GENEVA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
WISeKey International Holding Ltd (“WISeKey”) (SIX:WIHN) announced today that it has renewed its contract with the Swiss luxury watchmaker Hublot. The technology provided by WISeKey includes an NFCTrusted Hublot-ID Watch (SmartCard) embedding the WISeKey semiconductor VaultIC and a Root Of Trust X509 certificate that act as the watch’s passport in every watch box.
The first authentication operation is carried out by Hublot during the manufacturing process when the Watch SmartCard is personalized, embossed and placed within the box housing the watch.
In the boutique, once the customer has selected a model, through the WISeAuthentic® app the customer can identify the seller as one of the brand’s authorized retailers, using their own NFCTrusted Authorized Retailer (SmartCard) and directly connect to WISeAuthentic® platform at the brand’s headquarters in Switzerland. The retailer then connects the Watch SmartCard by activating electronically the international warranty in front of the customer.
Using the same authentication method device provided during purchase, the owner of a Hublot timepiece can check its authenticity and serial number online, consult the instructions and also register at the same time on “Hublotista.com,” club, exclusively reserved for owners of Hublot watches.
There is no way currently to authenticate a product from an ad on eBay, Amazon Marketplace, ASOS or Alibaba, so it’s easy to become a victim of a scam if users don’t know what to look for.
Counterfeiters do everything they can to look like it’s hard to address the problem proactively. With this technology, every watch has an identity and a passport that follows the watch during its life cycle.
The message from the assembled watch company executives and their legal counsels is that, more than ever, watch collectors must be aware – and beware – of the dangers of buying brand-name luxury watches through unauthorized dealers, particularly retail watch sites on the Internet. The recent spike in production of so-called “superfakes,” counterfeit reproductions of popular name-brand models, made primarily in China, that bear a remarkable resemblance to the real thing is making this authentication technology a requirement to protect consumers.
The collaboration with WISeKey launched in 2009, has made Hublot a leader in the field of identification and authenticity protection becoming the 1st WISeKeyIoT project already embedding part of the current WISeKey’s proven technology. All Hublot watches are protected by WISeAuthentic®, the authenticity certification system based on WISeKey technology, and more than 75 Hublot boutiques and 750 points of sale across the world are equipped with the system for activating and reading this new digital certificate. This WISeKey authentication number also allows the owner of the timepiece to register on the Hublotista platform, the brands exclusive client’s club, designed to build a strong relationship between Hublot and its customers around the world.
“We are very proud of our cooperation with Hublot. Counterfeiting is a major issue for our society. It currently represents five to seven percent of all world trade and is increasing daily,” said Carlos Moreira, Founder, Chairman and CEO of WISeKey. “With the value of luxury brands estimated at several trillion of dollars (USD), brands need a reliable solution to prove authenticity. We are pleased that WISeKey technology is playing an active role in the fight against counterfeiting.”
For more information, visit https://www.wisekey.com/products/wiseauthentic/.
About WISeKey
WISeKey (SIX Swiss Exchange: WIHN) is a leading global cybersecurity company currently deploying large scale digital identity ecosystems with a patented process. WISeKey’s Swiss based cryptographic Root of Trust (“RoT”) provides secure authentication and identification, in both physical and virtual environments, for the Internet of Things, Blockchain and Artificial Intelligence. The WISeKey RoT serves as a common trust anchor to ensure the integrity of online transactions among objects and between objects and people. For more information, visit www.wisekey.com.
To receive WISeKey’s latest news, subscribe to our Newsletter or visit the WISeKey Investors Corner.
Disclaimer:
This communication expressly or implicitly contains certain forward-looking statements concerning WISeKey International Holding Ltd and its business. Such statements involve certain known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, which could cause the actual results, financial condition, performance or achievements of WISeKey International Holding Ltd to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. WISeKey International Holding Ltd is providing this communication as of this date and does not undertake to update any forward-looking statements contained herein as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
This press release does not constitute an offer to sell, or a solicitation of an offer to buy, any securities, and it does not constitute an offering prospectus within the meaning of article 652a or article 1156 of the Swiss Code of Obligations or a listing prospectus within the meaning of the listing rules of the SIX Swiss Exchange. Investors must rely on their own evaluation of WISeKey and its securities, including the merits and risks involved. Nothing contained herein is or shall be relied on as, a promise or representation as to the future performance of WISeKey.
View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170522006260/en/
