Top pick: the hand-wound IW545170 first copy built around a decorated manual-wind movement with a display caseback. The reference is a hand-wound watch, and that one fact drives everything a buyer can actually see: case thickness, dial layout, the feel and sound when you wind it, and what shows through the back. The criteria used in this guide are movement type and finishing, case proportions, dial printing and hand shape, caseback engraving, strap and buckle quality, and how the seller handles QC photos, shipping and returns.

One note before the comparisons. IWC has issued several dial and case variants under adjacent reference numbers, so confirm the exact published specs on IWC's own reference page before you judge any copy against them. Comparing a replica to a photo of a different variant is the most common way buyers talk themselves out of a good piece or into a bad one.

What people mean by "fake IW545170"

The phrase covers three different products. A first copy or super clone is a watch built to match the reference in dimensions, dial layout and movement style, usually with a manual-wind or automatic mechanical movement and sapphire crystal. A mid-tier replica is built to look right on a screen and roughly right on a wrist, often with a cheaper movement and simpler finishing. A budget copy is usually quartz inside a case that only resembles the reference at a glance. The price gap between these tiers is almost entirely the cost of the movement and the hand finishing, which is why the movement is the first thing to ask about.

Option A: Hand-wound build with a display caseback

  • Pros: correct manual-wind character, slim case profile that sits under a cuff, visible movement through the back, no rotor noise, winding feel that matches the reference's hand-wound nature.
  • Pros: bridges and plates can be finished with Geneva stripes and polished bevels, which reads correctly through sapphire.
  • Cons: costs more than the automatic versions and fewer sellers keep it in stock.
  • Cons: a hand-wound movement needs winding every day, which some buyers find annoying after a month.

Best for: buyers who take the watch off in company, wear short sleeves, or care that the back of the watch matches the front. If the caseback is part of the appeal, this is the only tier worth considering.

Option B: Automatic "close enough" build

  • Pros: cheaper, easier to find, and a rotor means you can wear it without thinking about winding.
  • Pros: plenty of sellers stock it, so you can compare QC photos across several units before paying.
  • Cons: the rotor adds thickness, so the case usually sits taller than the reference.
  • Cons: caseback engraving on these tends to be generic, and the movement visible through the back is often the wrong architecture for a hand-wound reference.

Best for: daily wear under a shirt cuff, where nobody sees the back and the extra millimeter of case height never comes up.

Option C: Quartz budget copy

  • Pros: lowest cost, keeps time without winding or servicing, and works as a costume piece for a single event.
  • Cons: the seconds hand ticks instead of sweeping, which is the fastest tell at arm's length.
  • Cons: light case, thin plating, and a closed caseback that hides nothing but also matches nothing.

Best for: photo shoots, costumes and one-off occasions where the watch will not be handled by anyone.

Criterion: dial printing and hands

Ask for a straight-on macro photo in daylight, not a studio render. On a good copy the applied markers sit at an even height, the printing is crisp under a loupe, the subdial spacing matches the reference layout, and the hands have the right taper and finish for the variant. On a weak copy the printing is heavy, markers sit low or tilt, subdial hands are too short, and lume is a shade too green or too white.

Best for: judging a seller. A seller who cannot produce a daylight macro of the dial is not inspecting units before shipping them.

Criterion: case, crystal and caseback

  • Pros of a good case: lug curve matches the reference, brushed and polished surfaces meet on a crisp line, sapphire has an anti-reflective coating that goes faintly blue at an angle.
  • Pros of a good caseback: engraving is deep and readable, and the reference and serial numbers are consistent between the caseback and any paperwork.
  • Cons to watch for: a caseback that stands proud of the case, sharp lug edges, shallow laser etching that looks grey instead of cut, and serial numbers that do not match between parts.

Best for: anyone buying without handling the watch first. These are the checks a photo can settle before money changes hands.

Criterion: strap and buckle

This is where budget builds give themselves away when someone else handles the watch. Look for leather with a real grain and even stitching, a buckle with cleanly cut lettering, and spring bars that are not loose in the lugs. Stiff polyurethane pretending to be alligator, shallow stamped logos and generic spring bars are the usual shortcuts.

Best for: buyers who plan to keep the stock strap. If you intend to swap it anyway, put the budget into the movement instead.

Criterion: seller practice

  • Pros: QC photos of the actual unit, a short video showing the watch being wound and the seconds hand running, a stated return window, tracked shipping, and clear answers about customs handling.
  • Cons: stock photos only, no video, pressure to pay off-platform, no written return terms, and a price far below every other seller for the same tier.

Best for: first-time buyers. The seller's process predicts what arrives more reliably than any spec list.

Red flags that should end the conversation

  1. Photos that appear on three other sites when you search for them.
  2. Refusal to send a timestamped photo of the exact unit.
  3. Claims that the watch is "genuine" or "same factory as the original." No first copy is genuine.
  4. A price that undercuts the whole market for that tier by a wide margin.
  5. No stated policy for a watch that arrives damaged or not as photographed.

Legal and shipping reality

Counterfeit branded goods are subject to seizure at the border in the US and many other countries, and selling or importing them carries civil and sometimes criminal exposure. Check your local rules before ordering, and understand that a package stopped in customs is usually a total loss with no refund. Treat that risk as part of the cost, not as bad luck.

Bottom line

Buy the hand-wound build if the caseback matters, the automatic if you want a daily wearer at lower cost, and the quartz only for costume use. Spend your questions on the movement, the daylight dial macro, and the seller's QC process. Those three answers separate a first copy worth owning from a watch you will stop wearing in a month.