The 1970s was a magical decade for mechanical sport replica watches for sale, with some of the all-time legends of the genre finding their footing and making their biggest cultural impact prior to the looming quartz crisis. This is a time when many new and established brands—from Rolex and Vacheron Constantin to Breitling and Blancpain—made their mark with practical, stylish 1:1 UK fake watches that served a true purpose before the advent of more precise digital timing. As a result, we’re left with some serious sports watch lore from this era, from timing laps at Le Mans, to pulling duty on the surface of the moon.

This was an era defined by bold design decisions that linger today, often in the form of re-issues and throwbacks. These designs were driven by the need to find practical solutions for the needs of the market, all while retaining roots that were set in the preceding era. Well preserved examples serve as the basis of our enthusiasm today, and offer a contrast to the often safe choices made by brands these days.

This week we’re bringing you a selection of these 1970s sports high quality copy watches that serve as a vital part of the foundation of the genre as we know it today.

Replica Rolex Explorer II ref. 1655 Watches | € 20,300 ($21,935)

The cheap China fake Rolex Explorer II watches is a well known entity these days, and what some might call the last bastion of the true tool watch within the Rolex stable. The first Explorer II was released in 1971 with the reference 1655 with something of a niche audience of speleologists and cave explorers. The AAA online copy watches featured a fixed steel bezel indexed to 24 hours, while the 1575 movement borrowed from the GMT-Master provided a 24 hour hand to provide a full day/night indication. Unlike the GMT Master, the Explorer II took more liberties with its design, which included a large orange 24 hour hand, and a rather unusual set of hour and minute markings at the dial’s perimeter. The orange hand was brought back with the six digit reference modern Explorer IIs, but the funky dial design remains unique to the ref. 1655.

This 1655 Explorer II is available from Amsterdam Vintage Watches, and is in excellent condition. So good that we’d question if the case is recut or refinished to appear new. The dial is also in great condition, showing light signs of age in an aesthetically pleasing manner. This MKIV example dates to the late ‘70s, and comes with service papers from Rolex. This is one of the most interesting sport Swiss made replica watches Rolex has ever made, and it remains compelling today thanks to its fascinating history (which, by the way, does not include appearances on the wrist of Steve McQueen, despite the watch taking on his name).

Fake Breitling 817 Italian Army Chronograph Watches | $13,850

Finally, we have another military-issued watch, this time to the Italian Army courtesy of top Breitling replica watches UK. When we think of a Breitling chronograph of any era, there’s generally all manner of scales involved, from slide rules to tachymeters, creating a flurry of complexity. This example runs counter to that, with only the essentials represented on the dial. The reference 817 was made for helicopter pilots, and issued in the mid-’70s, with less than 1,000 being produced. The chunky black bezel rotates bidirectionally, and this particular example remains in excellent condition.

This is a peculiar perfect super clone watches that showcases the versatility of Breitling chronographs in this era. It’s not a design we find in their current catalog, and its provenance renders it a fascinating part of the brand’s history and DNA. This replica watches for men is offered by Analog/Shift, and represents a vanishingly rare opportunity to own not only a piece of Breitling history, but of Italian military history as well.