The short answer
Yes, IW329078 gets faked, and it gets faked well enough to survive a phone photo. The reference sits in IWC's IW3290xx block, which is popular enough that replica factories bother tooling cases for it. So if you are looking at a cheap example, or you already own one and something feels off, treat the watch as unverified until the movement, caseback, and paperwork all agree.
The second half of the answer matters more. Most "fake IW329078" listings are not counterfeit IWC watches built to swindle collectors. They are replicas sold as replicas, priced somewhere between $200 and $600, using the reference number as a search term. Which of those two things you are dealing with changes what you should check.
Where replicas give themselves away
I start with the parts a factory has to machine rather than print. Printing is cheap. Machining is not.
- Dial text. Genuine IWC printing sits flat and crisp under a loupe. Replica text looks faintly raised, or the font weight is off on one line only.
- Date window. Aperture edges on replicas are often rough, and the date wheel sits too deep or too shallow in the dial.
- Crown. Threading should feel dense and take up cleanly with no wobble. On fakes it grinds, or it spins loose after a few turns.
- Caseback engraving. Look for depth and burr-free edges. Laser etching on replicas reads shallow and grey instead of cut.
- Bracelet and clasp. End links should sit flush against the lugs. Replica clasps rattle, and the logo stamping is soft.
- Crystal. Anti-reflective coating on the real thing kills reflections from most angles. Replicas usually throw a blue or purple flare.
The movement is the hard part
Case and dial work has improved a lot over the last decade. Movements have not, at least not at replica prices. A genuine IWC in this reference range runs an in-house or heavily modified Swiss calibre with a specific beat rate, power reserve, and finish standard. Most replicas run a mass-produced Asian automatic, sometimes dressed with a cloned rotor engraving. Wind it, set it, and watch the seconds hand. Then check the beat rate if you have a timegrapher or an app. That one measurement sorts the cheap tier from the better tier faster than any visual inspection.
Claim inflation is the other tell. A listing advertising "Swiss movement, 1:1" at $180 is describing an Asian movement with a Swiss-sounding label. A real Swiss calibre costs more than that entire watch.
Serials, papers, and the price test
Genuine IWC watches carry a serial that appears on the caseback, on the warranty paperwork, and in IWC's own service records. If a seller will not photograph the caseback, or the serial is blurred or cropped, stop there. If a watch with full box and papers is listed at a third of the going market rate, it is not a bargain. There is no version of this where a genuine IWC changes hands for replica money.
One caveat worth repeating: confirm the exact spec sheet for IW329078 against IWC's own reference list before you compare details. Dial layouts, case sizes, and finishing shift between variants in the same block, and a genuine detail on one reference can read as a flaw on another.
If you are buying a replica on purpose
Then the questions change. Ask which movement is inside. Ask for the case diameter and thickness. Ask whether the crystal is sapphire with coating on both faces. Ask for photos in daylight rather than studio light. A seller who answers all four is usually working with a better factory. A seller who replies with marketing copy and a countdown timer is not.
Bottom line
Fake IW329078 watches exist at every price tier. Judge the watch in front of you, not the reference number in the listing. Movement first, then caseback, then paperwork, then price. If any one of those four fails, walk away.