7000 Fake Rolex Watches Crushed

[SubFrog 0]

aBlogtoRead.com NEWS FEED:

May 26th 2010 at 6:01PM

 

If there is anything that watch brands hate more than a bad economy, it is fake watches. Asia pumps out fake watches faster than ever, and Swiss watch brands have been lobbying lawmakers and law enforcement all over the world to help out. First of all, fake watches are illegal. As far as watch brands are concerned, they are as bad as hard drug trafficking. While replica watches (and other luxury goods) don't represent a violent crime, they are very damaging to the luxury goods economy, and are severe infringements of intellectual property rights. For a long time many Asian countries (especially China) have a bad reputation for utterly disregarding intellectual property rights. It is hard enough to enforce such laws in those countries, but when the goods travel here, the US is pissed off.

 

A major dealer of fake luxury goods including Rolex watches who was arrested last year had his good endure a unique public spectacle. The take down was operated by the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency (ICE), who apparently worked closely with Rolex. The arrest last year was after years of investigation and gathering evidence. The culprit was one Binh Cam Tran of Pennsylvania. After importing the parts for the fake watches, the replica timepieces were assembled in his home outside of Philadelphia. Tran is currently serving 6 years in jail and has been ordered to pay over $2 million dollars to Rolex USA.

 

 

What you see above is a steamroller crushing 7000 confiscated fake Rolex watches that were seized as part of the Tran investigation and prosecution. The fakes were roller over again and again as a message to would-be importers or producers of fake watches. I would think that owning a fake and having it break soon after would be deterrent enough. Although, a major concern when it comes to replica watches are when they are passed-off as authentics. This harms the luxury economy as well as brands much more than when people knowingly purchase fake goods.

 

In the past luxury goods had a powerful weapon on their side - the mere fact that their goods were hard to make, used expensive materials, and hard to come by. Fakes have been a problem for as long as there was a luxury industry, but the distribution power of the Internet, as well as increasingly sophisticated techniques by replicators have compounded the problem. It calls into question the very definition of luxury, and whether something that can be reproduced so easily is still luxury. Rolex has a product that is very hard to fake well enough to trick educated watch lovers. Others... may be fooled.

 

My advice to anyone interested in purchasing luxury goods is to educate yourself before getting anything. Learn why a brand is considered luxurious, what makes their product special and why people like their products. A good design is easy to copy, but quality and construction is not. Know what the real thing is like before investing in one yourself. Through this education process you'll also learn if that item you are lusting for is even worth paying for in the first place (I am talking to you high margin luxury sunglasses makers!).

 

Ariel Adams publishes the luxury watch review site aBlogtoRead.com.

 

Response to: http://www.replica-watches-guide.com/forum...176&hl=tran

Edited May 28, 2010 by SubFrog

[Baldrick 1]

Shocking, who would have thought that luxury goods could be produced so easily and in such proliferation, what is the world coming to?

[JoeyB 0]

In the past luxury goods had a powerful weapon on their side - the mere fact that their goods were hard to make, used expensive materials...whether something that can be reproduced so easily is still luxury.

 

I think China proved that "fact" to be bullshit. When the Chinese can make a Rolex with a genuine ETA 2892-2/2893-2 that is every bit as good as the Rolex movement, and some say better, and the case/back/bracelet indistinguishable from the genuine, and some are better than the gen, and sell them for under $500 making money doing it, then just maybe those "luxury" companies might be making 'Luxury Profits', but not luxury items.

[AustinTech 0]

Sead?

[AustinTech 0]

"Tran is paying $2M to Rolex.."

 

Holy Crap! That is a stupid amount of money for a cheap knockoff. A guy across town stabbed someone to death in a road rage incident and he only got 1 year probation and community service.

[Luthier 1]

Whateva...

[NFleischer 4,355]

In the past luxury goods had a powerful weapon on their side - the mere fact that their goods were hard to make, used expensive materials...whether something that can be reproduced so easily is still luxury.

 

I think China proved that "fact" to be bullshit. When the Chinese can make a Rolex with a genuine ETA 2892-2/2893-2 that is every bit as good as the Rolex movement, and some say better, and the case/back/bracelet indistinguishable from the genuine, and some are better than the gen, and sell them for under $500 making money doing it, then just maybe those "luxury" companies might be making 'Luxury Profits', but not luxury items.

 

True they do make alot of profit, but the reps are not as good or better than the gens- IMO

[rc42 0]

Even a gen Rolex sub only costs about $500 up to the point that it lerave the factory, the rest of the price hike is fat proffit to feed the marketing machine and lawyers. The quality is obviously better than even the best reps but its about what you'd expect comparing a $500 watch with a $100 watch.

 

The luxury goods compaines mark up prices beyond the poinbt of ripping people off so have lots of money obtained 'legally', this means lots of political influence which gets laws made to protect their businesses with disproportionate penalties to create what they see as a deterent.

 

However, the guy dealing in counterfiets from within the US was clearly an idiot, he should have moved to Asia for a few years, made his profit and then moved back.

[Klink 0]

'watches crushed'

 

about an hours production run for the Chicoms, if that..

 

: )

 

Life is Good!

 

Klink

[speedzmaster 0]

Maybe there were a few gens in those 7000 that got crushed?

[Klink 0]

Maybe there were a few gens in those 7000 that got crushed?

 

Gens ARE fake!

 

: )

 

Life is Good!

 

Klink

[TAGster 5]

Well, I would say the guy was so stupid making the watches in his own home, more doing in that kind of amount.

 

One thing I see very exagerated is the fact they are comparing the rep watches biz with the drug dealing one, that is absolutly stupid, I do not see the harm a rep watch can make to a person (human being) compared with the harm drugs can make to the health, buy in any case the U.S. people are big responsibles in the drug dealing biz, as they are the main consumer market.

 

Now, talking about rep watches, I would say Rolex and other "luxury" watches companies are very protected by the laws in some countries like U.S., obviously is a good market for them and they can sell their "luxury" products with a huge profit just because of branding, let´s remember the U.S. is the biggest brand consumer in the world and who guarantees that Rolex is not selling some good reps to the public?. I know about a case in México the most important AD for Louis Vuitton was selling bag clones in his own LV store, and he was selling those as gen ones, I mean rep with a gen price tags, and as far as I know LV France knew about this and did nothing until a customer sued the company because she noticed the bag she bought was a fake.