The Federal Customs Administration is faced with an increasing number of deliveries of watches ordered on the Internet, which in most cases infringe the various regulations in force. A point that the intended recipients are loathe to accept… particularly when they have paid in advance!
As has been said before: the purchase of prestige watches on the Internet is not a good idea. Nor is this simply a reaction of defiance against new technology. A brief visit to the FH web site will probably serve to demonstrate that the Swiss watchmaking industry has not been slow to embrace the electronic promotion of "Swiss made" watches. Indeed, almost all FH members today have virtual shop windows. They invest considerable sums in the Internet to match the hopes generated by the medium everywhere. There is even one that has made "one to one" commerce the entire basis of its business.
Nevertheless, a "modus vivendi" very quickly became apparent in the world of timepieces in this respect. The Internet is not and never will be the most appropriate place to sell luxury watch products. A rapid survey of the most prestigious sites should be enough to convince anyone of this. Indeed, as soon as the home page is displayed, Internet users are warned in no uncertain terms that original products are sold exclusively by approved retailers and are under no circumstances available on the Internet.
What should we think then of the multitude of sites selling all models of all the leading Swiss manufacturers? A grey market? Free competition? Globalisation? Nonsense! One doesn’t need a diploma from Saint-Gall or an MBA to realise that such sites cannot be official, and that therefore the products offered cannot be authentic. A little common sense is all it takes to see that these watches have nothing in commmon with Switzerland, and that the price paid, even if it seems reasonable, is greatly inflated. But after all, there is no law against stupidity and there are many who let themselves get duped, either through ignorance or for fun.
"A fault confessed is half redressed" says popular wisdom. Must we believe then that wisdom is not the strongest suit of those who surf the web? Watches bought on the Internet are delivered through the postal system and are systematically inspected by the competent customs authorities when they enter Switzerland. All those in violation of rules governing trademarks, designs, indications of origin, or rules for the marking of precious metals, are quarantined. A notification is sent to the addressees, politely advising them to forfeit their right to the goods or face legal action on the part of the rights holder. Pathetic or ridiculous, the intended recipients – all upright citizens no doubt – plead ignorance or good faith, then invoke the Olympic deities and end up by insulting the civil servants, who are simply doing their job (and doing it well).
It is therefore well worth mentioning here a basic truth. Counterfeiters are not those who protect intellectual designs, but those who unscrupulously plagiarise designers… not to mention those who support the practice by buying counterfeit products. Even unbeknown to themselves!
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