Replica IW371642: The Short Answer
The IW371642 sits inside IWC's Portugieser Chronograph family, a 40.9 mm steel watch with a bi-compax dial and the in-house 69355 column-wheel chronograph calibre. Replicas from China use the same reference number to describe their copies. Most of them match the outline and dial layout well enough at arm's length, then fail in three places: movement architecture, case thickness, and dial printing. When you inspect one, the movement and the caseback tell you the story before anything else does.
What the Genuine Reference Is
The Portugieser Chronograph line runs at roughly 40.9 mm across the case and about 12.6 mm thick. The dial carries small seconds at 6 o'clock and the chronograph minutes counter at 12, feuille hands, applied Arabic numerals, and an outer minute track. Since the calibre 69355 replaced the older modified 7750-based movement, the watch has a column wheel and a 46 hour power reserve. A sapphire caseback shows the movement, which is useful: you can compare the real thing against a copy with photos alone.
Reference numbers in this family differ mostly in dial finish, metal, and strap. Treat IW371642 as one variant of the 3716 platform, and confirm the exact dial and case combination with IWC's own reference data before you judge a watch.
Where Copies Diverge
- Movement: replicas run an A7750, a 7750-derived module, or a generic quartz. None of these are the 69355, and none carry a real column wheel.
- Thickness: the extra movement height pushes many copies to 13.5 to 14.5 mm, which reads as a slab on the wrist.
- Dial printing: the wordmark and the minute track lose sharpness under magnification, and applied numerals sit flatter than the genuine parts.
- Finishing: chamfers, brushed and polished transitions, and caseback engraving depth are all shallower.
Before You Start
- Digital calipers
- A 10x loupe
- Clear photos of the dial, caseback, and movement
- The official spec sheet for the reference you are comparing
- A gram scale
How to Evaluate a Replica IW371642
- Read the caseback engraving and compare the reference number, serial format, and font against known photos of the genuine piece.
- Measure case thickness with calipers across the crystal and the caseback, then compare the result to the 12.6 mm factory figure.
- Photograph the movement through the display back and check for a column wheel above the chronograph bridge.
- Confirm the subdial positions: small seconds at 6, chronograph minutes at 12.
- Start, stop, and reset the chronograph and note the pusher feel. A column wheel gives a light, even click; a cam-driven copy feels heavier and vaguer.
- Examine the dial under a loupe for font weight, index height, and the crispness of the outer track.
- Weigh the watch and compare it to the published weight for the steel reference on its original strap or bracelet.
- Inspect the buckle, strap stitching, and spring bars for the fit and finish expected at this price level.
Legal and Ownership Realities
A replica carrying IWC trademarks is a counterfeit good. Importing one into the United States exposes the shipment to seizure, and selling one is a federal offence tied to trademark infringement. Beyond the legal side, a copy cannot be serviced by IWC, its parts do not interchange with genuine components, and it holds no resale value. If your interest is the look of the Portugieser Chronograph, a used genuine reference or a differently branded chronograph gets you the same wrist presence without the risk.