Fake IW323707: the short answer
The reference number in that search is a specific IWC model, and the fakes sold under it are almost never built to that reference. What you get is a generic automatic watch with an IWC-printed dial, a case that is a millimeter or two off in every direction, and a movement nobody can name. So judge the object, not the listing title. If a seller cannot tell you the case diameter, the caliber, and the dial variant without looking it up, that is your answer.
What the reference number should pin down
Every IWC reference maps to a fixed set of specs. Those specs are public, which makes comparison easy.
- Case diameter, thickness, and material
- Dial variant, index style, and hand shape
- Caliber, power reserve, and finishing
- Bracelet or strap configuration that shipped with it
Ask for all four. A replica listing tends to go vague right here and start talking about how it "looks identical." Looks are the cheap part.
Movement is where fakes fall apart
Genuine IWC automatics from this era run on either a heavily modified ETA base or an in-house caliber, and the finishing is visible through the caseback. You should see striped bridges, perlage on the plates, and a rotor engraved with the brand, the caliber, and the reference. Fakes usually carry an Asian clone of an ETA 2824 or a 7750 chrono base. Wind one and you feel it: gritty, hollow, with a rotor that spins a little too freely. The date also flips at the wrong hour, often with a hard snap instead of a clean roll.
Case, crown, and crystal
Case work is the second giveaway. On the real thing, the transition between brushed and polished surfaces is crisp and straight, the lug bevels are cut by hand, and the crown screws down with a firm, short turn. Replicas show rounded edges where the polish bled into the brushing, soft lug profiles, and a crown that either grinds or bottoms out early.
Look at the crystal next. IWC uses anti-reflective coating on both faces of the sapphire, which gives a faint blue tint when you tilt the watch under light. Single-sided or uncoated crystals look flat and grey, and the dial behind them goes murky.
Dial and date wheel details
- Applied indices should sit flush with lume filled level to the metal rim
- Print should be sharp under a loupe, not fuzzy at the edges
- Date font weight and position: fakes often sit too far from the window edge
- Hands should be polished on the bevel and matte on the top face
Lume is a quick test. Hold the watch under a lamp for a minute, then cover it. A real IWC glows evenly and fades over hours. Cheap fakes glow patchy and die in twenty minutes.
Bracelet and clasp
Endlinks should meet the lugs with no gap and no rattle. Clasp engraving on a genuine bracelet is deep and even, not laser-etched shallow lines. If the bracelet uses flat-head screws where the original used pins, or vice versa, that mismatch alone ends the conversation.
Reading the listing itself
Most bad buys happen before you see the watch. Watch for stock photos recycled across three sellers, a price sitting at five to ten percent of retail, no movement photo, and a seller who answers every question with "same as original." A watch with service papers, a movement shot, and a serial you can verify with IWC is worth more than a cheap one with none of it.