The Watch Register1, the world’s largest and most established international database of lost and stolen luxury watches, has new research that highlights a significant increase in insurance claims relating to the loss and theft of high-value watches. Here are the details FYI;
The study, conducted amongst 100 insurance loss adjustors and claims managers across the United States, Europe, Asia and the Middle East, reveals that luxury watch-related claims have risen markedly in recent years. When asked how claims volumes have changed compared to three years ago, two-thirds (67%) of respondents reported an increase of between 10% and 25%, while a further 9% cited even sharper rises of between 25% and 50%. Overall, insurers reported a mean average increase of 17% in luxury watch claims over the period. Insurance respondents in Asia reported the highest mean average increase in claim volumes (21%) compared with an average of 15% in the US.
The findings suggest that the volume of watch-related claims will continue to increase. More than half (54%) of respondents anticipate claims will rise by a further 10% to 25% over the next three years, while nearly one third (32%) expect increases of between 25% and 50%. A smaller proportion (2%) predict even more significant growth of up to 75%. The mean average anticipated increase stands at 24%, underlining the expectation that luxury watch theft will remain a persistent and growing challenge for insurers globally.
Additionally, given the high circulation of stolen goods on the market, three in four (77%) of insurance respondents report seeing an increase in defective title claims from jewellers’ block policy holders who have unwittingly purchased stolen watches. The majority (83%) of insurers say they are now taking steps to mitigate risk by only paying out defective title claims for watches on the condition that the policy holder has carried out due diligence prior to the transaction by checking a stolen watch database.
Katya Hills, Managing Director of The Watch Register, said: “Insurance professionals report a clear rise in luxury watch-related claims, which reflects the high incidence of theft affecting watch owners and jewellers today. Watches are expensive, portable, easy to steal, and highly liquid. The exceptional resale value of watches and high demand for the most desirable models on the secondary market are continuous drivers of theft.
“It is more imperative than ever that insurers record the serial numbers for lost and stolen watch claims and report these losses to The Watch Register database to facilitate future detection. The database proactively searches the global pre-owned watch market, maximising the chances of recovery for insurers and their policy holders, and enabling insurers to recoup funds paid out on claims.”
In 2025 The Watch Register reached a landmark 5,000 lost and stolen watches identified since the service was founded more than a decade ago. In the past year alone, stolen watches identified by The Watch Register have been traced across 34 countries spanning North and South America, Europe, Asia, North Africa, Australia and the Middle East, underlining both the global scale of the problem and the reach of the platform.
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