A must-have for watch enthusiasts! Global anti-theft solution "ENQUIRUS"

What should you do if your precious watch or jewelry is stolen? Since the COVID-3 pandemic, the theft of watches and jewelry has increased sharply worldwide. This is where we would like to draw your attention: ENQUIRUS, launched by Richemont in March 2023. We would like to introduce this groundbreaking solution.

A solution that is attracting attention from the watch industry and watch enthusiasts around the world

　The watch fair "Watches & Wonders Geneva (hereinafter referred to as W&WG) 2024" was held at the Palexpo in Geneva in the spring of 2024. Since its predecessor, SIHH, this fair has had a must-see booth called "THE LAB," which is just as interesting as the luxurious booths and new product displays of watch brands. Here, watch brands exhibit new initiatives in the watch industry.

　In 2019, this corner was located in the center of the main floor, and SoftBank's customer service robot, Pepper, became a hot topic locally. However, from 2023 onwards, it will unfortunately be moved to the second floor, where it is easier to miss, and the attention it receives has waned. However, as I hurriedly looked around this booth alone, there was one thing that really caught my eye: ENQUIRUS, a global digital platform for watches and jewelry.

　In the fall of 2023, a robbery occurred at a second-hand watch shop specializing in luxury watches in Ginza, which made me realize that "this is something that all watch enthusiasts should know about and make use of." So I resumed my research. In December 2023, I was able to interview online the person in charge and staff at Richemont, who launched this platform. In this first part, I would like to first introduce what "ENQUIRUS" is.

Crimes related to luxury watches are on the rise amid the boom

　The COVID-19 pandemic that hit the world from 2020 to 2022 provided an unexpected boost to the luxury watch business, bringing about an unprecedented global luxury watch boom. As a result of strict restrictions on international and domestic travel in various countries to prevent the spread of infection, people who had previously had no interest in watches, particularly the wealthy, actively purchased luxury watches as a substitute for travel spending. Prices for some luxury watches soared on the secondary market, drawing attention to luxury watches as investment targets. For these reasons, luxury watches, particularly those from long-established and prestigious Swiss brands, became extremely popular around the world. As a result, the value of Swiss watch exports reached new record highs in 2021, 2022, and 2023.

　However, despite this "unprecedented economic boom," crimes such as luxury watch theft, robbery, and fraud are rapidly increasing worldwide. As of spring 2023, luxury watch thefts in Los Angeles, Paris, and London have increased by more than 50% compared to the previous year. In London in particular, there have been frequent cases of violent and planned crimes, such as street attacks on people wearing luxury watches and ambushes and thefts of luxury watches based on celebrities' social media posts. The Metropolitan Police has even urged people to refrain from wearing luxury watches in busy areas and posting photos of them on social media.

　As interest in luxury watches has grown in Japan, products from popular watch brands have become scarce. As a result, prices for luxury watches on the secondary market have soared to unprecedented levels, leading to a dramatic increase in crimes related to luxury watches, including a robbery at a second-hand watch shop in Ginza that specializes in such watches, in which young people working part-time jobs in the illegal industry attacked the shop. The recent "Tokematch" incident, in which luxury watch owners were essentially defrauded, was a fresh memory. The slogan was, "If you leave your luxury watch with us, we'll operate a rental service on your behalf and split the profits."

　According to the International Criminal Police Organization (ICPO) and police agencies around the world, luxury watches and jewelry stolen from their owners are resold across borders and become a major source of funding for international criminal syndicates. For this reason, there was a need for an international solution to deal with, solve, and deter these crimes.

A global digital platform where you can track your registered watches online

　The popularity of luxury watches is growing worldwide. As a result, crimes related to luxury watches are on the rise. The luxury watch and jewelry registration service "ENQUIRUS," introduced here, is a groundbreaking solution to combat these crimes and is a global digital platform developed and provided by the Richemont Group, which owns luxury watch brands such as Cartier, Vacheron Constantin, A. Lange & Söhne, Jaeger-LeCoultre, Piaget, IWC, and Van Cleef & Arpels. The name is thought to be a coined word derived from the English noun "enquiry," which means "investigation," "inquiry," or "inquiry."

　ENQUIRUS launched its service in March 2023. Its English homepage states, "The largest free lost and stolen watch and jewelry database in the world." It also states, "A global secure platform to protect and store your watches and jewelry." However, from this description alone, it may be difficult for readers to understand the meaning and value of this solution, or what services it provides.

　Simply put, this is a global database in which you can register your watches and jewelry. If your watch or jewelry is stolen, you can notify the world that your watch has been stolen, and you can search this database online 24 hours a day to check whether your watch or jewelry is in circulation in any other country.

　This database allows watch buyers, police, insurance companies, watch and jewelry brands, and the second-hand market to easily collaborate and improve the chances of recovering lost or stolen watches and jewelry.

　If you're considering buying a used watch or piece of jewelry, you can use this database to ensure the item isn't stolen before you buy.

Until the development of ENQUIRUS, there was no clear, independent, reliable solution for reporting stolen watches or jewelry, or for searching and checking whether they were available on the second-hand market.

　Additionally, when purchasing a second-hand watch from a second-hand watch store, this database can be used to check whether the watch is stolen and whether it is a safe purchase.

You can use it online via the dedicated app or official website.

　You can create this account and register your watches and jewelry using the ENQUIRUS application on your smartphone or the official ENQUIRUS website accessed from your computer.

　Currently, the solution is available in English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, and Portuguese, but unfortunately it is not yet available in Japanese. However, if the language is supported, the solution can be used from Japan.

　The first thing you need to do is to visit the official website or install the dedicated app on your smartphone and (1) create your own account by entering your name, email address, smartphone phone number, etc. Then, (2) register your watches and jewelry from your account page. Currently, people from over 130 countries can create accounts and register their own watches.

Products from many watch brands can be registered!

　The greatest feature and appeal of the ENQUIRUS solution is that the watches and jewelry that can be registered are not limited to brands under the Richemont Group. Any watch brand listed in the "Brand Catalog" on the official website can be registered. In other words, this platform is open to watch brands outside the Richemont Group, and as long as you have a police report and the watch's serial number, you can use it in the event of theft. As of May 11, 2024, 221 watch brands are listed. This includes Japanese brands such as Seiko, Citizen, and Orient, as well as independent micro-fashion houses like Naoya Hida & Co., smartwatch brands like Garmin, and fashion brands.

Registering your watch is easy with the smartphone app

　So how exactly do you register your watches and jewelry? We will introduce part of the process using the iPhone app. However, although it is expected to be available in Japanese in the near future, it is not currently available in Japanese, so the explanation is on the English page.

　First, launch the "ENQUIRUS" app, create your account, and log in. As a security measure, "ENQUIRUS" uses two-step authentication, so when you request to log in, you will be taken to a one-time code entry screen, and the code will be sent to your registered address by email, so enter that code.

　This will take you to the top screen shown on the far left of the image above.

　At the top of this screen, there is a display of the time, radio wave status, etc., but this part has been cut out and posted.

　Next, touch the "Add a piece" banner in the center of the screen to go to the registration item selection screen in the center. After selecting an item here, you will be taken to a screen to select the brand of the item you want to register. Once you select the brand you want to register, the model name selection screen shown on the bottom left will appear.

　Select the model name and model number here, then touch the "Next" banner below. This will take you to the serial number input screen at the top right, where you can enter the serial number to complete registration.

　For current models from brands under the Richemont Group, such as Cartier, a photo of the model will be displayed along with the model number. However, depending on the release date and brand of the model you want to register, a photo may not be displayed, and you will need to take and upload a photo yourself. With this in mind, we recommend installing the app and registering from your smartphone rather than registering on the website, as you can quickly take and upload photos of the watch on your smartphone.

　In the next part, we will present an online and email interview with Franck Vivier, Chief Transformation Officer at Richemont headquarters, who is in charge of the ENQUIRUS project, and his staff, about why Richemont launched this solutions platform and its future plans.

　I believe that if you read my next column, you will understand the true value of this solution.