The replica IW371740 is a copy of IWC's Portugieser Chronograph, a 40.9mm steel dress chronograph with two subdials stacked at 12 and 6, leaf hands, and applied Arabic numerals. Good copies nail the case diameter, dial layout, and subdial spacing. The tells show up in thickness, movement finish, and strap hardware, not in the dial at arm's length.
What the real watch does
The IW371740 belongs to the 3717 family of Portugieser Chronographs. Steel case, about 40.9mm across and 12.3mm thick, sapphire front and back, 30m water resistance, and an alligator strap on a steel deployant. The layout is unusual: the 30-minute counter sits at 12 and the running seconds at 6, so the two subdials line up vertically with no date window anywhere on the dial. The hands are feuille shaped, thin and pointed. The minute track is printed railroad style, with a fine hash for every minute.
Inside the original beats a 79350, a Valjoux 7750 reworked by IWC so the small seconds land at 6 instead of 9. Later 41mm Portugieser Chronographs moved to the in-house 69355. Either way, that seconds-at-6 arrangement is the single most important thing to understand about any copy of this reference.
Why the movement matters more than the dial
A 7750 has running seconds at 9 by design. Move it to 6 and you need an extra transfer gear. Replicas built on a stock Asian 7750 (A7750) with that gear added are the norm here, and the small seconds hand on many of them stutters or jumps instead of sweeping. At 28,800 vph the genuine watch beats smoothly. A rep that hiccups every few seconds is the fastest way to spot one on a wrist. Some sellers fit a decorated A7750 with a rotor and plates engraved to look like the 79350. That looks better through the caseback and costs more, but it does not fix the transfer gear.
What good copies get right
- Case diameter at 40.9mm and the correct lug shape, slim and slightly downturned.
- Subdial position. If the two subdials sit too far apart or crowd the centre, the whole dial reads wrong.
- Dial print. The logo is applied on the real thing, and the numerals are polished and applied rather than stamped.
- Hand shape. Feuille hands taper to a fine point. Blunt or paddle-shaped hands are a giveaway.
Where they usually fall short
- Thickness. Many reps run 13.5mm to 14mm because of the A7750 and its spacer. On a 40.9mm dress watch, one extra millimetre shows under a cuff.
- Caseback engraving. Reference numbers, hallmarks, and font weight are often a touch off.
- Strap and clasp. The deployant is where cheap reps feel cheap: stiff alligator-pattern leather and a flimsy folding clasp.
- Crystal. Domed sapphire with the right amount of edge distortion costs money to copy. Flat glass gives it away.
- Pusher feel. Genuine pushers have a short, crisp throw. Mushy pushers mean a low-grade movement.
Price tiers
- Under $250. Quartz or a basic A7750, thick case, printed dial. Fine if you want the look and nothing more.
- $350 to $650. The sweet spot. Correct case size, decent dial, A7750 with decoration, sapphire front and back.
- $700 and up. Best dial printing, closest thickness, better strap and clasp, sometimes a modified movement with smoother seconds.
A quick checklist before you pay
- Ask for the measured case thickness with a caliper, not the listed spec.
- Request a video of the running seconds at 6. Ten seconds is enough to see a stutter.
- Check that the pushers start, stop, and reset cleanly. Reset should snap back, not crawl.
- Confirm the strap width at the lugs. It should be 20mm on this case size.
- Ask about water resistance. Most reps are splash proof at best, so keep it out of pools.
How it wears
On a 6.5 inch wrist the 40.9mm case sits flat and reads dressy, which is the point. It is a thin, wide watch with almost no bezel, so the dial takes over. Under 6.25 inches, try to see one in person first. The Portugieser wears bigger than its numbers suggest.