LABELLING REQUIREMENTS FOR
WATCHES
The Commerce (Trade Descriptions) Act 1905 and
Commerce (Imports) Regulations 1940 set out the
labelling requirements for certain goods imported
into Australia. Customs administers this
legislation.
Watches are
incorporated in Regulation 7(1)(r) of the Commerce
(Imports) Regulations, and require a trade
description with the name of the country in which
the goods were made or produced.
Additionally,
Regulation 8 specifies that the trade description
must be:
• applied to the
watch itselfi
• in the English language
• in prominent and legible characters
• in the form of a principal label or brand affixed
in a prominent position and in as permanent a manner
as possible.
Further, any
matter on the label, brand or package, must not, by
illustration, wording or size of lettering,
contradict or obscure the required markings. It
should also be noted that any markings on the watch
should not be false or misleading.
Customs is aware
that watches are often assembled in one country with
parts sourced from a number of other countries.
As such, Customs
has developed the following table to assist in
informing importers of watches of their obligations
under the Commerce (Trade Descriptions) Act and
Commerce (Imports) Regulations.
Please note that
these markings are acceptable for Customs purposes
only and they may not necessarily meet other
legislative requirements.
What if my
goods have a false description?
The Commerce
(Trade Descriptions) Act provides that goods
imported in contravention of the Regulations may be
seized by Customs. While Customs may permit the
relabelling of contravening goods where it is
considered that the contravention was neither
intentional or reckless, we recommend that you
ensure your goods comply with the legislation prior
to their importation.
Goods can only be
released once the trade description is correct and
all Customs formalities have been completed.
In all cases you
will be asked to provide evidence that you have
instructed your suppliers to correctly label goods
in future.