A fake IW371419 is a counterfeit copy of the IWC Portugieser Chronograph. The genuine reference is a stainless steel watch with a 40.9 mm case, a silver-plated dial, gold-plated hands, and a leather strap. IWC sold the 3714 family from 1998 to 2020 and later replaced it with the ref. 3716 line. Replica versions sell between $50 and $400. None come from IWC Schaffhausen.
Genuine reference data
- Case: stainless steel, 40.9 mm diameter, about 12.6 mm thick
- Dial: silver-plated, gold-plated hands and applied markers
- Movement: caliber 79350, automatic, Valjoux 7750 base
- Power reserve: 44 hours, 28,800 vph, 31 jewels
- Crystal: sapphire front, sapphire display back
- Water resistance: 3 bar
- Strap: alligator leather with a steel pin buckle
These figures come from maker catalogs and reference databases. Dial and strap combinations changed over the production run. Match the listing against catalog photos for the exact year.
Movement tells
The 79350 is a chronograph with subdials at 12, 6, and 9, plus a date at 3. Fakes run a decorated Chinese automatic or a quartz module. Signs of a fake: shallow rotor engraving, a chronograph seconds hand that stutters on start, and subdials that sit off-center. A quartz copy has a ticking small seconds hand and no rotor behind the display back.
Dial and printing
Genuine printing sits sharp at high magnification. The "IWC" and "SCHAFFHAUSEN" lines hold even spacing. Fakes show thick ink, fuzzy edges, and markers that look glued on instead of set into the dial. The date window on a copy is often wider than the printed date, and the font does not match IWC type.
Case and caseback
Genuine case finishing alternates brushed and polished surfaces with clean transitions. Copies polish every surface to hide tooling marks. Caseback engraving on a real watch is deep and even. Weight is a fast test. A steel case feels solid. A plated brass copy feels light. Fake case thickness runs 1 mm to 2 mm over the genuine figure.
Price context
Secondary market prices for a genuine IW371419 run from about $5,000 to $8,000, based on box, papers, and service history. Prices move. Check current listings. Any seller asking under $500 for a watch described as genuine is not selling a genuine watch.
Checks before buying
- Ask for a photo of the caseback and the movement.
- Compare subdial positions to IWC catalog photos.
- Check the reference and serial engraving against the papers.
- Confirm the service record and the original box.
- Have a watchmaker open the case before payment.
Key numbers
40.9 mm case. 12.6 mm thick. 44-hour reserve. 28,800 vph. 3 bar. 79350 caliber. Those figures separate a genuine 3714 from most copies sold as an IW371419.