# CBP Seizes 460 Counterfeit Audemars Piguet Watches Bound for Texas

The shipment came from Hong Kong; the reported $66 million figure applies only to hypothetical authentic value.

By Erica Diggs, GIA Graduate Gemologist November 3, 2026 • 5 min read

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U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers in Louisville, Kentucky, seized a package containing 460 watches bearing Audemars Piguet trademarks, according to CBP and National Jeweler.

The package was mailed from Hong Kong and addressed to a residence in Texas. CBP said its Centers of Excellence and Expertise and other trade specialists determined that the watches were inauthentic. The seizure occurred October 23. No arrest or criminal charge is established in the reporting reviewed.

The number that needs context

CBP said the shipment would have been worth more than $66 million if the watches had been genuine.

That is a hypothetical authentic-value comparison. It is not the value of the counterfeit watches, and it does not establish that the shipment carried $66 million in legitimate Audemars Piguet products.

Hero image caption: Watches seized by CBP in Louisville, including items bearing Audemars Piguet marks. Photo credit: U.S. Customs and Border Protection

Part of a wider seizure pattern

Louisville Port Director Philip Onken told National Jeweler that officers had made several other high-value intellectual-property seizures in the city this year, including counterfeit jewelry and watches.

CBP said nearly 90% of its fiscal-year 2025 intellectual-property-rights seizures originated from China and Hong Kong. That statistic describes seizure origin, not a finding that every product from either location is counterfeit.

Why this matters to jewelers

Counterfeits damage legitimate businesses through lost sales, chargebacks, warranty disputes and reputational harm. CBP also warns that counterfeit goods may be made with substandard or harmful materials.

For retailers and collectors, provenance is the protection. Buy through documented channels, retain invoices and chain-of-custody records, compare serial and reference details against the brand’s verification process and treat unusually discounted inventory as a reason to investigate—not a reason to rush.

A customs seizure does not prove that every watch from a particular seller or market is counterfeit. It establishes that this shipment was identified by CBP specialists as bearing counterfeit marks.

What readers should watch

The next questions are whether investigators identify a consignee, whether criminal charges follow and whether the seizure becomes part of a larger enforcement action. None of those developments is established in the current reporting.

Author

Erica Diggs is a GIA Graduate Gemologist, bench jeweler, 3D CAD designer, micro-pavé setter and founder/editor of Drip With Diggs.

Sources

National Jeweler, “Customs Seizes More Than 400 Fake Audemars Piguet Watches,” November 2, 2026: https://nationaljeweler.com/articles/15464-customs-seizes-more-than-400-fake-audemars-piguet-watches

U.S. Customs and Border Protection, “Truth Behind Counterfeits”: https://www.cbp.gov/trade/fakegoodsrealdangers

WVIH, “Counterfeit Watches Seized in Louisville,” October 31, 2026: https://www.wvih.com/wp1/index.php/2026/10/31/counterfeit-watches-seized-in-louisville-3/

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