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NYON, Switzerland, November 20, 2020, /PRNewswire=KYODO JBN/--

The authenticity of Hublot watches is guaranteed by a visual recognition of the

micro-structure of their materials.

With the HUBLOT e-warranty, Hublot is launching a completely digital warranty

stored in the AURA blockchain.

To stay up-to-date, follow: @Hublot #Hublot

"After being one of the first companies in the world to equip its watches with

an electronic warranty in 2009, Hublot is once again innovating with the Hublot

e-warranty. Hublot will use an electronic passport and warranty system, much

like facial recognition, based on the uniqueness of the materials that make up

its watches. This advanced technology required more than three years of

research and development in partnership with the company KerQuest. Today,

thanks to the Hublot e-warranty, a simple photo taken with a mobile phone is

all it takes to activate the warranty and access it, while verifying the

authenticity of the product. Although the technology developed relies on

complex algorithms, it is simple and user friendly. A perfect fusion between

technological complexity and ease of use." Ricardo Guadalupe, CEO of Hublot

With the Hublot e-warranty, Hublot & KerQuest are fusing materials and

ground-breaking algorithmics to revolutionise the user experience. The watch is

thus authenticated by the recognition of the specificity of its materials. A

first in the fight against counterfeiting.

Gone are the days of warranty cards and authenticity certificates; with its new

Hublot e-warranty protection and warranty system, the watchmaking Manufacture

is simplifying the tracking and tracing of its watches, from their manufacture

through to customers, via points of sale. Faithful to its motto "Be first,

unique, and different", the watchmaker, with the Hublot e-warranty, has created

a technological first in which the watch itself becomes the key to open up a

new world of services. As well as facilitating use for points of sale,

customers and customs alike, Hublot is improving the prevention of

counterfeiting and theft. Simple, easy and effective!

The watchmaker has been working on the development of algorithms in partnership

with the company KerQuest since 2017. The goal was to develop a technology that

relied on the very recognition of the specificity of the watch, namely the

microstructure of the materials that make it up. This way of working seemed

obvious to the master of the Art of Fusion, which has been using materials and

their fusion to differentiate itself for 40 years. As an additional challenge,

although the recognition of a material in the broadest sense has been studied

for several years, its actual unitary recognition was what had been problematic

until now. With the evolution of smartphones and in particular the improvement

in camera definition, as well as the development of artificial intelligence,

Hublot and KerQuest were able to perfect the first visual recognition of a

watch.

Each and every Hublot watch is unique: even two watches of the same model

leaving the manufacture are distinguishable thanks to the singularities of

their microstructure. The challenge faced was how to read them and process them

in a reliable and practical way. The Hublot e-warranty is based on the unitary

recognition of the specificities of all of Hublot's watches and models.

The main technology is found at the very heart of the manufacture, where, in a

way, the passport of the watch is established. Specially designed optical

readers image and reconstruct the reality of each piece in full detail, in very

high definition. Every watch is indeed "photographed" as it comes out of

production. When the watch is sold in a boutique, the point of sale activates

the warranty using the Hublot-e-warranty application (which takes a photo of

the head of the watch lined up with a duplicate displayed on the screen). The

photo is sent to the computing infrastructure that will process it and

automatically activate the warranty if the piece has been correctly identified

unitarily. Once the watch has been recognised and authenticated, the customer

receives their Hublot e-warranty via the channel of their choice (SMS, E-mail,

WhatsApp, WeChat, Instagram, Messenger, etc.), and will then easily be able to

join the Hublotista community.

A specific e-warranty application also exists for customers. This enables them

to easily access new services, such as verifying the authenticity of a piece,

retrieving the warranty status of a piece, or accessing the Hublotista

community. In the event of the loss of warranty data or of the sale of the

watch without transferring the warranty to the new owner, the unitary

recognition of the piece by the Hublot e-warranty application, available on the

Google Play Store and Apple App, once again enables access to all the

information about the watch and its warranty. During a transaction involving a

second-hand watch, the Hublot e-warranty application will enable the seller or

buyer to check the status of the piece, and will protect the seller from the

resale of a stolen watch.

The Hublot e-warranty technology is already compatible with all the pieces

produced by the Manufacture since the start of 2020. This fully functional

technology is currently being rolled out across all Hublot points of sale. The

pioneering Paris Vendôme boutique, which has been equipped for over a year, and

the Swiss boutiques and retailers are also already operational. The other

markets will follow in the coming months. For earlier pieces, the electronic

warranty card remains in place. When these watches are next with the

after-sales service, they will be recorded by the Manufacture so they can

benefit from the new Hublot e-warranty system.

Once again, Hublot is placing the customer experience at the heart of its

developments and intends to leverage this technology to offer its loyal

customers new interactive features.

Already first in 2009 with the electronic warranty card

In 2009, Hublot became one of the first companies in the world to equip its

watches with the WISeKey technology—a warranty card activated on purchase,

working with a two-factor authentication system (cryptographic key and watch

serial number). This technology was combined with a USB warranty reader and

already enabled the customer to join the Hublotista community. In 2015, it

evolved, replacing the contact electronic chip with NFC (near field

communication) technology.

The Hublot e-warranty will be part of the AURA blockchain initiated by LVMH

The new warranty system developed by Hublot is part of a global trend to fight

counterfeiting and to track and trace product lifecycles, initiated by LVMH.

The Hublot e-warranty will be stored in the AURA blockchain, intended for use

by other luxury brands. Developed by Microsoft and the blockchain company

ConsenSys, AURA is the first international blockchain designed to help

consumers trace items and assess their authenticity. Designed by and for luxury

brands, it enables the tracking of raw material sourcing and the protection of

intellectual and creative property, among other things.

HUBLOT

Founded in Switzerland in 1980, HUBLOT is defined by its innovation, which

began with the highly original combination of gold and rubber. This "Art of

Fusion" stems from the imagination of its visionary Chairman, Jean-Claude

Biver, and has been driven forward by CEO Ricardo Guadalupe since 2012.

The release of the iconic, multi-award-winning Big Bang in 2005 paved the way

for new flagship collections (Classic Fusion, Spirit of Big Bang), with

complications ranging from the simple to the highly sophisticated, establishing

the extraordinary DNA of the Swiss watchmaking house and ensuring its

impressive growth.

Keen to preserve its traditional and cutting-edge expertise, and guided by its

philosophy to "Be First, Different and Unique", the Swiss watchmaker is

consistently ahead of the curve, through its innovations in materials

(scratch-resistant Magic Gold, ceramics in vibrant colours, sapphire), and the

creation of Manufacture movements (Unico, Meca-10, Tourbillon).

HUBLOT is fully committed to creating a Haute Horlogerie brand with a visionary

future: a future which is fused with the key events of our times (FIFA World

Cup(TM), UEFA Champions League(TM), UEFA EURO(TM) and Ferrari) and the finest

ambassadors our era has to offer (Kylian Mbappe, Usain Bolt, Pele).

Discover the HUBLOT universe at our network of boutiques located in key cities

across the globe: Geneva, Paris, London, New York, Hong Kong, Dubai, Tokyo,

Singapore and at HUBLOT.com

KerQuest

KerQuest has developed a powerful unitary recognition engine hosted on a

platform called Solid Media Messaging. It enables any user to interact

intuitively with any object through their smartphone and perform varied

transactional services. While it can fulfil many business functions for brands

and distributors, it is also an excellent tool for building customer loyalty.

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SOURCE: Hublot SA