Breitling is extending the use of digital blockchain technology to every watch manufactured from this week forward.
The watchmaker offered its first watch with a digital passport back in March, when it was launched with its Top Time revivalist chronograph.
That pilot must have worked, because it is being extended to every watch produced after October 13 using digital passport with blockchain technology.
The passport is automatically connected to Breitling’s digital warranty programme and also allows owners to initiate and track any repairs to the watch, and soon to extend the warranty period and subscribe to an insurance for theft or loss.
Another major benefit of a digital passport is that it will ensure the authenticity of its watches if they ever come to be traded in or sold on one of the secondary market or pre-owned platforms.
Breitling has built a transfer feature into its digital passports that allows the watch’s owner to prove its authenticity and who owns it.
They can safely and securely transfer this certificate if they resell the watch, and the new owner’s details will be recorded in the passport, giving new owners certainty that the watch is both authentic and not stolen.
“With this blockchain-based digital passport, collectors no longer need to retain paper documents, and instead can freely consult with Breitling more efficiently and anonymously thanks to an embedded chat feature,” Breitling says.
Breitling was not the first major Swiss watchmaker to introduce blockchain tracking. Vacheron Constantin was chosen by Richemont to be its test pilot for using the technology in May last year.
However, under the leadership of CEO Georges Kern, Breitling is becoming the most innovative and experimental watchmaker in Switzerland when it comes to how its timepieces are marketed, bought, sold and owned over their lifetimes.
Initiatives like the Breitling Summits and their digital equivalents were launched well before Baselworld imploded.
The organisation is looking to replace traditional boxes and papers with watches sold in elegant pouches secured with digital passports.
Its monobrand showrooms have been redesigned as modern, fashionable club houses for watch aficionados.
Everything, it appears, designed to appeal to a younger, more socially conscious, consumer.
“By offering a comprehensive range of innovative services for their watches, we are concretely providing our clients with the inclusivity that characterises our belief and approach at Breitling. Stay tuned as we are about to announce another significant change for our clients, again increasing the value of our watches,” Mr Kern teases.
