To protect their business model and preserve their customers' feeling of exclusivity, the Swiss watch industry is cracking down on counterfeiting.
Case in point: 17,000 fake Swiss watches were seized in a raid on an apartment in Dubai, Arabian Business reports.
The raid follows an investigation that was led by the Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry, who sent their own members to Dubai to uncover the fakes:
“New investigators were put on the case, using more direct and invasive methods,” the FSWI said. “In just a few weeks, our men discovered an assembly workshop run by Chinese nationals, concealed in a private apartment. The police raid seized nearly 17,000 fake Swiss watches... a major breakthrough,” it added. [emphasis added]
The sale of counterfeit goods is commons in certain areas in Dubai, but the key concern for the watchmakers was that the fakes would be sent to Europe, depressing sales in a market with tight counterfeit controls.
(via Hodinkee)
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