The replica IW371752 is a copy of the IWC Pilot's Watch Chronograph from the IW3717 family: a 42mm steel chronograph with a day-date window at 3 o'clock and three subdials. Prices run from about $90 for a quartz version to $600 for a top-tier automatic with a clone Valjoux 7750 inside. The original reference is out of production, so no replica is built from leftover factory parts. Every one uses aftermarket cases, dials, hands, and movements.
What Is the IW371752?
The IW371752 sits inside IWC's IW3717 line, the Pilot's Watch Chronograph that IWC sold through the 2000s and into the 2010s. The layout follows classic pilot rules: black dial, bold white numerals, wide hands, and a soft-iron inner case on the original for magnetic shielding.
IWC built the line around caliber 79320, a modified ETA Valjoux 7750. That detail matters for replica buyers. The 7750 is the most copied chronograph movement in the world, so parts are cheap and a service is a known job rather than a mystery.
What Should You Check Before Buying a Replica IW371752?
Case Size and Finish
Originals measure 42mm across and about 14.8mm thick, with brushed flanks and polished edges. A decent replica matches those numbers within a millimeter. Cheap copies often come in at 40mm or 44mm with a slab-sided case that looks wrong in profile.
Check the crown and pushers as well. They should sit flush with the case band, not stick out like bolts, and the pushers should click with a firm press.
Dial and Subdials
The dial is where most replicas fall apart. On a real 7750 the three registers sit at 12, 6, and 9, and the day-date window sits at 3. Bad copies drift on that spacing, and the subdial hands sit too close to the center.
Print quality tells you the tier in one photo. Sharp numerals, a matte black finish, and lume that reads cream-white in daylight point to a high-grade build. Bright green glowing markers look wrong on this watch.
Movement
Ask the seller what is inside. Honest mid-tier sellers say Asia 7750, a Chinese copy of the Valjoux design. Top-tier builds use a Swiss ETA 7750 pulled from a donor watch, or a Sellita SW500, which is the Swiss-made version of the same movement.
A quartz version exists and costs far less. It keeps time well, but the pushers feel dead and the seconds hand ticks in one-second steps instead of sweeping.
Crystal and Coating
Originals use sapphire with anti-reflective coating on both faces. Top replicas match that. Budget copies use mineral glass or sapphire with no coating, which shows glare in photos and under office lights.
Strap and Clasp
The 3717 usually ships on leather with a steel pin buckle, or on a steel bracelet. Look at the stitching density and the buckle engraving. Loose, uneven stitching is one of the fastest tells on a cheap copy.
Replica IW371752 Price Tiers
- Under $120. Quartz movement, mineral glass, printed dial, chrome-plated case. A costume piece, not a watch you service.
- $150 to $300. Asia 7750 automatic, sapphire crystal, solid dial print, steel case. The sweet spot for most buyers.
- $350 to $600. Swiss ETA 7750 or Sellita SW500, better case finishing, closer dial detail, sapphire with coating on both sides.
How to Spot a Low-Grade Copy
- A seconds hand that ticks once per second. That means quartz.
- Subdials printed on the dial with no hands at all.
- Pushers that feel mushy or that fail to snap the chrono hands back to zero.
- A case back with shallow engraving, missing reference numbers, or the wrong font.
- Low weight. A steel 42mm chronograph with a 7750 inside weighs around 90 to 110 grams on a strap. A hollow case feels light in the hand.
Does a Replica IW371752 Hold Up Day to Day?
An Asia 7750 runs fine for years, but it wants a service every few years, and plenty of watchmakers will not touch a replica. Water resistance is the real weak point. Most copies handle splashes only, and case gaskets are the first part to fail.
Do not swim or shower in one unless a watchmaker has pressure-tested the case. A flooded movement is a dead movement, and salt water kills a dial finish in days.
Legal Notes
Rules differ by country, so check your own before you order. In the US, importing counterfeit goods is illegal and customs can seize a package even when it is for personal use. Selling a replica as a genuine IWC is a crime in most places.
Keep the purchase as what it is: a copy. Do not list it for resale as an original, and do not hand it to a buyer who thinks it is real.
What to Ask the Seller Before You Pay
- Which movement is inside, and is it automatic or quartz?
- Is the crystal sapphire, and does it carry anti-reflective coating?
- What is the measured case diameter and thickness?
- Has the water resistance been tested, and to what depth?
- Can you send close photos of the case back, the clasp, and the dial at an angle?
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the replica IW371752 waterproof?
No. Treat every replica as splash-resistant at best until a watchmaker tests the gaskets. Showering and swimming are the two fastest ways to flood one.
Does the replica use a real chronograph movement?
Mid-tier and top-tier copies do, most often an Asia 7750. The cheapest ones use a quartz module, and a few use a decorative chronograph where the subdial hands are driven by the timekeeping train rather than by the pushers.
How long will it last?
An Asia 7750 in daily use usually needs attention within three to five years. A Swiss 7750 or Sellita SW500 goes longer, often seven to ten years between services.
Can a watchmaker service it?
Some will, many will not. Independent shops are the better bet, and parts are easy to source because the 7750 design has been in production for decades.