If you searched for a replica IW371789, here is the short answer: no copy of IWC's Portugieser Chronograph reproduces the things that make the watch worth wanting, and the money spent on one buys a watch you cannot service, cannot resell, and cannot legally import into the United States. The practical route to that look is a legitimate chronograph with the same design grammar. My top pick for most buyers is the Seiko Prospex Speedtimer, a 39 mm solar chronograph whose panda dial and clean markers get close to the Portugieser's clarity without the legal and mechanical baggage. The criteria I used: dial architecture (register placement, applied markers, leaf hands), case thickness and finish, movement serviceability, and total cost of ownership, legal risk included.

Why the IW371789 is hard to copy well

The reference sits in IWC's Portugieser Chronograph family, and that family lives or dies on proportion. A thin bezel, a wide open dial, slim leaf hands and applied numerals all have to line up for the watch to read correctly on the wrist. Replica factories work from photographs, and photographs do not carry thickness, curvature or finishing.

  • Case height: copies typically run noticeably thicker than the original because the sourced movement does not fit the original case profile.
  • Subdial spacing: register positions drift, which changes the whole balance of the dial.
  • Markers: applied numerals become printed ones, and printed ones lose the depth that catches light.
  • Finishing: brushing and polishing transitions get approximated, so edges look soft under direct light.
  • Ownership: no service network, no parts, no resale value, and a trademark problem if the watch crosses a border.

None of that is a knock on wanting the look. It is a reason to buy the look from someone who stands behind it.

Seiko Prospex Speedtimer: top pick

A solar chronograph with a panda dial, a compact steel case and a bracelet that suits daily wear. It is the closest thing at scale to the Portugieser's dial clarity, and it comes with a real warranty and a service path.

  • Pros: clean dial layout, legible registers, solar movement that needs no winding, wide service availability, holds value far better than any copy.
  • Cons: sportier case shape than the Portugieser, no exhibition back, and the branding is not the point of the purchase.
  • Use case: the buyer who wants the dial, wears the watch four or more days a week, and does not want a maintenance question mark.

Hamilton Intra-Matic Auto Chrono: the dressier pick

A two-register automatic chronograph with a vintage-leaning dial and a slimmer profile than most sport chronographs. It reads closer to a dress watch, which is the register the Portugieser occupies.

  • Pros: restrained dial, comfortable under a cuff, mechanical movement with a documented service route, strong secondary market.
  • Cons: less water resistance than a sports chrono, fewer bracelet options, and the case is smaller than the Portugieser's presence.
  • Use case: office and evening wear, or anyone building a two-watch collection around a dress chronograph.

Genuine pre-owned IWC Portugieser Chronograph

If the reference itself is the goal, the honest answer is a used example from a reputable dealer with box and papers. It costs more than any replica, and it is the only option that is the watch you actually wanted.

  • Pros: real finishing, real movement, factory service, resale value, no legal exposure.
  • Cons: the highest upfront cost of the three, plus servicing budgets on a mechanical chronograph.
  • Use case: the buyer who has settled on this reference specifically and plans to keep it for years.

What a replica actually costs you

  1. Purchase price with no recourse if the movement fails.
  2. No watchmaker will take on parts they cannot source.
  3. Zero resale, so the full price is a sunk cost.
  4. Customs seizure risk, since importing counterfeit trademarked goods is illegal in the US.

Bottom line

Buy the Speedtimer if you want the dial on your wrist this month. Buy the Intra-Matic if you need it to pass as a dress watch. Save for the pre-owned Portugieser if the reference number is the whole point. Skip the replica, because it is the only option on this list that fails on every criterion at once.