If you’re a broker brand active in luxury items insurance then it’s good to know which countries in Europe are hotspots for watch theft. Here’s the word from the Watch Register;
The Watch Register warns owners of luxury watches to be vigilant when wearing their high-end timepiece out and about. The global database, which holds £1.5 billion worth of lost and stolen watches, reveals that “thefts from person”, where the watch was being worn on the owner’s wrist, accounted for 20% of all its registrations over the last three months. In Europe, London, Barcelona and Ibiza top the list as the worst hotspots for watch crimes.
The database reported that a quarter (26%) of all thefts from person occurred in the UK, predominantly in London, Manchester and other major cities. In Europe, Spain accounted for the second highest number of luxury watch crimes (14%), which were typically reported in tourist locations including Marbella, Barcelona, Mallorca and Ibiza. Other European countries featuring in the top list for reporting luxury watch crime are France (3%), Netherlands (4%), Germany (5%), Portugal (5%), Italy (2.5%) and Belgium (2.5%).
Further afield, the database records a high proportion of luxury watch thefts from person in the US (14%), with New York City, Las Vegas, Miami, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Chicago and Houston all reporting luxury watch snatches.
Analysis of The Watch Register database highlights a wide variety of theft from person crime being registered including distraction theft, assaults, moped-enabled robberies and even gunpoint robberies. The types of crime differ between countries with knives being the most often used weapon to intimidate in European cities, and guns in the US.
The modus operandi of these thefts is increasingly sophisticated and brazen, often involving organised criminal gangs. In many global cities, thieves usually work in teams to execute well-coordinated attacks.
In March 2024 Europol reported the arrest of a total of 35 members of an organised criminal group from Naples, Italy, responsible for violent street robberies of luxury watches across Europe3 – the result of an investigation spanning many months. The criminals operated in gangs of three to five members, some of whom would scout potential victims at high end restaurants or hotels and while others would attack the victims when they left the venue, using violence if necessary and fleeing on scooters.
Thieves are incentivised by the surge in prices of watches on the pre-owned market, which in turn is caused by the limited supply of the most popular models of watches brand new from the manufacturers. The visibility of watches worth tens of thousands of pounds on owners’ wrists in the hot summer months when people are wearing short sleeves are also driving this type of theft.
Violent assaults and street crimes
A common tactic is “snatch-and-grab,” where one thief distracts or engages the victim while another swiftly removes the watch from their wrist. These thieves often operate on motorbikes or scooters, allowing for a quick escape after the robbery. In some cases, they resort to violent methods, using weapons or physical force to overpower the victim and steal the watch.
Drugging
The Watch Register has seen several registrations where the victim has been drugged via a drink or cigarette to enable their watch to be stolen. This modus operandi is particularly common in the US and is often perpetrated by females on male victims.
Distraction without the use of force
Thieves often use sleight of hand to steal the watch from a victim before they even realise it’s missing. Perpetrators may operate on foot, posing as charity workers or salespeople. Other distraction techniques include accidentally bumping into a victim or approaching them for a cigarette light. There are also incidents of female “hugger muggers” who flirt with male victims and hug them while slipping their watch off their wrist.
Victim targeting
Criminal gangs operate in groups to scout potential targets in high-end venues such as clubs, restaurants, golf clubs or luxury hotels, often communicating with other gang members who attack the victims at an opportune moment. Thieves might choose victims who are under the influence of alcohol, alternatively they may befriend the victim, offering a drink or engaging in conversation to lower their guard.
Katya Hills, Managing Director at The Watch Register commented: “The violent and international nature of these criminal operations highlights the challenge in combatting them. Major cities like London, Paris, Barcelona and Milan which are tourist hotspots have seen a surge in such thefts, partly due to the high concentration of affluent individuals who are the targets. The international nature of the market for luxury watches means that stolen items can quickly be moved across borders, distancing the thieves from the goods. Law enforcement agencies are stepping up efforts to counter these crimes, but the combination of high rewards and relatively low risks for thieves means that luxury watch thefts remain a persistent issue in global cities.
“We want to alert people over the summer months to this type of crime, particularly if they are going to an expensive restaurant, luxury hotel or exclusive club, as these places are often a hotbed for spotters looking for a potential target, especially one who has their watch on display and their guard down. High end venues are not necessarily a place of safety anymore. In fact, if you’re going somewhere upmarket, then it’s probably better to leave your watch at home in a safe.”
The Watch Register database, which offers a global 24/7 service, provides a simple way for purchasers of pre-owned watches to check if a watch offered for sale is reported stolen. The Watch Register combines sophisticated computer algorithms with human expertise and intervention to actively identify lost and stolen watches on the global pre-owned market. The database is used by watch dealers, jewellers, pawnbrokers and auction houses to identify stolen watches prior to transactions. From the moment a stolen watch is located, The Watch Register’s specialist recoveries team steps in to secure the watch and facilitate a recovery for the rightful owner.
The Watch Register finds four lost and stolen watches per day on average. 50% of watches it finds are located within a year of the theft and 35% within six months. One third of the stolen watches located by The Watch Register database are offered with box and papers, many of which are fake, therefore buyers should not assume that the presence of paperwork indicates legitimacy of ownership.
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