Short answer
The IWC Portugieser Automatic is a dress watch with a 42.3 mm case, reference IW5007. Caliber 52010 gives it a 7 day power reserve. Two subdials sit on the dial: running seconds at 9 o'clock and a power reserve display at 3 o'clock. The Portugieser Automatic 40, reference IW3583, measures 40.4 mm, uses caliber 82200, and has one subdial at 6 o'clock. Counterfeit copies of both models are built in Guangzhou and sold through online storefronts for $250 to $600. Three points separate a copy from the original: the movement, the dial print, and whether the subdials work.
Movements inside the copies
IWC caliber 52010 winds with a Pellaton pawl system and runs at 28,800 vibrations per hour. No Chinese workshop copies that mechanism. Sellers describe replica movements as clone 52010 or super clone. The base is a Seagull ST25 series, a Hangzhou 5 series, or a Miyota 9015. A decorated plate and a fake rotor bridge sit on top. The decoration copies Geneva stripes and the Probus Scafusia engraving. A local watchmaker can service the base movement. Parts for the decoration are not made.
Power reserve display
On the original, the reserve hand tracks the mainspring across 7 days. On most replicas the hand moves but measures nothing. Some versions link it to the winding stem, so it advances when the crown turns and resets when winding stops. Others fix the hand at one position. A working 7 day reserve is the feature replica makers have not copied at scale.
Case, crystal, and dial print
The reference case is 42.3 mm wide and 14.5 mm thick. Replicas run 0.3 mm to 0.8 mm thicker because of the movement spacer. The original crystal is sapphire with antireflective coating on both faces. Copies use sapphire with coating on one face, or mineral glass. Check the dial text: International Watch Co. and Schaffhausen, font weight and letter spacing. Applied numerals on copies can sit at a slight angle, and the small seconds subdial can print off center.
Price bands
- $150 to $250: mineral glass, 21,600 vph movement, reserve hand locked in place.
- $250 to $400: sapphire front, 28,800 vph, decorated movement, reserve hand tied to the stem.
- $400 to $600: sapphire both sides, case thickness closer to spec, dial print matched against reference photos.
Legal position in the United States
Counterfeit watches are illegal to import, sell, or traffic in the US. 18 U.S.C. 2320 carries a prison term of up to 10 years for a first offense, plus fines. U.S. Customs and Border Protection can seize shipments and issue civil penalties. A personal-use purchase is not charged the same way as resale, but the item can be taken and destroyed. Criminal exposure sits with the seller, not the wearer.
What to check on a watch in hand
- Time the reserve. Wind until the crown stops, set the watch down, and note when the movement halts. Seven days means the display may be real. Two days does not.
- Measure the case with calipers. 42.3 mm by 14.5 mm is the reference figure.
- Look at the subdial hands under a loupe. Blued steel on the original, painted metal on copies.
- Listen to the rotor. A Miyota 9015 has a distinct whine. A 52010 does not.
Limits of this guide
Workshop names change every few seasons. No public registry lists which shop built a given watch. Anyone who claims to identify the maker from a photograph is guessing. Serial numbers on replicas are copied from real watches and carry no meaning.