Can Bubble Tag help Swiss watchmakers?

02.11.09 / Opinions, Watch Industry News / Author: admin / Comments: (0)
Tags: , ,

Parmigiani_Bubble_Tags_ProofTagAccording to the latest issue of Haute Horlogerie Magazine, Parmigiani Fleurier have introduced a new authentication system to generate a unique number for each of its new watch, so customers can verify if their watches are genuine.

With more and more advanced watchmaking technology mastered by Chinese watch manufacturers, fake watches feature better and better quality and can nearly pass for an authentic ones sometimes. The Swiss watchmakers are feeling the pressure to fight back to such replica watches.

Parmigiani, a Swiss watchmaker with annual production of around 5,000 units and half its revenues generated by watches retailing at more than CHF 100,000, came up with an idea to partnership with French secutiry solution provider Prooftag to certify the authenticity and origin of its timepieces with Prooftag’s patented Bubble Tag technology.

The Bubble Tag technology uses a physical reaction to generate air bubbles randomly to form a unique 3D pattern, each represeing a fingerpreint code. With 1080 possible combinations, the chances of forming the same pattern twice are next to impossible. So watches with Bubble Tag can be regarded as authentic for sure.

I really doubt this authentication system will have impact on the sales volume of replica watches. As it is well-known that replica watches mainly catered to those with weaker purchase power who cannot afford an authentic Swiss watch. These people, usually ordering the replica watches online, know very well that the watches they are buying are just replicas. It is common sense that it is not possible to get such a authentic watch for so little cost. That is why they buy replica watches. And most honest replica watches sellers will expressly inform their customers that their watches are only replicas. Put simply, most replica watches consumers would not care if their watches have those fancy bubbles.

But these bubbles do have a positive effect to reveal those dishonest watch dealers who sell replica watches to their customers as authentic watches. Since the replica watches can pass for real ones sometimes, some mean dealers try to sell fake watches at the price of the genuine watches and made huge profits. Some dealers may accidently lost the authentic watches and try to fool their customers with replica watches to cover their lost. Now with this new authentication system, those rich customers who intend to buy authentic watches will be better protected.

In most of the times, the replica watch market and authentic watch market do not overlap with each other. The introduction of the new authentication system further diminish those dark areas that were overlapped before. It is good for consumers to know clearly what they are paying for. I wish more and more Swiss watchmaker apply this or similar technology. But as for stopping people from buying replica watches, I think it is just as weak as a bubble.