Detailed Review of ZF Factory IWC Super Portugieser Chronograph v2 Ultimate Version Watch

The IWC Portugieser model is produced by ZF Factory with a solid stainless steel case, standard case diameter and 7750 automatic chronograph movement architecture. It is among the most successful 1:1 super clone watch reviews on the market, with its sapphire crystal AR coating glass, original case tolerances and detailed workmanship.

Dial and Hand Details

So why do I say this? The most important evolution of the Portugieser Chronograph was the ultra-thin Portugieser Chronograph, which the ZF factory produced with great investment this time. By replicating the A79350 caliber of the original in an unprecedented way, Portugieser instantly took the quality of its replica to a whole new level. If you say to the evening dress, 'suggest a replica that will not make you feel nervous when entering and leaving the boutique', the Portugieser Chronograph will definitely be on that list.

The design language of the dial is measured and balanced; It has a diameter of 40.9 mm and a symmetrical layout. Chronograph counter at 12 o'clock, with small seconds counter at 6 o'clock; The IWC logo at 3 o'clock also creates symmetry with the text at 9 o'clock. It gives off a clean and tidy, yet simple and showy atmosphere. The color combination of the watch is predominantly blue-white; The white dial and blue hour markers and hour-minute hands add a lot to the aesthetics of the Portugieser Chronograph. If you bought an IWC Portugieser Chronograph between 2014 and 2016, unfortunately — no matter which dealer you bought it from or how much you paid for it, even if you bought an original part — your watch is slightly different from today's IWC Portugieser Chronograph. Because the original brand made some detail revisions on the case side at the beginning of 2016: it changed the position of the pushers, stopped using the standard ETA SA 7750 and changed the seconds position, removed unnecessary parts and thinned the case. Thus, the thickness decreased to around 12 mm.

Original brand from 2014; Portugieser gradually introduced blue-coated glass throughout its Pilot and Portofino series. If you follow original watches at that time, you may have noticed that incredibly cheap original watches were released through various shopping channels: IWC Portugieser Chronograph for around 20 thousand (that is, 40 percent off the price), IWC Mark XVI and XVII for around 18 thousand (that is, half the price). This situation also confused those who prepared the mold; The man made the watch by looking exactly like the original, but it was said that it 'does not fit the version'. However, around January 2016, the update of IWC's entire product line was largely completed. Currently, in these three series, the originals have completely switched to single-sided blue glass. Today's original IWC Portugieser Chronograph uses a single face coating, and the coating is applied to the inner side. With the development of the Pearl River Delta region, sapphire glass factories today purchased the Swiss patented coating technology by paying huge amounts of money. Since this job does not include the logo, we can say that whatever you want, all factories can meet your demand. Of course, Rolex's hidden crown logo, it is truly legendary... Still, it is necessary to find factories willing to do this job. The glass of this watch uses Swiss patented glass coating technology (something completely different from eyeglass coating).

Case and Body Workmanship

Before this, the IWC Portugieser Chronograph made by 3A or the high-quality IWC Portugieser Chronograph imitation made by TG Factory already had blued steel hour and minute hands like the original. However, the hour markers were made using vacuum electroplating technique. In the current ZF V2 version, the hour markers are produced with the blued steel technique, just like the hour and minute hands; That's why it gives the same texture as the original even when viewed with macro cameras.

The button location is the same as the original; The crown in the middle is slightly up and draws a parabola with the chronograph pushers. The button location is the same as the original; The crown in the middle is slightly up and draws a parabola with the chronograph pushers. Even if you measure it with a ruler, it is exactly the same as the original! The chronograph pushers of this watch have also been revised. The inside of the button has been thickened and a waterproof seal has been added. The previous version, the ZF V1 Portugieser Chronograph, used the same size pushers as the original; The original button did not have a water seal inside, but as a result, the inside oxidized over time, causing the button to fall off. In this version, we can say that such a problem is now 100 percent eliminated.

This extremely high-quality brushing workmanship actually comes from the IWC Portugieser 7 Day imitation. In other words, when a better case supplier was found for the first generation 'non-cross-eyed' IWC Portugieser 7 Days, which was released in May 2015, the brushing technique of the watch suddenly jumped several levels. As you can see from the real shot photos, the entire brushing of the case is even and finely processed. It looks much more premium than every previous knock-off version; Even if you remove the original and put it side by side, it doesn't lag far behind.

Strap, Buckle and Comfort

I'm sure everyone has seen the workmanship of the strap and buckle, so I won't go into too much detail; truly perfect!

Now we come to the really important part: the real-replica comparison. Check out the images of the original first!

General Evaluation and Conclusion

In general, the fidelity of the ZF Factory IWC Portugieser Chronograph V2 Ultimate version to the original is very high; The proportions and curves of the case are extremely accurate, the font and size of the numbers on the dial are the same, it is very difficult to distinguish the difference. Whether it is the main dial or small counters; There is no significant difference between the ZF Factory product and the original in details such as hour-minute hands and crown. Let's move on to the close-up and look at the details: whether it is the CD pattern and depth of the small seconds counter, the position of the numerals and the shape of the hour and minute hands, ZF has kept the same rhythm as the original here. The detail work is really successful.

The dial size ratio of the ZF Factory IWC Portugieser Chronograph V2 Ultimate version is the same as the original. If you look carefully, you can see that the height of the dial inner ring is the same as the original, thanks to the thinner movement; This is a point that no previous version has reached and is also one of the ways to distinguish the ZF Factory IWC Portugieser Chronograph V2 Ultimate version from other versions!

Glass and Sapphire Crystal

When viewed from the side, the effect that the sapphire glass reflects by refracting the light is exactly the same as the original. ZF used double-sided high transmittance blue coating. When we compare the hour markers with the hour and minute hands, the Arabic numeral markers are round and perfect, while the hour and minute hands are quite three-dimensional and bright; When the light hits it, its color is the same as the original. The overall workmanship of the dial is extremely fine; The blue hour-minute hands and white dial give an elegant and luxurious feeling. The IWC logo is extremely clear, the font size is exactly the same as the original. ZF's meticulous craftsmanship is also evident in the restoration of the hour markers on the outer ring; The marks are even and clear, which guarantees the high similarity rate of ZF.

The thickness is a significant breakthrough of the ZF Factory IWC Portugieser Chronograph V2 Ultimate version. Watch lovers who have bought a Portugieser Chronograph before know this; Older versions were too thick due to movement restrictions, which was the biggest weakness of the Portugieser Chronograph. ZF's ultra-thin Portugieser Chronograph uses the Dandong 7750 movement; After the improvements, the thickness reached the same level as the original. safe; It is assembled in three parts: bezel ring, middle case and back cover. It is not a single piece press-mounted assembly as in the old versions. With the fine workmanship on the side of the case, it is completely impossible to distinguish the difference between the two.

Comparing the crown and chronograph pushers, it seems that the workmanship of all three function buttons is reliable. The dimensions are the same, the workmanship is compatible, and the IWC logo embossing on the crown is also very appropriate. Previously, some watch friends used a little trick to distinguish the real from the fake version: they could distinguish the original by looking at the two buttons on the right and left, which were not aligned with the winding crown in the middle. Of course, after the ZF ultra-thin Portugieser Chronograph appeared, this little trick became invalid; Because ZF made exactly the same version as the original, the two buttons and the crown in the middle are not in the same line.

Movement and Caliber Performance

Position of screw holes on the back cover and inscriptions on the cover; The workmanship is extremely skillful, the measurement is exact, no difference can be discerned (I put the back cover of the original upside down when opening the back cover to compare the mechanism).

The movement is based on the Dandong 775 chronograph movement; Unnecessary mechanism modules were removed and made thinner. Its internal structure is 80 percent similar to the original mechanism. The winding feel and the direction of adjusting the hour and minute hands are 100 percent identical to the original.

The buckle is also 1:1 molded; The overall restoration rate is high, the writing workmanship is flawless, and visually it is almost identical. The metal of the buckle is completely smooth and replicated with a certain metal brushing workmanship, its texture is extremely full. This buckle stands out among the IWC butterfly buckle replicas currently on the market; Even the on-off feeling is the same as the original. Its sound is clear and full, its feel is sharp and comfortable.

In summary: If you have read this far, I am sure you have a very detailed idea about the ZF version Portugieser Chronograph. If it is considered the highest version, it definitely has something superior; It has indeed reached a level of replica that cannot be distinguished without disassembling the mechanism!