Majestyk Watch: Someone liked it so much they copied it.

[Majestyk]

Just giving a heads up...This is not an authorized Majestyk watch. It looks like someone got a hold of the design. I also had the DOW bars deactivated on mine because I thought it looked silly. I see these bozos reactivated it and put the tacky lettering on the face.

Jeff

[Fitron]

Ebay's shut the auction down. Do you have a copyright (for what it's worth in China) over the module or just the case?

[retroleds]

Not surprising....not like the Chinese guys commonly show any respect for International patent laws or trade contracts. I kind of like it with the day of week markers...no LED ever had those! And with the one layer of plastic removed, it is extra bright. Sucks that they couldn't have waited until your batch was sold off at very least. :(

[collector]

Hi Jeff,

Can they copy your design legally?? Also, the case / band is identical to yours - can the manfacturer you used just sell the module, case and band you designed?

The "Devaluation" in $ value of the Majestyk, never mind the collectablity, just stinks for both you and those of us that bought the Majestyk! I !!!!!

[Fitron]

Collector wrote

can the manfacturer you used just sell the module, case and band you designed?

Sadly this is common practise in China - they'll stiff any foreign investors after taking their tech via partnership agreements. It will hopefully come back to bite them but don't hold your breath - we want access to a billion potential customers to push it too hard unless it starts to hurt us really badly - which ithey might just be doing.

http://www.abcmoney.co.uk/news/10200753389.htm

Any chance of a photo with the DOW marker just to satisfy my curiousity?

[Majestyk]

Just to quickly add some things. I'm not surprised either. In fact, I knew this was going to happen, but I never thought it would be rebranded and sold for $69 (although I think the shipping was something like $26). The band is indeed different and the other links do not match the first "link" on the case. The color of the band also does not match the rest of the case. The crystal is not the same as on my M2 watches. It seems to have a very dark shade (almost black) and it has tacky white writing on it.

Ed and Fit are correct. You do these kinds of things in China and your design is just going to be copied by others.

I do have a registered design on the case, which my watch states on the back plate.

As for the look of the DOW bars, it's not that bad but but in order to do it, you have to have MO, TU, WE, etc, printed on the crystal. It looks very tacky and that's why I had the feature shut off on my watch. It just doesn't retain that 70's look. If the actual LED's formed those letters like the Pulsar DOW watch, it wouldn't be bad.

I wish I had photos of it, but I wasn't able to save them in time.

I have no idea why Ebay removed it, but I'm sure it will be back. :)




Jeff

PS: I removed the link since the auction was yanked.

[Majestyk]

I have now upped the warranty of the Majestyk watch to THREE YEARS. This applies to the module and to anyone who has purchased a Majestyk watch from the date of purchase, from any authorized dealer. Currently there are no unauthorized "Majestyk" dealers. I have stock piled modules, so I'm able to do this.


Jeff

[retroleds]

It's one of the things that has stopped me from producing a watch myself. I was trying to work with a Chinese firm a while back when I was hot on this idea, but they really worried me...always wanting to see my case designs, as if I couldn't just give them some dimensions? It would be my problem if things didn't fit!! I was a machinist for about 12 years so I can contemplate making my own cases to stave the little fcks off, but anything that sells WILL be copied. Sorry they got you on this Jeff....if it reappears on ebay we should all join in on hounding ebay to pull the auction.

Good idea on upping the warranty Jeff. You have to file for International patent protection at the time of patenting your design..and only 14-15 countries cooperate, and China is notorious for non-compliance.

[Majestyk]

You know, if they want to sell it in stores in China or Japan, I have no problem with that, but I'm going to give them some bad "PR" if it gets on Ebay or in English online sites.

I'm always reading up on how China is doing so well with the manufacturing sector but situations like this are just going to give factories there a black eye.


Jeff

[gjlelec]

i think thats enough of a reason to ask Mr Bush to bomb the factories-seems perfectly reasonable to me.As a protest i.m not eating anymore of their food

[Majestyk]

Well look what the food, grown there, did to the pet food industry?

[joeywaycool]

A similar thing happened to my "space:time" LED watches. I worked closely with the Asian manufacturer and actually funded the development of their yellow, blue, and green version modules back in mid-2005. Only after a month of me receiving my shipment I learned the manufacturer was quick to sell these "specials" to other North American distributors I had no exclusive agreement with them, but it may not have mattered even if I did.

Anyone need a space:time LED watch? :D

[collector]

I truly feel sorry for those INDIVIDUALS like Jeff, Joeywaycool, etc who spent their $'s on developing a new LED watch product only to have their project undermined by cut-throats in China.

Something DOES need to be done with the ripoffs from China. eBay and eBay's discussion boards are overloaded with fake products or horror stories about fake brand name products from China. As examples, DVD's, CD's, Apple iPod knockoffs, Rolex's, pocketbooks, clothing, etc etc.

Speaking about Apple, if large companies like Apple can't stop the bootlegging what chance does an individual like Jeff have???

[Fitron]

The square root of £@% all I'm afraid. The best we can do is not to buy their stuff and report it to ebay as an illegal copy. It's up to the politicos to deal with this and that means bitching to your representative. Sooner or later china is going to have to grow up - the rest of Asia does quite nicely with its own ideas and it's a threat that affects the rest of the world - even dirt poor Africa is suffering from Chinese copies of local african products (high value clothing to be precise) and it's stuffing what little manufacturing they have. Nice food though.

[seikoric]

No offence intended here Majestyk but i always thought your watch was a kind of reissue or homage to the Wittnauer Polara, was i wrong??

Cheers, Ric

[richard_uk]

Is this one original or another copy?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... 0110580060

[Majestyk]

Richard, that's an authorized dealer carrying my watch. He does pretty well with them in his Miami Store.

No offence intended here Majestyk but i always thought your watch was a kind of reissue or homage to the Wittnauer Polara, was i wrong??

No, not at all. I mentioned this when it first came out. I based it on three diffferent designs. It was different enough to have registered.


Jeff

[Led-Time]

I have now upped the warranty of the Majestyk watch to THREE YEARS. This applies to the module and to anyone who has purchased a Majestyk watch from the date of purchase, from any authorized dealer. Currently there are no unauthorized "Majestyk" dealers. I have stock piled modules, so I'm able to do this.

Jeff,

Thats fantastic news thanks for that, good to know there is backup for them as well with regards to spare modules... :D