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(08/2010) During a routine customs check at the Basel-Weil border crossing, Swiss customs officers discovered 328 counterfeit watches on the 21st of August 2010. A 27-year-old Romanian lady and a 21-year-old Romanian man had attempted to smuggle the watches in six suitcases and bags in a car rigged with Italian number plates over the Swiss border.
(02/2010) The Higher Administrative Court in Luneburg decided on the 23rd of January 2010 that jewellers have no legal right to a gun licence in order to defend themselves and their business during a raid. Following the judgement, the Higher Administrative Court speaker explained that the danger of a jeweller becoming a victim of a robbery is not substantially higher than for a member of the general public.
(12/2009) On the 29th of November 2009, Customs officials seized two luxury watches of a total value of 485,000 Czech crowns (approx. 18,700 euros) during a vehicle control. Three Czech citizens aged between 31 and 37 declared only the car wax they had acquired in Switzerland when crossing that country's border. Nevertheless, during a search of their vehicle, the customs officers found documentation and paperwork for two high-quality men's wristwatches which the driver and a passenger were actually wearing at the time.
(09/2009) Watch repair costs can mount, particularly if the watchmaker has no clearly defined assignment. Master Watchmaker Peter Müller provides information and hints for optimum order processing, and how one can avoid trouble in an interview with TrustedWatch.
(07/2009) The District Court of Solothurn-Lebern sentenced the former Head Accountant at the ETA watch factory in Grenchen to a term of imprisonment of four years for business fraud and money laundering. In addition she was ordered to pay back the embezzled 4,765,000 Swiss francs plus 5% interest, as well as the court costs, District Court reporter Kurt Schärer explained.
(06/2009) The internet has developed into the central marketplace for both new and used watches over the last few years. Online trading in brand watches is booming, but at the same time, security doubts are growing amongst potential buyers. Menacing dangers abound; for example, deception with fake watches, copies or watches that have simply been cobbled together are, according to current studies, the greatest barrier to an online watch purchase for most internet users. And this constantly increasing market volume draws in not only serious suppliers, but more and more swindlers. A security-conscious attitude on the part of buyers and sellers can put a stop to this online swindling, preventing much damage.
(05/2009) At first glance, Apple and Cartier operate in rather different business segments. However, an offering in the App store displeased the manufacturer of luxury watches. The reason: two applications named 'Fake Watch' and 'Fake Watch Gold Edition'. The apps display a watch on the iPhone or iPod Touch, copying Cartier’s famous wristwatches - according to a complaint from the luxury watchmaker.
(05/2009) Nobody wants them, everybody gets them: Spam mails. These undesirable mails have been devoted to the subject of sex over the past few years but now the senders have discovered a new subject: High-quality brand products. According to the e-mail specialists at Retarus, brand-name articles are increasingly the subject of spam mails. In the "Retarus Spam Report", the enterprise examines the standard content of undesirable advertising mails.
(04/2009) The import of an undeclared IWC watch and a Montblanc bag has had repercussions for boxing world champion Vitali Klitschko. Both of these articles were confiscated from him by Customs officials at Frankfurt immigration. Now he has been ordered to pay 1,500 euros import duty and VAT. In addition, criminal proceedings were started against him.
(05/2008) "Swiss Made“ is a certification of origin seal for products from Switzerland. This designation should indicate to consumers that the product is of a high quality. In 1880, the Federal Council enacted a federal law for the protection of manufacturing brands and trademarks. As a result, numerous brands registered their intellectual property with the Swiss Federal Council.
(05/2008) Every internet user has experienced them: Spam emails, with offers of counterfeit brand watches by Rolex, Breitling or Omega. Not only the time involved in the deletion of these unwanted emails is annoying, but the danger of being fooled by the special offers is great. Many incoming spam emails contain offers for apparently genuine watches.
(04/2008) Every year at the watch fair in Basel, the subject of forgeries and copies occupies the watch industry. Jacques Duchêne, the president of the exhibitor's advisory board at the Baselworld in 2008 announced impressive figures at the fair. Over 500,000 fake watches were removed from the market in Italy and Mexico in 2007, up until the beginning of 2008. In Mexico, the authorities also found weapons and drugs together with the forgeries.
(03/2008) On Ebay and in many online shops, numerous vendors – especially of watches and jewellery- like to put arbitrary Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Prices in their offer. Their goal is to make the customers believe it is a bargain and con them into purchasing their products.
(11/2007) According to current surveys, roughly 15 percent of the watches offered on the internet are imitations. Among all brands, Rolex is the most requested one: More than 90 percent of the searches on the internet concern imitations of Rolex, followed by Breitling, Cartier, Omega and Tag Heuer. Today there is a well organised, criminal industry behind the imitations, which benefits from the profitable high margin business.