Quick answer
There is no factory edition called a "reissue" of the IW545171. That word comes from sellers, not from IWC. What you are actually shopping is a replica of a hand-wound Portuguese-style dress watch, and the fakes fall into three rough tiers: a budget quartz or low-grade automatic build, a mid-tier automatic with decent case work, and a top tier with a decorated hand-wound or high-beat automatic movement. Judge the watch on case proportions, dial printing, hand shape and movement finish. Ignore the box, the papers and the marketing language.
What the reference is
The IW545171 sits in IWC's Portuguese family: a slim polished bezel, a large open dial, small seconds, a railroad minute track and leaf-shaped hands. The case is in the 42 mm class with a hand-wound movement and a domed sapphire crystal. Before you compare any replica against it, pull the maker's own published specification and write the numbers down. Case diameter, thickness, lug width and lug-to-lug are the four measurements that expose most bad fakes.
Fake IW545171 Price Comparison: A Buying Guide
Before you start
- Reference photos of the genuine watch, shot straight on and at 3x zoom
- Caliper or a steel ruler marked in millimeters
- A 10x loupe
- Your wrist measurement in millimeters
- A written return window from the seller before you pay
How to assess a fake IW545171
- Request a flat, straight-on dial photo with the watch lying level. Tilted shots hide wrong proportions.
- Measure the case diameter and the thickness. A replica that runs 1 mm thick or 2 mm wide reads as a different watch on the wrist.
- Check lug width and the shape of the lugs against the reference photo.
- Examine the dial printing under the loupe. Look for the minute track, the brand text and the small-seconds ring.
- Inspect the hands. Leaf hands should reach the track without touching it and should carry a clean polish with no burrs.
- Ask for movement photos through the caseback. Look at engraving depth, bridge finishing and how the balance sits under the bridge.
- Wind the crown. Hand-wound replicas should feel smooth with a defined stop, not gritty or loose.
- Check the strap, stitching and buckle hardware against the reference. Cheap hardware is the easiest tell.
- Confirm whether the water resistance claim was tested. Assume it was not unless the seller shows a pressure test.
Red flags
- Only studio stock photos, no user-shot video
- Claims of Swiss origin on a watch at a budget-tier price
- No return policy, or payment pushed off the sales platform
- Pressure to buy before you can see movement photos
- A seller who describes the watch as genuine. Selling a replica as an authentic watch is unlawful in the United States.
Frequently asked questions
Is a top-tier fake hard to spot?
On the wrist, at arm's length, a top-tier replica can pass. Under a loupe, dial printing and movement finishing still separate it from the real thing.
Does box and paperwork matter?
No. Packaging is the cheapest part of a replica to copy and tells you nothing about the watch.