Back in the 90s I lusted over three perfect fake IWC pilot’s watches: the Fliegerchronograph Ref. 3741, the Fliegerchronograph Ref. 3706, and the Doppelchronograph Ref. 3711. Ref. 3741 was the smallest of the lot with its 36 × 10.2 mm case. Inside the brushed steel case beat an innovative Mecha-Quartz movement made by Jaeger-LeCoultre, which uk replica IWC dubbed Cal. 631. Though it was the steel Milanese bracelet on that particular model that was truly the star of the show (IMHO) — not the hybrid movement inside. The 39mm Ref. 3706 had a sturdy Valjoux 7750 beating away inside the case and was a solid-looking critter.
But it was the cheap fake IWC Doppelchronograph Ref. 3711 that really blew me away. At first sight, it looked simple and straightforward. A second glance revealed the extra pusher, and once I got to know about the mechanical wizardry behind it, I was hooked. My biggest problem with the luxury replica watches was its price. It cost around 10,000 guilders at the time, and I quite simply couldn’t afford it.
IWC Doppelchronograph Ref. 3713 – a watch that’s double the fun for those who dare
Watchmaking and watch brands have changed a lot since the 90s, and high quality fake IWC is no exception. The Schaffhausen-based brand is now a marketing powerhouse with ambassadors like Lewis Hamilton and Tom Brady. But it once was a value-oriented brand for connoisseurs. I once jokingly said to my fellow Fratello, Jorg, that back in the day, IWC replica for sale was happy just to sell their watches to a few dentists and/or architects in sleepy provincial towns as long as they could continue to tinker away and build clever and robust watches.
And for some time, they did just that. The catalog featured a perpetual calendar and even a grand complication. The clever part was that Swiss made replica IWC used the Valjoux 7750 as the foundation for their more complicated models. The movement used in the Doppelchronograph was no exception. Though the watch itself was indeed exceptional.
Habring’s magic
The original Doppelchronograph, the IWC Pilots Ref. 3711 fake for men, came out in 1992. The movement uses the 7750 as the base and added to it is an innovative split-seconds chronograph designed by Richard Habring. He built the first double chronograph movement that uses a cam system for both the chronograph and for the rattrapante. Due to this design, the movement is relatively easy to produce, since a column wheel design requires more fine adjusting. Make no mistake, it’s still complicated and quite delicate, but because of the Valjoux base, the final construction super clone IWC called Cal. 79230 is durable and pretty shock resistant. Make a note of that for later.
You don’t see the fausses côtes decoration of the Cal. 79230 since the 29 jewel movement is hidden behind a closed case back. The same goes for the straight-line lever escapement, mono-metallic balance, shock-absorber, self-compensating flat balance-spring, and micrometer regulator.
Flat instead of domed sapphire
The cheap fake IWC Ref. 3711 Doppelchronograph had a brushed steel 42 × 16.2mm case and on top was a highly domed sapphire. Wholesale replica IWC uk produced around 3,200 Ref. 3711’s until they switched over to making the Ref. 3713 in 1996. The Ref. 3713 is different in two ways: it has a flat sapphire crystal, and the tritium on the stick hands and markers makes way for SuperLuminova. But when you look closely at the best replica IWC Ref. 3713 in the pics, you will notice beige tritium. Some of our readers pointed out the existence of Ref. 3713 “transition” models without a domed crystal, but with tritium on the dial. The Doppelchronograph we have here is a “transition” model. Swiss movement replica IWC ceased production of the Ref. 3713 in 2005, but from 2003 onwards the watch was only available with a Spitfire-type dial.
In production from circa 1996 to 2005, the 1:1 fake IWC Pilot’s Watch Doppelchronograph ref. 3713 is the second of IWC’s pilot’s replica watches to be fitted with a split-second chronograph. It was available in either stainless steel, yellow gold, or platinum with various dials and even day-discs in different languages. The stainless steel version was available on a strap or bracelet; five pieces of the platinum model were also produced with a bracelet. From 2003 onwards, the AAA quality copy IWC was exclusively available with the silvery Spitfire-type dials. Not the one to spring for if you ask me. I want my Doppelchronograph black, white, and instrumental.