Hublot renews a contract with WISeKey for State-of-the-Art digital Protection for their Iconic Watches against counterfeiting
GENEVA, Jan. 30, 2014 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — WISeKey announced today that it has renewed its contract with the Swiss luxury watchmaker Hublot. The collaboration with WISeKey launched in 2009, has made Hublot a leader in the field of identification and authenticity protection. All Hublot watches are protected by WISeAuthentic®, the authenticity certification system based on WISeKey technology, and the 69 Hublot boutiques and 750 points of sale across the world are equipped with the system for activating and reading this new digital certificate. It also led to the creation of “Hublotista”, an exclusive club which connect together all the Hublot watches owners worldwide.
The Hublotista chip card and reader that act as the watch’s passport are provided in every watch box. The first authentication operation is carried out by Hublot when the Hublotista chip card is embossed and placed with its reader in the box housing the watch. In the boutique, when the customer has selected a model, the seller is identified by the system as one of the brand’s approved retailer, using their own card which connects directly to the brand’s headquarters in Switzerland. The retailer then connects the “Hublotista” card which comes with the watch, activating the international warranty in front of the customer. Using the device provided during purchase (reader and card), the owner of a Hublot watch can check its authenticity and serial number online, consult the instructions and also register at the same time on “Hublostista.com”, the club exclusively reserved for owners of Hublot watches.
Last week Jean-Claude Biver spoke at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. Biver, who is the Chairman of Hublot and was recently named Head of the Watches Division of the LVMH Group, took the occasion of his presence in Davos to announce the extension of the collaboration between WISeKey and Hublot. Biver, on the topic of Hublotista, commented, “We have been able to achieve a very high level of protection for our products thanks to the introduction of this electronic system, and I am delighted to be able to make a contribution to the fight against counterfeiting, which cannot be tolerated by our industry as a whole. Both our points of sale and owners of Hublot watches can use the chip card and reader to immediately check the authenticity of a watch via the internet. This combination provides a secure solution which is impossible to reproduce, at only a minute fraction of the cost incurred by counterfeits. The option of linking this system protecting our customers with a platform dedicated to them was an obvious step. Discussing, learning to better understand them and ourselves… their relationship with the watchmaking world, aesthetics, technology and tradition, their expectations… to be better able to astound them, this club is our very own space, creating a direct and transparent relationship between Hublot and our end customers and, I hope, a link encouraging genuine friendship and trust.”
“Counterfeiting is a major issue for our society. It currently represents five to seven percent of all world trade and is increasing daily,” said Carlos Moreira, CEO of WISeKey. “With the value of luxury brands estimated at several trillion of dollars (USD), brands need a reliable solution to prove authenticity. We are pleased that WISeKey technology is playing an active role in the fight against counterfeiting.”
Carlos Moreira is also a member of the World Economic Forum Global Agenda Council on Illicit Trade & Organized Crime working with world experts, governments and agencies to eradicate illicit trade which involves money, goods or value gained from illegal and generally unethical activities, including human trafficking, environmental crime, intellectual property infringements, smuggling of excisable goods, drug trade and illicit financial flow.
WISeKey announced earlier in December 2013 that the Swiss Patent and Trademark Office issued a patent for this technology now extended for the company’s verification and authentication of objects on the Internet. WISeKey is working with watch manufacturers on this technology since 2007 and has already secured over 500,000 luxury watches from the potential 25 million luxury watches manufacturer in Switzerland.
For more information, visithttps://www.wisekey.com/products/wiseauthentic/
Hublot announcement during the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2014: http://www.hublot.com/en/news/jean-claude-biver-at-the-world-economic-forum-in-davos
CONTACT: WISeKey, Satu Kulmala, Tel +41 22 594 3005, skulmala@wisekey.com