Quick answer
A replica Portugieser 7 day is a copy of the IWC Portugieser Automatic, the wide dress watch that runs for about seven days on a single wind. The "7 day" label describes the power reserve, not the model number. On the genuine watch that reserve is 168 hours, delivered by a self-winding calibre with twin mainspring barrels. Most replicas print the same number on the dial but run for 40 hours or less, because they use a standard automatic movement instead of a dual-barrel design. The copies worth considering are the ones where the seller can name the movement and where the reserve indicator tracks the mainspring instead of sitting frozen at full.
What the genuine reference does
The modern reference IW5007 uses calibre 52010: automatic winding, Pellaton winding system, two barrels in series, 168 hours of reserve, a 42.3 mm case, and about 14.5 mm of thickness. Its predecessor, reference 5001 with calibre 51011, set the same template. Both place small seconds at 9 o'clock, a power reserve scale at 3 o'clock, and a date window at 6. The dial is large, thin-bezeled, and almost all face, which is why the design is easy to copy at a glance and hard to copy in the hand.
Prerequisites
- Know your wrist size in millimeters. The case is 42.3 mm wide and sits tall, so a 6.5 inch wrist will feel it.
- Decide which movement tier you will pay for. Price tracks the movement, not the case finish.
- Accept that a replica is not a genuine watch and cannot be serviced by IWC.
How to check a replica Portugieser 7 day
- Measure the case with calipers or a ruler. It should read 42 mm to 42.5 mm across, without the crown.
- Ask the seller for the movement name and the beat rate. A 28,800 vph movement with a decorated rotor is a common automatic, not a seven-day calibre.
- Wind the watch until it stops and set it down for three days. Check the reserve scale at 3 o'clock. If the hand has dropped to the bottom, the "7 day" text is cosmetic.
- Look at the reserve scale printing under magnification. Genuine dial numerals are crisp and evenly spaced; low-grade copies bleed into the track.
- Inspect the small seconds subdial at 9 o'clock. The hand should sweep, not tick, and the subdial ring should sit level with the dial.
- Check the date window at 6 o'clock. The numeral should be centered in its frame, with no white edge showing at the top.
- Compare the dial text. The IWC logo, "Automatic", and "7 Days" should align on one vertical axis and use a serif face with thin strokes.
- Turn the watch over. The caseback engraving should be sharp, and the rotor should spin without scraping the caseback.
- Pull the crown to the hand-winding position and turn it. A smooth click at each turn points to a better movement; grit points to a cheap module.
- Ask for a photo of the watch on a scale. The genuine head weighs about 90 grams on a leather strap, and a light copy often comes in well under that.
Where replicas fall short
Three areas give most copies away. The first is thickness. The genuine case is slim for its width, while copies built around a thicker movement sit closer to 15 mm and wear like a puck. The second is the crystal. Genuine watches use domed sapphire with an anti-reflective coating on both faces; cheap copies use flat mineral glass that flares under a lamp. The third is movement finish. Look through the display back for perlage, Geneva stripes, and blued screws. If the rotor is a plain plate with a sticker or a laser print, the rest of the watch is built to the same standard.
A note on legality and resale
Counterfeit watches are illegal to import or sell in the United States and in most of the European Union. A replica has no resale value and no manufacturer support. Never buy one with the intent to pass it off as genuine, and treat any listing that claims genuine parts at a fraction of retail as a warning sign.