Luxury Watch Theft: How to Avoid Becoming a Victim
Luxury watch theft has doubled in the last 10 years and shows no sign of slowing down. Discover simple ways to avoid becoming a victim in this blog.
Many celebrities, especially people in the sporting world, have had their watches stolen including:
Amir Kahn, who had a £70,000 watch stolen in the street by gunpoint
Mark Cavendish, who lost £700,000 worth of watches and jewellery during a break-in to his home by knifepoint
Riyad Mahrez, who had 3 watches stolen from his home
And, you may well have experienced a watch theft or know someone who has.
If you have, you will know how distressing it is for you and your loved ones and that the impact on your quality of life can be far-reaching.
Let’s look deeper into this subject and how to prevent luxury watch theft.
Know how luxury watch theft takes place
This is important – you need to understand how criminals work so you can be prepared and avoid them.
Luxury watch thefts occur in several different ways:
Mugging or street robbery – normally armed
Drive-by robberies on scooters – where they mount the pavement snatch the watch off your wrist and go, often armed
At traffic lights on a scooter or motorbike through an open window while you are driving – normally armed
Pickpockets in crowds or by distraction and deception – without you even knowing
Burglary – armed home invasion while you are present or while you are out/on holiday.
How to avoid becoming a target
You may not like these suggestions and you may feel angry that you can’t live your life how you want to.
But the fact remains that if you own a luxury watch or are a high-profile individual, criminals will be watching you.
And, to keep yourself and your loved ones safe, you need to take precautions.
1. Do not post photos of your watch on social media
And avoid it showing in photos (even indirectly or partly showing out of your clothing)
We get it, you’re proud of your achievements and you want to celebrate and show people your new watch.
But not everyone watching you can be trusted.
By posting photos that show your watch you are giving criminals a shopping list.
2. Do not post where you are or where you will be on social media
We recommend only posting on social media after you get home – and making it clear that the photo was in the past.
Any photos in restaurants, check-ins, at events and holiday or hotel pictures will broadcast your location.
So now, as well as a shopping list, the criminals have your location.
You’ve just become an easy target.
3. Be selective about where you wear your watch in public
We would not recommend wearing your watch in high-risk areas, such as shopping in the West end of London or busy and crowded events.
Even ‘safe’ places such as Michelin Star restaurants have been targeted.
Thieves will watch certain restaurants and follow people afterwards until they find the right moment to strike.
4. Consider close protection if you want to wear it to high-risk areas
You can hire a decent bodyguard for around £700 a day.
We would recommend at least a two-man team to get a good level of protection, depending on where you are going and what you are doing.
Don’t be complacent though – you will still be a target, you are just giving yourself extra eyes and skills and a deterrent.
5. Be alert and switched on to what is happening around you
Observe the people around you and their behaviours
Look out for red flags and unusual behaviour
Watch for mopeds
Be aware of anyone entering your personal space
Be wary of people asking you questions – this can be a deceptive technique to distract you
Trust your gut instinct – if something feels off act on it and get away
We teach awareness and avoidance techniques in our street safety and self defence private training.
What to do if someone tries to steal your watch
1. Never get into a fight over your watch or any other possession
A watch can be replaced but you can’t.
It doesn’t matter how strong you are or how skilled you are in fighting or defending yourself.
A watch is not worth a serious injury that could be life-threatening or could end your career.
2. Hand over the watch, get away safely and call the police as soon as you can
There is a time and a place to use self defence skills and that is when you are physically in danger.
Eg. If you hand the watch over but they escalate things and then they want to get you in a car or down an alley.
Then is the time to fight with everything you have or run away if you can.
We teach self defence skills based on special forces techniques that work for anyone of any ability.
3. Register your stolen watch on The Watch Register
This is a database of stolen watches that jewellers, pawnbrokers and auction houses use to check before selling a watch.
Preventative measures that will make it easier if your watch is stolen
1. Check you have adequate insurance – for at home, when you are out and when you are travelling abroad
2. Take photographs of your watch for insurance purposes
3. Make a note of your serial number
4. Keep your receipt and documentation in a safe place away from where you store the watch
5. Ensure you have the highest level of home security – and use it – don’t get complacent
6. Consider adding GPS technology or tagging to your watch so it can be tracked if stolen.
By being aware that luxury watch theft can and does happen, understanding how thieves operate and taking preventative measures, we hope you will never become a victim.
Please share these tips with friends, family and colleagues who own a luxury watch to help them stay safer.
Do you want to improve your safety and learn self defence?
We teach street safety, self defence and violence prevention and offer:
Online self defence programs – pre-recorded video courses including ‘Self Defence for Men’ and ‘Self Defence for Women’
Get in touch for more info and a chat.
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