Richemont’s New Online Platform Will Help Fight Watch and Jewelry Theft. Here’s How.
No safe, no problem. Richemont’s new online platform aims to protect your valuables in modern fashion.
The secure database, known as Enquirus, is designed to help police forces around the world combat watch and jewelry theft, according to a statement shared by the Swiss luxury titan on Thursday. It comes as high-end robberies continue to increase on a global scale. Collectors in California’s Bay Area have had prized Rolexes stolen right off their wrists, for instance, and thieves have started using social media to rip off watch enthusiasts in London. There was even one Hollywood heist that saw $100 million in jewelry stolen from an armored truck near Los Angeles. Help, it seems, is needed.
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Enter Enquirus. Accessible to all luxury brands and collectors, the “trusted space” allows vital information to be securely uploaded, searched, and shared by multiple parties while protecting each individual’s identity. So, how does it work? Owners register their collections using brand and serial numbers, then can report any lost or stolen pieces. If you’re thinking about buying a pre-owned timepiece or some vintage jewelry, you can also check the database to ensure that it is not a stolen item prior to purchase.
Enquirus has 175 watchmakers and several jewelers already pre-loaded, including Richemont’s own brands Montblanc, Piaget, Cartier, Panerai, IWC, and Vacheron Constantin. Thousands of collectors have already uploaded their info, along with police forces in Paris, Geneva, and England. Richemont says that more than 28,000 pieces of jewelry and watches have already been registered as lost or stolen.
Enquirus is not the first of its kind, of course. Watch Register is a similar database that is used for trading watches and recovering stolen models. It does charge you a small fee to search for a watch, though, whereas Enquirus is currently free.
“By providing free access for customers and industry partners, the opportunity to sell stolen watches becomes more prohibitive, with the ultimate objective of reducing the incentive to steal watches in the first place,” Richemont CEO Jérôme Lambert said in a statement.
Sounds like a win-win for collectors.
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