Quick answer
When a listing says "fake Drive 42mm," it almost always means a replica of the Cartier Drive de Cartier automatic, the cushion-shaped steel watch Cartier introduced in 2016. Cartier catalogs that case at roughly 40mm by 41mm. Sellers round the number up to 42mm because it sounds bigger and because of how they measure across the case and the crown guards. So the 42mm label is seller shorthand, not an official Cartier dimension. If a listing shows a very thin, hand-wound Drive and still calls it 42mm, that is probably the Extra-Flat, a 38mm watch and a different animal entirely.
What the 42mm number actually covers
The Drive case is a cushion: a square with soft, rounded corners and a slight curve that follows the wrist. That shape is why measurements wobble. Depending on whether you measure the flat sides, the diagonal, or include the crown, you can land anywhere from 40 to 42.5mm without anyone lying.
On a replica, the number that matters more is thickness. The genuine automatic runs about 11.5mm thick. Plenty of fakes come in at 12.5mm or more because the movement inside is thicker than the calibre it copies. On a cushion case that extra millimeter is visible from the side, and it changes how the watch sits under a shirt cuff.
Movements you will run into
- Miyota 9015 or a clone of it. Reliable and thin enough, but the beat rate and the winding feel give it away under a loupe.
- ETA 2824 clone, often sold as "Swiss ETA." Smooth sweep, easy to service, thicker than the original.
- Decorated automatic with a Cartier-style rotor and Cotes de Geneve stripes. This is the tier most "1:1" sellers push. It looks right through the sapphire back and runs fine, but the engraving is shallow and the finishing is stamped rather than applied.
What I check on the case and dial
- Dial texture. The genuine dial has a stamped guilloche center that catches light in tight, even rings. Cheap fakes print the pattern. Tilt the watch and the difference shows immediately.
- Hands. The Drive uses blued steel sword hands. Fakes often paint them, and the blue looks flat instead of shifting as the light moves.
- Roman numerals. Look hard at the VII and the VIII. Crooked or thin printing is the fastest tell on any Cartier replica.
- Crown cabochon. It should be a smooth, domed blue stone. Cloudy, plastic-looking, or off-center means a lower tier.
- Case finishing. Brushed sides, polished bezel edges, and a crisp line where the two meet. Rounded, mushy transitions are common on cheaper builds.
- Subdial and date. Line the small seconds and the date window up against a reference photo. Replica dials often shift these by a fraction of a millimeter.
Price and the legal reality
Expect to pay somewhere between $250 and $500 for the better 42mm Drive replicas, with decorated-movement versions at the top of that range. Anything under $150 usually means a printed dial and a rough case.
One thing worth saying plainly: selling counterfeit watches is illegal in the United States and most of Europe, and customs can seize an imported package. Buying one for yourself is a different legal question from selling one, but the risk of a seized parcel is real either way.
Bottom line
If a seller writes "fake Drive 42mm," read it as "replica Cartier Drive de Cartier automatic." Confirm the thickness, ask for a straight-on side photo, and check the dial texture before anything else. Size is the least interesting part of that listing.