The short answer
The IW371704 is the stainless steel bracelet version of IWC's classic 42mm Pilot's Chronograph. Replicas of it fall into three rough tiers: a cheap quartz fake under $100, a mid-range automatic around $150 to $300, and a top-tier build that copies the case profile, dial printing, and bracelet links with real care. Only the automatics are worth discussing. A quartz chronograph with a seconds hand that ticks one step at a time gives itself away across a table.
What the reference actually is
The 3717 family ran from roughly 2006 to 2012, and the 704 is the one that shipped on a steel bracelet. Black dial, day and date at 3 o'clock, two subdials at 12 and 6. The case measures 42mm across and about 14.5mm thick, with a soft-iron inner cage for antimagnetic protection and a screw-down crown rated to 60 meters. Inside was IWC's calibre 79320, a heavily reworked Valjoux 7750.
That last part explains a lot about the replica market. The 7750 is one of the most copied chronograph movements in the world, so a factory building a 3717 lookalike never has to invent a movement. It buys an Asian 7750 and drops it in.
Why this reference gets copied so much
Three reasons. The dial is simple, which makes it cheap to print well. The case is a plain round shape with no exotic finishing. And the design is anonymous enough that nobody across the room will question it. A pilot chronograph with a black dial and white numerals is forgiving, because small errors in spacing and font weight vanish at arm's length.
Movement is where the money goes
Every serious IW371704 replica runs an Asian 7750 or a clone of it. That gives you 28,800 vibrations per hour, a 30-minute totalizer at 12, running seconds at 6, and a day-date that actually changes. Wind the crown and pay attention. A gritty wind and a pusher that needs a shove usually means the factory skipped oiling and regulation.
Layout is the giveaway on cheap builds. On the real 79320 the running seconds sit at 6 o'clock. Plenty of low-end fakes drop in a stock 7750 with the seconds at 9 and hope nobody notices. If the seconds hand sits at 9, walk away.
Dial details I check first
- Subdial spacing. The two counters should sit centered and clean, not pinched toward the middle.
- Day and date window. Look at alignment, font weight, and whether the day disc sits flush. A sunken or tilted day wheel is one of the most common faults.
- Lume. Applied numerals with lume fill on the real watch. Cheap fakes print flat, and the plots are often too bright or too yellow.
- Crystal. The 3717 uses a slightly domed sapphire with inner anti-reflective coating that throws a faint blue or purple cast at an angle. Flat mineral glass looks dead next to it.
- Hands. Length matters. Hands that stop short of the minute track read wrong right away.
Case, crown, and pushers
Case work separates mid-tier builds from top-tier ones. Watch the transition between brushed and polished surfaces. On the real watch those lines are crisp and straight. On a cheap copy the polish bleeds over the edge and the brushing runs the wrong direction on the lugs.
Pushers should feel firm with short, clean travel. A screw-down crown should thread smoothly and seat without wobble. On budget replicas the crown tube is often the first thing to strip, and a stripped tube means water gets in the moment you wash your hands.
Bracelet and clasp
This is the honest test. A replica bracelet rarely matches the original for link tolerance, and flexing it tells you plenty. Check for lateral play between links, sharp edges on the underside, and a clasp that snaps with a hollow click rather than a solid one. Solid end links that sit flush against the lugs mark a better build. Hollow end links with a visible gap do not.
Price tiers and what they buy
- Under $100. Quartz, printed dial, mineral glass, hollow bracelet. Not really a chronograph in any functional sense.
- $150 to $300. Asian 7750, decent dial printing, sapphire on some builds, and the bracelet is still the weak point.
- $350 and up. Correct subdial layout, better case finishing, solid end links, sometimes a clone movement with a decorated rotor.
Past a certain price the gains get small. Paying $600 for a copy of a watch that sells used for a few thousand is a poor trade for most buyers.
The legal side
A replica is a counterfeit. Selling one is illegal in the United States and most of Europe, and an imported one can be seized by customs. Buying carries lower risk in practice but it is not risk-free, and the watch has no resale value and no service support from anyone. If you want the Pilot's Chronograph look without the baggage, several homage brands build the same general style under their own name. That is a real option, and it often costs less than a top-tier fake.