« A Digital Certificate for Your Luxury Watch »
It marks the start of a new, digital era: since October 2020, Breitling has been the world's first watch brand to ship every one of its timepieces with a blockchain-based passport designed to offer maximum protection against counterfeiting. Each watch receives its own NFT, which, in addition to guaranteeing authenticity, makes it possible to track repairs, transfer ownership, and quickly access product information. Find out here exactly what's behind Breitling Blockchain
Why Does the Breitling Blockchain Make Sense?
For as long as luxury watches have existed, buyers on both the new and pre-owned markets have faced one fundamental question: how do I know my watch is genuine? Nothing would be more bitter than saving up for years for your dream watch, only to discover it's a fake. The progress on the counterfeit market is alarming: while a fake Rolex used to give itself away through obvious flaws such as printing errors, crooked numerals, or extremely poor accuracy, today's replicas are indistinguishable from the original even under a loupe. The "premium fakes" are often fitted with ETA movements to ensure reliable performance. Opening the caseback is no longer a guarantee these days, because the professionals even imitate the look of the original movements. And worst of all: even the printed certificates of authenticity that traditionally accompany every luxury watch can now be reproduced with frightening precision.
A digital certificate for luxury watches based on blockchain technology could put an end to the triumphant march of the international counterfeiting scene in one fell swoop. While physical certificates are comparatively easy to imitate, the NFTs on which Breitling Blockchain is based stand out for being immutable and therefore extremely difficult to forge.
How Does the Breitling NFT Work?
For all the non-computer scientists out there: NFTs (non-fungible tokens) are digitized forms of assets. A specific asset (for example a property, a work of art, or indeed a wristwatch) is assigned a so-called token, which represents the ownership rights to that object and can be traded. Integrated into a blockchain, whose individual blocks of information can always be traced back, this NFT cannot be copied. To implement this complex technology flawlessly, Breitling works with Arianee, a French specialist in blockchain-based certificates of authenticity. The Arianee protocol makes it possible to create a digital identity for every single watch. It is immutable because it is stored in a central database that no one can connect to for the purpose of manipulating data.
How Do You Access the Digital Passport?
Watch owners never notice the background processes of the Breitling NFT or its complexity. The information stored in the digital identity – above all the serial number, purchase date, and warranty status of the timepiece, but also the coveted COSC certificate – is clearly presented in the blockchain watch passport. The passport can only be accessed via a digital wallet. For the customer, the process couldn't be simpler, following the motto "1 scan, 1 click": a validated e-warranty card comes with the new watch, and its QR code is scanned with a smartphone. An image of the watch then appears along with all the relevant information and the option to download the wallet. The digital identity of the Navitimer, Chronomat, or Superocean can be viewed exclusively through this wallet.
What Are the Benefits of Breitling's Blockchain Technology?
Once the wallet is saved on your own device, an integrated transfer function lets the owner prove the watch's authenticity. But the passport does more than serve as a purely digital watch certificate: if you want to sell the timepiece and pass ownership on to the next owner, for example, it takes just a few clicks. At the same time, the digital watch certificate contains all product information, including the complete history: which services were carried out, and when? When was the watch registered? On what date was it purchased? Repairs are recorded on the Breitling blockchain watch with a timestamp, as is the warranty status. The warranty can be extended via the passport. In the future, the features will be expanded to include insurance coverage against loss and theft. Faster response times in an emergency are a key advantage of this addition.
A New Customer Service Platform Takes Shape
For Breitling, a digital watch certificate goes beyond the benefits mentioned so far. The manufacturer intends to use blockchain technology to build a new customer platform and, for example, give wallet users priority access to events or limited editions. If you have an extensive purchase history with the traditional Swiss brand, all the watches in your collection can be managed at a glance. Breitling stresses that its digital certificate for luxury watches ensures maximum data protection and that users retain full control over their personal information. At the same time, the manufacturer uses the new digital platform to personalize the customer experience and gain valuable insights into the preferences of its watch fans. They, in turn, could be approached with more targeted offers in the future and benefit from a "symbiotic customer-brand relationship," as the manufacturer itself puts it.
Other Brands Follow Suit
The new Breitling Blockchain can secure all watches delivered from October 13, 2020 onward. On top of that come the 2,000 pieces of the limited Breitling Top Time collection, in which the technology made its debut a few months earlier. Today it makes no difference whether you buy a Superocean, Chronomat, or Navitimer – every owner has the option of registering their timepiece as a digital asset. There is of course no obligation, but in our view the benefits are too great to pass up a registration that takes only seconds.
Going forward, we can expect blockchain technology to be used increasingly across the entire watch industry. Breitling's move has already inspired other brands such as Hublot and Bulgari to introduce digital protection. Ulysse Nardin has followed suit as well.
Given the growing market for new and pre-owned timepieces and the alarming progress made by counterfeiters, the case for blockchain is stronger than ever. It could be the decisive weapon for giving buyers of valuable watches maximum security when purchasing in the future and for protecting the industry from billions in losses. And what will become of the beautiful, artfully crafted certificates of authenticity of days gone by? As far as we're concerned, there's nothing stopping us from continuing to enjoy the nostalgia of print in the future – alongside the blockchain.