What a replica IW3716 is
The IW3716 reference covers the IWC Portugieser Chronograph: a 41 mm steel watch with two subdials, a slim bezel, and leaf hands. A replica IW3716 is a third-party copy of that watch. IWC does not make it, and no copy runs the in-house calibre 69355 inside the genuine piece. Most replicas use a Valjoux 7750 base or a Chinese clone of it, which is why the case sits thicker than the original and why the subdial spacing rarely matches at first glance.
Two factors decide the quality of a copy: the movement and the dial finishing. Case thickness and printing come next. Everything else is detail work.
Specs to compare against the original
- Case diameter: 41 mm across the bezel, not the crown guard.
- Case thickness: about 13 mm on the genuine watch. Copies often run 14 mm or more.
- Dial layout: running seconds at 6, chronograph minutes at 12, no date on the classic IW3716 variants.
- Crystal: domed sapphire with a faint edge distortion at an angle.
- Strap: 20 mm lug width, alligator grain leather with a steel pin buckle.
Quality tiers
Entry copies sell for under a hundred dollars and show it. The dial print is flat, the subdials sit off-center, and the chronograph runs on quartz or a rough 7750 with a stiff pusher feel.
Mid-tier copies fix the dial layout and use a decorated 7750. The case is still too thick, and the hands carry too much lume for a dress chronograph.
Top-tier copies machine the case closer to 13 mm, use a proper sapphire crystal, and print the dial with sharp edges under magnification. These cost several hundred dollars and remain the only tier worth comparing to photos of the real watch.
How to evaluate a replica IW3716 in person
- Measure the case across the bezel with calipers and compare to 41 mm.
- Measure the thickness at the caseback center and reject anything past 14 mm.
- Set both hands to 12 and photograph the dial straight on.
- Check that the subdial centers line up with the 12 and 6 positions.
- Inspect the printed minute track with a loupe for broken lines or ink bleed.
- Start the chronograph and watch the center hand advance in small steps several times per second.
- Reset the chronograph and confirm the hand returns to zero without drifting off the marker.
- Run the crown through a full wind and feel for grit or a loose stem.
- Flex the strap and check the stitching density and the buckle edge finish.
Flaws that show up on most copies
The minute counter at 12 is the common failure point: on cheap builds the hand sweeps instead of jumping in one-minute increments. Dial text is the second tell. Look at the spacing between the brand name and the word below it, and at the weight of the strokes. Thin, gray print on a white dial means a low-grade pad print.
Casebacks get shallow engraving that catches light the wrong way. Pushers feel mushy and need a long travel before the chronograph engages. On the wrist, a thick case tips forward, so the watch slides instead of sitting flat.
Before you buy
Confirm the lug width and strap length for your wrist size, and ask for a photo of the actual unit rather than a stock image. Keep in mind that selling and importing counterfeit watches is illegal in the United States, so a purchase carries legal and resale risk that a genuine watch does not.