The replica IW371480 worth buying is the one built around a working 7750-based chronograph movement inside a correctly sized steel case. Everything else about the watch, the two subdials, the pusher feel, the way it sits on the wrist, follows from those two decisions. Three criteria separate a passable copy from a bad one: the chronograph has to actually run, the case has to stay close to roughly 41 mm across and about 12 to 13 mm thick, and the dial furniture has to match reference photos of the genuine Portugieser Chronograph. The sections below cover what each criterion means in practice and which version suits which buyer.

What the IW371480 Is

IW371480 sits in IWC's Portugieser Chronograph family, the two-register steel chronograph the brand has built since the late 1990s. The family traits are a large round case, a clean dial with a 30-minute counter at 12 and running seconds at 6, feuille leaf hands, applied Arabic numerals, and a date aperture at 3 on most variants. The classic movement is IWC calibre 79350, a reworked Valjoux 7750 with a power reserve of roughly 44 hours. Because the line has been offered in several dial, hand, and strap combinations, confirm the exact variant against a reference listing before you compare photos, or you will end up judging a copy against the wrong original.

Criterion 1: The Movement

This is the single biggest price and quality divider in the replica market for this reference.

  • Pros of a 7750-based copy: the chronograph actually starts, stops, and resets, the pushers have real resistance, the rotor winds automatically, and the subdial at 12 sweeps in the same stepped way as the original.
  • Cons: a 7750-based movement is thicker than the calibre in the genuine watch, so the case often runs several tenths of a millimeter deeper, and servicing a clone movement is a job for a watchmaker who works with generic chronographs.
  • Pros of a quartz or decorative-pusher copy: lower cost, less servicing concern, and often a thinner case.
  • Cons: the pushers do nothing or only move a fake hand, the seconds hand ticks instead of sweeping, and the caseback engraving usually gives the shortcut away.

Recommendation: if you plan to wear the watch with the chronograph running and want the closest feel to the original, buy the 7750-based version. If the watch is for occasional dress wear and you never touch the pushers, a quartz copy is defensible, but know that it is a different object on the wrist.

Criterion 2: Case Size and Thickness

The genuine Portugieser Chronograph is a large, thin-feeling dress chronograph, roughly 41 mm across with a slim bezel and long lugs. Copies fail here in predictable ways.

  • Pros of a well-made case: lug curve matches the wrist, crown guards are absent as they should be, the crown sits flush at 3, and the caseback sits flat rather than domed.
  • Cons of a cheap case: oversized dimensions of 42 to 44 mm, thick slab sides, sharp lug edges, and a protruding caseback caused by a spacer ring around a smaller movement.

Recommendation: measure before you commit. Ask for a caliper photo if you can. A copy within half a millimeter of the original wears correctly, and anything more than a millimeter off reads as a different watch on a 7-inch wrist.

Criterion 3: Dial, Subdials, and Date

The dial is where photographs of the real watch are your best tool.

  • Check: subdial centers stacked on the vertical axis at 12 and 6, printed minute track spacing, applied numerals with polished edges, leaf hands that reach the track, and a date wheel whose font and window size match the original.
  • Common flaws: subdials set slightly too close to the center, painted numerals instead of applied, a white date disc with the wrong font, and chronograph hands that sit above or below the pinion rather than on it.
  • Pros of getting this right: the watch photographs like the reference and reads correctly from arm's length.
  • Cons: dial accuracy is the hardest thing to fix after purchase, so a bad dial is not a bargain at any price.

Recommendation: if you only compare one thing, compare the subdial positions and the date window against a reference photo in the same dial color.

Criterion 4: Crystal, Hands, and Strap

  • Pros of sapphire with coating: clear dial, correct reflections, and no scratching in daily wear. A domed profile that matches the original edge height is a bonus.
  • Cons: mineral glass that hazes, coatings that turn purple under office light, and hands that are too thick or too short.
  • Strap notes: alligator-grain leather with a steel pin buckle or deployant clasp is correct. The buckle engraving and strap thickness are the usual weak points.

Recommendation: budget for a replacement strap. A good leather strap upgrade does more for the look than most case polishing.

Quick Checklist Before You Pay

  1. Confirm the movement type in writing, and ask whether the chronograph functions.
  2. Ask for case diameter and thickness measurements, not just photos.
  3. Compare the dial photo side by side with a reference image at the same angle.
  4. Check the caseback engraving for reference number, movement type, and correct font weight.
  5. Confirm strap material and buckle style.
  6. Ask about return terms and whether the seller services the movement.

Two Buying Notes

First, replicas are not serviced or authenticated by the original brand, so repairs go to an independent watchmaker. Second, customs authorities in the United States treat counterfeit watches as prohibited merchandise and can seize shipments, so read the seller's shipping terms before ordering. Neither point changes how the watch looks, but both affect what ownership costs over time.