Evils of Counterfeit Watches

US Customs reports that the sale of counterfeit products funnels billions of dollars to organized crime groups. Increasingly, evidence shows that terrorist groups in the Middle East and elsewhere rely on sales of counterfeits to fund their criminal activities. The truth is that people who buy counterfeit watches risk funding these activities.

Legitimate watch companies observe U.S. laws that regulate the use of lead, cadmium, mercury and other toxic materials in consumer products. Counterfeiters don’t have to. As a result, counterfeit watches may contain lead or cadmium paint that, if ingested, could harm children. Authentic watch products don’t pose this threat.

The International Anticounterfeiting Coalition estimates that counterfeiting costs U.S. businesses $200-$250 billion each year. That results in the loss of more than 750,000 American jobs. Instead, counterfeiters operate for the most part overseas in Third World countries where they can use children laboring in sweatshops at the lowest possible wages. Counterfeit watches are often sold via foreign-based websites using no American employees. Buy a counterfeit and put a U.S. worker out of a job.

Counterfeit watches don’t come with a warranty and authorized watch repairers won’t service them. Buying a fake is a bad gamble.

Consumers who buy a luxury brand-name watch for $50 probably know they are purchasing a fake. But many counterfeits sell for hundreds, even thousands, of dollars. Consumers who buy these watches probably think they are getting the real deal. When the watch fails and they can’t get proper service, they are the ultimate victim.

Accurate time can be a matter of life or death to some consumers. Scuba divers and mountain climbers, for example, or people with certain medical conditions depend on precise timekeeping to avoid harm. Counterfeit watches may not be dependable and may put consumers in danger.

IACC reports that the global trade in illegitimate goods has grown from $5.5 billion in 1982 to approximately $600 billion annually. Because it’s based offshore, that increase hurts the United States and helps China and other countries where the fakes are made.

Not only is counterfeiting a serious crime, it robs U.S. companies of their investments in their trademarks, their research and design, their employees, and the advertising/marketing programs. Counterfeiters hurt U.S. companies’ ability to afford these investments, and hurt the American economy as a result.

Counterfeit watches are mainly bought online, from foreign websites. That’s an important reason why so many American retailers have had to lay off sales clerks and even go out of business. Fakes do damage at every level: watch companies, retailers and consumers themselves.

It is a felony to traffic in counterfeit watches. Don’t enable criminal activity. Don’t buy a counterfeit watches.