The short answer
There is no IWC reference called the Portugieser Automatic 31. Search that phrase and you land on listings, mostly from Chinese wholesale storefronts, for a counterfeit of the IWC Portugieser Automatic. The number 31 comes from the seller, not from Schaffhausen. The genuine watch people are usually picturing is the Portugieser Automatic 40, references in the IW3583xx group, and before that the Portugieser Automatic 5007 family at 42.3mm. A Portugieser Automatic 31 replica is a fake of a model that does not exist under that name, and importing or selling it in the United States is against federal law.
Portugieser Automatic 31 Replica for Sale: Buying Guide and Risk Check
Why "31" shows up at all
IWC's own naming already confuses people outside the hobby. Caliber numbers, case sizes, and reference numbers all run in separate sequences, and nothing in the Portugieser catalog is a 31. So where does it come from? Three places, in my experience. It gets attached to a claimed jewel count for a movement nobody can identify. It gets used as a decorative model code that makes a listing look technical. Or it comes from a reposted listing that has been copied across a dozen shops with identical photos and slightly different titles. When a model number cannot be matched to a factory specification sheet, that tells you plenty about the rest of the listing.
Portugieser Automatic 31 Replica: A Comprehensive Buying Guide
What is inside a fake Portugieser
The real thing runs IWC's 52000-series movements: Pellaton winding, long power reserves, and finishing you can study through a sapphire caseback. Copies run stock movements from Seagull, Hangzhou, or a Miyota 9015, sometimes with a decorative plate screwed over the top to look like a decorated bridge.
Portugieser Automatic 31 Replica Review: The Ultimate Guide
Power reserve is the cleanest tell. A genuine Portugieser Automatic will run for days on a single wind. Most fakes stop around 38 to 42 hours, and the power reserve subdial on the copy is often a dressed-up 24-hour indicator with no relation to the mainspring.
portugieser automatic 31 replica watch
Details that give a copy away
- Dial printing. Genuine IWC and Schaffhausen text is sharp under magnification, with even stroke weight. Copies look fuzzy or slightly thick at the edges.
- Subdial spacing. The small seconds and power reserve discs sit on precise centers on the real watch. On fakes they drift, and the hands often sit too high above the dial.
- Caseback engraving. Reference numbers, serial numbers, and hallmarks should be crisp and laser-even. Etched or stamped copies look shallow.
- Hands. Genuine blued steel has depth and shifts color with light. Painted blue looks flat.
- Strap and buckle. The tang or deployant on a fake is usually stamped, light, and rough on the underside.
Buying a used genuine one without getting burned
If you are shopping for a real Portugieser Automatic on the secondary market, ask for the reference and serial, then verify them with IWC or an authorized service partner before money changes hands. Ask for a movement photo through the caseback. Ask when it was last serviced. Then have it opened by a watchmaker who knows the caliber. A seller who resists any of that is telling you something.
The legal side in the US
Counterfeit watches are not a gray area here. US Customs and Border Protection seizes them at the border, and the trademark holder can pursue civil damages on top of that. Selling them carries criminal exposure. Buying one to import is not a loophole either. Beyond the law, you get a watch with no warranty, no service path, and no resale value.
Where the money actually goes further
A pre-owned genuine Portugieser Automatic holds value and can be serviced for decades. If the budget is tighter, look at well-made homages from brands that design their own cases and are honest about what they are. You get a real warranty, a real movement, and no customs letter in the mail.