Perception towards production origins. Our country has a somewhat unique law. That law is none other than the Foreign Trade Act (specifically, Article 33: Marking of Origin of Exported or Imported Goods, etc.). Unlike other countries, all products imported into Korea are required by law to indicate their origin of production. For instance, producers can add a tag in the interior of the product or stamping relevant information onto the product. For watches, manufacturers can engrave or stamp on any additional information. Pursuant to the Act, retailers who sell imported products after removing or damaging the production origin information specified on imported products to make it impossible for consumers to find out where the product was made, can be penalized for such actions. Several popular watchmakers who retail their products in Korea often bear their “Made in Switzerland” or “Swiss Made” markings like badges of honor. Meanwhile, others do not bother to display their “Made in China” marks for all to see. Then, why do watchmakers go out of their way to say their products are “Made in Switzerland,” yet why is it so difficult to find out if a product is “Made in China” if the information is not stamped on the outside? Today, most products made in China are above a certain quality threshold. For manufacturers, China is a truly attractive and rational OEM production market given its low production costs and mass production capacity. From a consumers standpoint, however, things are apparently different. Before launching Harriot, we were the first to import and retail Daniel Wellington products in Korea. Back then, Daniel Wellington wasn’t a top seller. I still remember how Chinese tourists would come into our store, pick up a watch, see the “Made in China” label on the back, then wave their hands, and leave. Most of us were giving watches as gifts believing they were from Sweden, Japan, or Italy because they were brands from those countries. We didn’t know all of their products were actually made in China. Some conscientious consumers would do their due diligence before buying their timepieces. But most would buy a product, then call back a while later asking, “Why does it say ‘Made in China’ at the back?” Of course, we can’t simply say, “Yes” to the people who ask if Korean watches are better than watches made in China. Harriot can, however, appeal to our customers with pride in the fact its products are indeed made in Korea. Our mission at Harriot is to “Make ‘Made in Korea’ Proud.” We want to make sure our mission statement doesn’t seem outlandish or out of touch for consumers. We hope that one day, products made in Korea can be sold all over the world and the Harriot watches on people’s wrists become something that evokes pride in our customers.
