The best replica IW371747 for most buyers is the automatic chronograph tier built on a 7750-family movement with a sapphire crystal and a well-proportioned 41 mm case, because that combination is the only one that reproduces the genuine Portugieser Chronograph's 12 and 6 o'clock subdial layout, its leaf hands over applied Arabic numerals, and the pusher action of a mechanical chronograph. Everything below is judged on four points: movement architecture, case and dial finishing, crystal and strap hardware, and how closely the small reference details line up with IWC's own published specification.
Option 1: Swiss 7750-Based Automatic (Top Pick)
This tier places a Swiss-made or Swiss-assembled Valjoux 7750, or a close derivative of it, inside a case sized close to the real watch. The 7750 beats at 28,800 vibrations per hour, so the sweep of the seconds hand and the snap of the chronograph reset both feel like a mechanical watch should.
- Correct subdial positions: 30-minute counter at 12, running seconds at 6
- Mechanical chronograph with a crisp flyback to zero
- Sweeping seconds hand rather than a ticking one
- Dial printing, applied numerals and hand polishing get the most attention at this level
- Highest price of the three tiers
- The 7750 movement stack is thicker than IWC's own 69355, so the caseback can sit slightly proud
- Servicing depends on the builder, and not every seller has a watchmaker behind them
Choose this tier if the watch will be worn often and handled by people who know watches.
Option 2: Asian 7750 Clone
The Asian-built 7750 copies use the same architecture and the same subdial layout, which keeps the dial looking right from across a table, but the finishing and quality control vary from batch to batch.
- Same 12 and 6 subdial arrangement as the genuine dial
- Lower cost than the Swiss tier, with parts that are easy to swap
- Accepts the same straps and buckles as the more expensive builds
- Rotor noise is more noticeable
- Rate and amplitude vary between individual examples
- Some batches arrive with misaligned subdials or a loose chronograph seconds hand
- Case gaskets can be thin, so water resistance is a claim rather than a fact
This is the sensible middle ground for a first mechanical replica or a watch that will see occasional weekend wear.
Option 3: Quartz and Meca-Quartz
Quartz builds are the cheapest way into the reference, and they are the easiest to spot on the wrist.
- Lowest price and no winding
- Keeps time without a service for years
- Light on the wrist
- Running seconds hand ticks one step per second
- Chronograph seconds jump in one-second increments
- Case is often too thin compared with the genuine profile
- Pushers feel hollow and the reset has no weight to it
Buy quartz only if the watch is a costume piece. It does not deliver the feel that defines this reference.
Criterion: Case, Dial and Hands
These are the details that separate a close copy from a rough one, regardless of which movement sits inside.
- Case diameter near 41 mm with the slim, bezel-free profile of the Portugieser line
- Applied Arabic numerals with sharp edges and no visible glue haze
- Leaf-shaped hour and minute hands, not baton or syringe shapes
- Date window at 3 whose font matches the rest of the dial
- Painted subdial rings, not applied stickers
- Clean, evenly spaced text with no smudging or doubled print
Criterion: Crystal, Crown and Strap Hardware
- Sapphire with anti-reflective coating on the inside, since mineral glass reflects far more light
- Crown with the correct fluting and a firm click when the time is set
- Alligator-embossed leather or real leather with a signed buckle or deployant
- A 20 mm lug width so standard straps fit without modification
Which Tier Fits Your Use Case
- Daily wear and close inspection: Swiss 7750 build with sapphire
- Weekend rotation on a budget: Asian 7750 clone, checked for subdial alignment
- One-off event or costume: quartz, with the understanding that it photographs better than it feels