Short answer: 'faux IWC 100 anniversary' is a seller's label, not an IWC model. IWC's documented anniversary milestones don't include a 1968 '100th anniversary' line that replica factories copy, so the phrase gets attached to whatever Portugieser or Portofino-style case a dealer is pushing that week. What arrives is a generic replica wearing anniversary marketing.
Where the name actually comes from
IWC Schaffhausen traces its founding to 1868, which puts its real anniversary markers at 2008 (140 years) and 2018 (150 years, the Portugieser 150 Years collection). A true 100th anniversary would land in 1968, and there's no widely documented anniversary line from that year the rep trade reproduces. Dealers borrow the wording because 'anniversary' and 'limited' read as collectible. It's a search term, not a reference number.
What tends to show up in the box
- A 40 to 42mm steel case with a domed sapphire crystal, usually with decent anti-reflective coating on the better examples.
- An Asia Valjoux 7750 chronograph movement, or a decorated plate over a cheaper engine on budget builds. The 7750 is thicker, so check the case height against the genuine spec.
- Printed subdials and date wheels. Spacing and font are where cheap versions fall apart first.
- Caseback engraving that looks deep in photos and shallow in hand. Anniversary text is often the sloppiest part.
How I'd judge one in person
- Check case thickness with calipers. A chronograph that measures 2mm over the real thing is a 7750 build, and it sits badly on the wrist.
- Look at the dial under a loupe. Applied indices should sit flush, and printing should be crisp at the edges, not fuzzy.
- Press the chronograph pushers. They should feel firm with a clean start and reset. Mushy pushers mean a low-grade movement or bad assembly.
- Wind and set the date. A gritty crown or a date that snaps halfway is a warning about the rest of the build.
- Ask for the movement name in writing. A seller who won't name it usually doesn't know.
The part listings skip
Counterfeit watches are illegal to import into the US and are subject to seizure by customs. You can't sell one as genuine, and you can't honestly sell it as anything with resale value. There's no warranty, no service network, and no parts supply in five years. If a '100 anniversary' replica costs $120, it's likely quartz with a printed dial. Most credible replica chronographs run a few hundred dollars, and that number buys a movement, not an heirloom.
Bottom line
Treat 'faux IWC 100 anniversary' as a marketing phrase and judge the watch on its own merits: case dimensions, dial finishing, movement transparency, and price sanity. If you want anniversary provenance, the real 150 Years pieces are the ones with documented history. The replica is a look, and it should be priced like one.