Fake IW371494: The Short Answer
Yes, fakes of the IWC Portugieser Chronograph reference IW371494 exist, and they are common enough that any bargain-priced example online should be treated as one until proven otherwise. This reference belongs to IWC's Portugieser Chronograph family: a two-register chronograph with a slim bezel, applied numerals, and a clean, almost dressy dial. That look is easy to copy from a press photo. What is hard to copy is the movement, the finishing, and the small dimensional details factories skip.
Below is what I check, in roughly the order that separates a real one from a fake.
1. Count the subdials and watch where they sit
The genuine Portugieser Chronograph is a two-register watch: running seconds at 6 o'clock and a 30-minute chronograph counter at 12. If the watch in front of you has a third subdial at 9, the case is hiding a stock chronograph movement, most likely a Valjoux 7750 family clone, and the dial layout is wrong. That single detail kills most fakes from across a table.
2. Movement and the display back
Genuine examples show a decorated automatic movement through a sapphire caseback: striped or circular grained bridges, blued screws, an engraved rotor, and even perlage. Replicas tend to show a raw rotor with cheap stamping, crooked engraving fonts, or a solid caseback where there should be glass. If the rotor text is generic or the branding is spelled wrong, stop there.
3. Dial printing, hands, and applied numerals
IWC prints tiny and crisp. Look at the brand name and the "Automatic" line under a loupe: on fakes the letters blur, merge, or sit off-center. Genuine applied numerals have sharp, polished edges and a consistent height. Replica numerals look plated and slightly rounded, and the lume plots often run brighter and greener than the creamy tone on a genuine dial. Subdial hands should be thin and reach the track. Fakes cut them short.
4. Case, bezel, and crown
The Portugieser case is thin for a chronograph and the lugs curve down. Replicas run thicker and boxier, with lugs that sit flat against the wrist. Check the crown and pushers: genuine pushers press smooth and return with a clean click. Fakes feel gritty, and the crown often has too much side-to-side play. Caseback engraving should be shallow, even, and aligned. Deep, uneven engraving with a soft font is a tell.
5. Crystal and anti-reflective coating
Genuine IWC sapphire carries an anti-reflective coating on both faces, so the dial looks almost glassless in normal light. Cheap fakes skip the inner coating, which gives you glare and a rainbow sheen. If the crystal reflects like a mirror in daylight, that is a problem.
6. Price and provenance do most of the work
A genuine steel Portugieser Chronograph trades in the thousands on the secondary market. Any listing in the low hundreds, using stock photos, from a seller who will not send a timestamped picture, or with a story about a gift that cannot be worn, is a fake or a scam. Ask for the serial, service history, and clear movement shots. Honest sellers send all three.
Quick red flags
- Three subdials instead of two.
- Solid caseback, or a rotor with stamped, misaligned text.
- Blurry or off-center dial printing.
- Heavy glare and rainbow reflections on the crystal.
- Price far below market, with stock images and no serial.
A note on buying one anyway
Counterfeit watches are illegal to import and sell in the United States, and customs can seize them. A fake also has no warranty, no service path, and no resale value. If the goal is the look, plenty of legitimate chronographs in the few-hundred-dollar range deliver it without the legal and mechanical baggage.