleeding through the plating.
2. Inspect the crown cap and its chain
The Pasha crown sits under a screw-on cap held by a short chain. This is the part counterfeiters get wrong most often.
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- Unscrew the cap and confirm it is a separate piece from the crown, hanging from a chain anchored to a lug.
- Pull the chain with light finger pressure; real chains articulate link by link, fakes use a cast piece or a stiff wire.
- Check the cabochon, which should sit flush in the cap with no glue ring and no cloudy surface.
3. Test the grid over the crystal
- Confirm the grid is a separate metal piece held by screws, not molded into the glass or glued on top of it.
- Count and align the screws on both axes; fakes often show screws on one side only or slotted heads with no recess.
- Look at the gap between the grid and the crystal; a real grid sits level with even clearance all round.
4. Read the dial and hands under magnification
- Check the printed "Cartier" and "Swiss Made" for sharp edges, even stroke weight and no ink bleed.
- Compare numeral shape and spacing against photos of the same reference, and look for the secret signature where that reference carries one.
- Confirm the hands are the correct shape with a clean bevel and no file marks or scratches at the pinion.
5. Open the case and read the movement
- Have a watchmaker open the caseback; do not pry a screw-back yourself.
- Read the movement signature and confirm it is a Cartier-signed quartz calibre that matches the reference for that production year.
- Check the spacer ring and gasket; hand-cut plastic rings and loose gaskets are common in fakes.
6. Match the reference and serial
- Find the reference number and serial on the caseback and compare them with the paperwork.
- Ask Cartier client service whether the reference and serial format fit the production period before you pay.
7. Check the bracelet, clasp and end links
- Inspect clasp stamping for depth, spacing and font against a known example.
- Fit the end links to the case; genuine links sit flush with no gap and no side play.
- Confirm whether the reference uses screw pins or push pins, then check what is actually fitted.
8. Run a price and paperwork sanity check
- Compare the asking price with recent sold prices for the same reference in the same metal.
- Ask for service history, box and papers; missing paperwork is normal on a 30-year-old watch, missing paperwork plus a bargain price is not.
What a fake usually gets wrong
The plating mark and the chain are the two failures that repeat. A fake that copies the dial well still tends to use a one-piece crown cap, a stamped caseback with no silver mark, and a generic quartz movement with no signature. Look at those three points before you look at the dial.