Hublot lets customers check watch authenticity with NFC

Hublot
TIME CHECK: Hublot watches can now be authenticated using NFC technology

Swiss luxury watchmaker Hublot is letting customers check the authenticity of their timepieces, download manuals and register for the brand’s Hublotista Club by tapping a contactless card against their phone. The service is being offered with all Hublot watches as the official method of certifying authenticity.

“This new technology, developed by Wisekey with the name NFCTrusted, extends the previous WiseAuthentic authentication platform used by Hublot to NFC,” electronic security specialist Wisekey says. “The NFC card acts as the watch’s passport provided in every watch box. The Hublot NFCTrusted card incorporates a cryptographically secure Wisekey digital certificate stored in its secure element.

“The certificate issuance operation is carried out by Hublot during the manufacturing process. More than 850 points of sale across the world are now equipped with the system which enables them to read and activate these new NFCTrusted cards.”

“Hublot has two kinds of NFC cards,” Wisekey told NFC World. “The black watch card and the red retailer card. The red retailer card is used by retailers to gain access to the Hublot Sellout platform. Each retailer has their own card which, like the watch card, also contains a unique digitally signed certificate.

“If a customer chooses to buy a watch, the retailer takes the corresponding watch card, navigates to the Activate a Watch Card part of the Sellout, places the watch card on an NFC reader, clicks on Activate Warranty Card, puts the card back in the box and completes the sale.”

Secure and mobile solution

“This combination provides a secure and mobile solution which is impossible to forge or reproduce,” says Jean-Claude Biver, chairman of Hublot.

“These NFCTrusted tags can be embedded in virtually any product, piece of equipment or common household item and users can verify authenticity with an NFC-enabled smartphone or connected device,” explains Carlos Moreira, CEO of WiseKey.

“This not only optimizes security and convenience but also eliminates the need for special readers or other equipment used in tag authentication and enables new use cases using proof of presence.”

Italian luxury jewellery brand Bulgari has also been working with Wisekey and announced an NFC-equipped watch in March 2015.

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