The Swiss watch industry is facing an uphill struggle to check the rapidly expanding network of illegal websites selling counterfeit watches, Swiss Radio International (SRI) reported on Tuesday.
The run-up to Christmas has seen a flood of spam, offering discounts on "replica" watches -- even the Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry has received such offers, the report said.
"Christmas is a period that is set up for this kind of offer and people are profiting from this," said Jean-Daniel Pasche, president of the federation.
"It's a very difficult situation. Unfortunately, the internet has helped increase the distribution of counterfeit watches," Pasche added.
According to the federation, those wanting to buy a fake Rolex or Patek Philippe no longer need to travel to Asia, where 70 percent of the fakes are made. At the touch of a button, an increasing number of websites are willing to deliver counterfeits to the customers' doors.
The federation estimated that counterfeiting costs the Swiss watch industry around 800 million Swiss francs (around 655 million U.S. dollars) every year.
Pasche said that the Swiss watch industry was still trying to open a new front in the war on counterfeiting.
"There are a lot of things to do. We are trying to step up the fight but it will take a long time. This is a new aspect of counterfeiting," he said.
The Swiss watch industry produces around 25 million timepieces every year, a number that is surpassed by the 40 million fakes produced around the world, the SRI said.
Source: Xinhua
