7 US Customs regulations require watches to have a small inked stamp on the movement. Seiko thus charged that the gray market Seiko watches imported into the USA were unfit because the opening for marking harmed dust- and water-resistant seals and contaminated the watch movement.

 Do you feel that gray marketers’ marking to comply with customs regulations is harmful to the product?

 Since Seiko is a popular brand and gray market Seiko watches are carried by a number of discounters and catalog showrooms, what should Seiko do to alleviate the problem of unauthorized imports?