Short answer
A fake Portugieser 46mm lives or dies on proportions. The size is the whole point of the watch, and it is also the easiest thing for a replica maker to fake badly. A decent one measures 46mm across the case without the crown, keeps the bezel thin, and places the subdials where the genuine dial puts them. A poor one stretches a 42mm case, prints heavy numerals, and sits wrong on the wrist. If you only check the movement, you miss the two things people actually notice: case shape and dial print.
Measure the case yourself
Sellers use "46mm" loosely. Ask for caliper photos across the case at 3 and 9 o'clock, crown excluded, and again lug to lug. Large Portugieser cases run about 46mm wide with 52 to 54mm between the lugs. A replica that measures 44mm or 48mm is a different watch wearing a familiar name.
Lug to lug matters more than width for how it wears. On a 6.5 inch wrist, 53mm lugs will overhang the flat of your arm, and no dial accuracy fixes that. Ask for thickness too. Chronograph versions stack a module on the base movement, so replicas often run 1 to 2mm thick. Measure at the caseback center, not at the crystal edge.
Dial details that give it away
- Numerals should be applied, with crisp edges and a slight bevel. Printed numerals look flat under a loupe and reflect light evenly.
- Leaf hands need a clean taper and a sharp center ridge. Soft, rounded hands are the most common flaw.
- The railway minute track should be thin and even, with no ink bleed between the small squares.
- Subdial spacing tells you what is underneath. A 7750 based layout pushes the counters toward the center; genuine layouts sit further out.
- Print weight on the logo and the town name should be delicate. Thick, glossy print reads as paint, not tampography.
- Anti-reflective coating should look neutral. A strong blue or purple cast is a tell.
Movement: what is actually inside
Most 46mm chronograph replicas run a clone of the Valjoux 7750. That means 28,800 vibrations per hour, roughly 44 hours of power reserve, a 30 minute counter at 12, running seconds at 6, and a 12 hour counter at 9. The non chronograph dress versions often use a 6497 clone: hand wound, 18,000 vph, big and simple. Ask for a photo with the caseback off. Check rotor engraving, screw heads, and whether the striping is even. Painted stripes on a plain plate are easy to spot at an angle.
What to pay and what to skip
The bottom tier is a fashion watch with a stamped dial. The middle tier gets the case right and the dial close, usually with a 7750 clone. The top tier fixes the small stuff: correct hand shape, proper date font, sapphire with double coating, and a strap that is not plastic dressed as leather. Pay for the case and dial first. Movement swaps are possible later, dial corrections are not.
Quick checklist before you pay
- Caliper photo of case width and lug to lug.
- Macro photo of the dial at 12 and at the subdials.
- Movement photo with the back removed.
- Side profile shot to judge thickness and bezel height.
- Strap photo, front and back, to check stitching and lining.