Swiss luxury watchmaker Breitling issues digital authenticity certificates on Ethereum

Breitling, the 136-year old luxury watchmaker based in Switzerland, has begun issuing digital certificates on the Ethereum blockchain that can be used to verify its new watches' authenticity.

Breitling has partnered with non-profit Arianee for the initiative. Arianee's protocol leverages Ethereum's ERC-721 standard, according to co-founder and CMO Emmanuelle Collet. ERC-721 is used for issuing non-fungible tokens (NFT).

By using Arianee's blockchain platform, Breitling ensures that its digital certificates are immutable. "Watch owners can simply scan their electronic guarantee card with their smartphone camera to automatically download the private, encrypted digital wallet, which safely stores the digital passport," the watchmaker said.

The digital certificates are transferable and contain information such as a watch's serial number and digital warranty. Watch owners are able to control their personal data and remain anonymous, said Breitling.