Short answer

A fake Cartier Astrotourbillon 1701 is a replica built to look like Cartier's Astrotourbillon, the watch whose tourbillon carriage turns once a minute and carries the seconds hand around the dial. The 1701 is not a Cartier reference. Cartier uses alphanumeric codes for this family, and 1701 turns up in seller listings, factory sheets and marketplace SKUs instead. Treat it as a batch label. When you see it, ask which factory built the watch and which movement sits inside, because on this specific model those two answers decide whether you get a real orbiting carriage or a decorative hole.

What the real Astrotourbillon does

Cartier introduced the Astrotourbillon in 2010 in the Calibre de Cartier line, running the in-house 9451 MC caliber. The idea is the layout. Rather than tucking a small cage behind an aperture at six o'clock, Cartier left the carriage in the open and let it travel. The cage takes one full minute per revolution, and the seconds hand rides on that cage, so the hand sweeps the dial while the balance wheel moves with it. The Carbon Crystal follow-up is rarer, a limited run of 50 pieces built around carbon crystal components.

That detail, a carriage in motion that also displays the seconds, is the reason the watch exists. Take it away and you are looking at a different object with a familiar name on the dial.

Why "1701" is a listing tag

Sellers who stock replica Cartier tourbillons reuse numbers for internal tracking. One listing's 1701 may be a case size, a dial color, a batch, or simply a code copied from a supplier sheet and pasted into an ad. Two sellers can both advertise a 1701 and ship watches from different workshops with different movements. So do not treat the number as proof of a specific build. Instead, treat it as a search term that got you here, then judge the actual watch in front of you.

The one test that matters

I start every inspection with a stopwatch. A true orbiting carriage completes one turn in 60 seconds, and the balance wheel inside it keeps oscillating the entire time. A standard tourbillon at six o'clock also spins, but the seconds hand runs on a separate pinion, not on the cage. A cheap imitation does neither. It shows an open balance wheel with a bridge shaped like a cage, and a sweeping seconds hand driven by the normal going train.

  1. Start a timer, watch the carriage, and confirm one full revolution at 60 seconds.
  2. Check that the seconds hand is fixed to the carriage and moves with it.
  3. Look for a balance wheel that oscillates inside the spinning carriage, not a balance that stays still.
  4. Listen at a quiet moment. A tourbillon ticks with a fast, fine beat, not a slow, heavy thump.

What to check before paying

  • Case diameter and thickness against the genuine proportions, which are large and sit tall.
  • Sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating. Mineral glass scratches and looks flat.
  • Dial printing sharpness, especially the Cartier signature and the Roman numerals.
  • Caseback engraving depth and spelling. Blurred or shallow text is a common tell.
  • Strap and clasp quality. Folded sheet metal clasps feel light and cheap.
  • Water resistance claims. Most tourbillon replicas are not sealed for swimming.
  • Weight in the hand. Solid steel cases have heft that plated brass never matches.

What you should not expect

At replica prices you are not buying a Cartier movement, and you are almost never buying a functioning orbiting carriage. The complication is unusual enough that few workshops attempt it, and the ones that do charge accordingly. Expect a Chinese tourbillon or an open-heart movement, a well-finished case, and a dial that reads correctly from arm's length. Also expect service trouble. Many independent watchmakers will not touch replica tourbillons, and spare parts for unbranded Chinese calibers are hard to source. If the movement stops, you may be buying a new watch rather than repairing the old one.

Red flags

  • Photos that never show the carriage in two different positions.
  • Listings that call 1701 an official Cartier reference number.
  • Claims of Swiss movement in a watch at a few hundred dollars.
  • Certificates and box sets offered as proof of authenticity.
  • Stock images with watermarks from other sellers.

Bottom line

Buy the watch you can inspect, not the number in the title. A good fake Cartier Astrotourbillon 1701 gives you the look, the size and a real tourbillon if you pay for one. It will not give you Cartier's orbiting carriage at a bargain price, and any seller who says otherwise is selling a story, not a watch.