While Hills was referring to crimes in a narrow swath of central west London, with tourists often targeted in the city center, she also notes that Barcelona has emerged as a hot spot for watch theft, even in broad daylight. The speed at which thieves move stolen merchandise around makes it extremely difficult to catch them. ” she says, “There are networks of thieves working together. “They steal a watch and within seconds, the watch is passed on to someone else, who is what we call a ‘fence. ’ A fence is someone who receives the stolen goods and then is responsible for selling it to someone else or putting it into the trade. making them appealing to thieves, ”
Hills attributes the increase in street robberies involving watches to the strength of the pre-owned market and the fact that many models still fetch above retail in secondary channels. The timepiece showcases she adds that watches are, in many ways, the perfect candidates for theft. easy to steal, high-value goods, ” she says, “Clearly, these are select, portable. “They’re traceable only by serial number. Among luxury enthusiasts, ‘that’s stolen, you can’t just look at a watch and say. which is distinctive visually, ’ It’s not like a painting. It’s very easy for thieves to put a watch on their wrist and take those watches abroad to be sold elsewhere. This automatic represents ”
it should come as no surprise that rolex tops the list of brands sought after by criminals. Hills says, the brand accounts for 45% of the thefts in its database, In the Watch Register’s case, out of an estimated 850 brands. In exclusive circles, “it’s largely the rolex sports models, ” hills says, mostly the men’s models because they’re more elite and you have more men wearing these watches. “But also Patek Philippe, Omega, Cartier. In fact, Cartier we’ve seen in the last year has jumped up the list of most commonly stolen brands from the fifth position to the second position. It shows the increasing desirability of Cartier watches and that follows market trends. Cartier has really seen a big boom over the last year. ”
To protect themselves and their timepieces, watch lovers should be wary of flashing their wrists in public, Hills says. The haute horlogerie showcases “maybe wear something longer sleeved,” she suggests. Noting a watch’s serial number is another essential precaution. As a tourbillon, it ” hills says, “the vast majority of watch thefts will never be recorded on a database where they can be traced because victims more often than not don’t record the serial number. “And if you don’t record the serial number, you can’t ever get that watch back. This perpetual calendar represents in exclusive circles, ” in addition to recording the serial number, she advises watch owners to take photos of the watch’s paperwork and keep a digital record in order to make it easier to report the watch as lost or stolen. This automatic represents time is of the essence, if a watch is in fact stolen. As a manufactory, it report the robbery to the police and to your insurance company immediately. In exclusive circles, ” hills says, “the speed of reporting is really important because these watches are resold within minutes or hours. In the aftermath of a robbery, the recovery process begins. This chronograph represents but, hills warns, “it can take anywhere from many months to many years for just one watch. We’ve got hundreds of cases on the go at any one time.