In London the number of knifepoint robberies surged 60% between May and June, while in Paris, a police task force dedicated to stopping luxury watch theft has grown to 30 agents
A salesperson displays the Rolex Group Daytona 50th anniversary watch for a photograph at the GEARYS Rodeo Drive Rolex store in Beverly Hills on December 9 2013. File Picture: Patrick T. Fallon/BloombergThe UK-based YouTuber, whose watch-focused channel boasts more than 40,000 subscribers, put away her $14,000 timepiece after an incident in which she was followed around a store by a customer who had clearly “clocked” her watch.
“This is a top priority for us, and we have already made a number of arrests,” said London Detective Chief Superintendent Owain Richards.In London, police data shows that 667 Rolex watches were lifted between January and September. And in an unfortunate twist on their slogan, “you never truly own a Patek Philippe,” 73 of the luxury Swiss brand’s watches were stolen in the English capital between the start of the year and September, up from 60 over the same period last year.
This lifestyle trend has played into a darker phenomenon: YouTube is now filled with security camera footage and bystander videos of people being violently assaulted for their expensive timepieces. In one clip, a robber rides a moped alongside a luxury car, then smashes the car’s window with a hammer to steal the driver’s watch. In another, a couple are attacked during the day in a posh part of London.
Europeans aren’t the only ones on edge: the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said the region saw 206 thefts involving at least one watch valued at $5,000 or more from the start of the year until mid-November. That marks a nearly 30% increase from the same period in 2021. Police have blamed the crimes on organised gangs and advised residents to avoid wearing expensive jewellery in public.
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