Richard Mille Team Up With Verification Authorities in Counterfeit Crackdown

Luxury watchmakers Richard Mille have teamed up with independent verification authorities Trusted.com to track their timepieces in an effort to combat the sale of counterfeits. The announcement is just the latest move from the Swiss watchmaking industry against counterfeiters, with luxury conglomerate Richemont recently taking producers of fake Cartier watches to court for in a $100 million lawsuit.

Richard Mille will now be able to establish the authenticity of each of its watches from the time of production by issuing an Electronic Certificate of Authenticity (known as an e-Title). The certificate is registered with Trusted.com, who then track each timepiece from distribution to purchase and any subsequent ownership transfers. Although the decision to register ownership is entirely at the owner’s discretion, the Swiss manufacture says it recommends all customers do so, as it will provide an additional safeguard to their investment in a Richard Mille watch. 

The application has already launched in the USA, with other markets to follow in the next months. Luxury watchmakers like Tag Heuer also work with the Trusted.com website.

Source courtesy Trusted.com. Photo courtesy Richard Mille.