Global crime prevention database The Watch Register is warning of a dramatic rise in violence during luxury watch thefts – and urging owners to keep watches hidden from sight in public spaces and hand over watches when confronted to avoid violence.
The Watch Register, which has more than 80,000 stolen or lost watches registered and traced 620 last year, has seen a major escalation in violence use to steal watches on its database during the past two years.
It is warning that the holiday season with more people in short sleeves and T-shirts displaying expensive watches will encourage further thefts and attacks.
The Watch Register located a total of 54 watches from London-based thefts in 2022 and works closely with the Metropolitan Police Flying Squad to combat these crimes. DC Thomas Grimshaw from the Flying Squad commented this morning: ‘The Metropolitan Police Flying Squad have been working closely with The Watch Register for 7 years on recoveries of stolen watches. In this time we have seen an increase in moped-enabled attacks on watch owners in central London and a sharp rise in aggravated robberies. The Watch Register provides leads for police investigation when they locate these watches on the market. This has led to us being able to return valuable watches to their owners who thought they were lost forever.’
Metropolitan Police data* shows more than 6,000 watches were stolen in London last year and around 11,035 across England and Wales with thefts increasingly turning violent. Other major European cities and holiday hotspots such as Barcelona, Madrid, Paris, Ibiza and Marbella have seen increased thefts and violence. Watch thefts account for around 4% of violent robberies in Barcelona and have increased by 31% in Paris since the start of 2022.**
Violent thefts reported recently include an attack on boxer Amir Khan in London when he was robbed at gunpoint of an £72,000 watch. Six members of a machete wielding gang are awaiting sentencing for thefts of Rolex and Tag Heuer watches in South West London while music manager Emmanuel Odunlami was stabbed to death in London for what was believed to be a Patek Philippe Nautilus watch, a model worth up to £300,000 if genuine, and which was reportedly a fake. Thefts in Madrid have involved victims being hit on the head with the butts of guns.
Owners can register their stolen or lost watch on THE WATCH REGISTER database, which is used by dealers, jewelers, pawnbrokers and auction houses to identify stolen watches. The company actively searches for watches on the global pre-owned watch market until they are recovered. Around 35% of recovered watches are found within six months and 50% within a year.
Katya Hills, Managing Director at The Watch Register said: “The use of violence in the theft of luxury watches is increasing dramatically with some extreme cases seeing watch owners killed by criminals.
“The summer and holiday time is unfortunately peak season for watch thefts as warmer weather means watches are on display and when owners are relaxing on holiday their guard is down.
Owners should keep their watches entirely hidden from view when in public spaces, especially in tourist hotspots, hiding the watch well under their sleeve or simply removing it when traveling or in the street.
The advice for anyone confronted by a thief willing to use violence must be to hand over the watch and rely on recovery services to help them get their watch back.”
The Watch Register advises owners to always insure luxury watches and keep pictures of watches and serial numbers in case owners need to report a theft.
Owners need to stay alert and have their wits about them – many thieves use distraction techniques and work in pairs.
Keep car windows shut when wearing a luxury watch and keep sleeves rolled down with the watch under the cuff.
Don’t talk about watch prices in public places and don’t post locations on social media. Only post after you have left a location.
Owners need their unique serial number and proof of loss such as a crime reference number in order to register their watch on The Watch Register. It charges a non-refundable fee of £15 +VAT per watch to review the registration and if it is recovered a 5% location fee.
