Watch stolen: Gutted!

[Red 5]

a340driver said:

I don't know how effective this is, but I bought a few Shanghai specials when I was travelling through there frequently. Copies of IWC/Breitling/Omega/Rolex. No more than $10 a piece.

I've never really worn them but ended up keeping them in obvious places like bedside cupboards, drawers etc.

Surely the best use of a fake ever if you have opportunistic thieves in your house?

Ah yes, like the sacfificialwallet that some travellers carry just in case.

[Red 5]

So I’ve searched high and low, to find something I like for a sensible sum.
I’m looking at new ones, as I’m struggling with the price of the old B1!

I like the Avenger Night Mission.
What do you think of these? No complications, or digital displays to service.
Any downsides to these?

On sale at WOS
I could get a coloured strap for a change if I wanted and I still have a deployment buckle from a crocodile B1 strap I might be able to use.


They also have a model of this V17319101B1X1 ending in 2 as well, at £4250.
I guess that’s the new model, but does that even matter, given they look the same and I plan to keep for decades.
Edit : Looks like it’s the different clasp / buckle types.

Edited by Red 5 on Thursday 18th April 21:19

[Red 5]

seefarr said:

We had a watch stolen when as a side hustle when they stole our car - a new Mont Blanc for my wife that she hadn't even seen ahead of our 10th anniversary. It wasn't insured and I hastily found a similar 2nd hand one to replace it.

Mont Blanc got me to register it with something called Enquirus and they said they would pick it up if it ever came back for service, which I did. I also set up a search on ebay for it. 9 months later I found it on ebay and the police went and recovered it! It had gone through a legitimate jewellery auction house before the next guy bought it and his wife decided she didn't want it.

So now we have two very similar Mont Blancs.

I’m not sure of the particular register, but apparently if it ever turns up, I’ll be notified. It’ll belong to the insurance company though.
That’s a good idea though, regarding the eBay item alert, thanks

[Red 5]

ChevronB19 said:

Not watch wise, but my grandmother lived in sheltered housing and had a genuine 1st edition of Charles Dickens Christmas Carol.

It disappeared. No idea if it was due to a carer, workman or a relative.

It’s remarkable that people in positions of trust, just steal left right and centre.
This has opened my eyes for sure.

My Dad always told me, that if I have a nice pocket knife and use it regularly, there might well be somebody with their eye on it.
He was right, as I had two taken from me when I was younger. I just left it where I was sitting / working for a few mins. Poof! Gone!

I’ll add it to the list….
A bike went walkies when I was a kid and nobody locked them up. Different times.
My first mountain bike, which had a carrier containing my dinner too

A shotgun after I lost my Dad.
The fella (previously thought highly of by my Dad) handling the guns knew I couldn’t do anything about it. I had no licence and nobody would offer more than 20% of the selling price to buy. I offered to pay him, which he refused, but one gun still went missing. It turned up in the hands of member of his old shooting club. The chap paid £250 for it!!!

The people in care homes are ripe for the picking I guess


I do like that Night Mission, but it has a 40hr back up, and I was thinking of wearing once a week ish.
Not keen to add automatic watch winders to my list of possessions really.
Can’t I just wind it up and wear it? Does that shorten the life?

[Red 5]

fridaypassion said:

Geertsen said:

In addition to my post above, if you have your postcode in the eBay search and search for ‘nearest first’ you can look for items locally in the current and completed listings. If you found one the same I don’t know how you’d know it was yours that’s the only thing because a seller would never list the serial number. I suppose you could then look at the seller’s ‘other items’ and get an idea of who they are..? (or gain possible info from their username).

You would think criminals wouldn't be so dumb but my dad found a push bike stolen from his garage for sale in the next town. This was a few years back now when we used to have police and they actually went and got it and nicked the guy. You'd never believe they used to do that stuff now!

Thanks for the additional ebay tips.

As of this morning, my B1 serial number is now ‘burned’
Hard to sell for any reasonable sum with no serial number.
Also hard to sell cheaply without seeming suspicious.

Let’s see. The insurance company think it’s crop up within 18months.

[Red 5]

MrBig said:

Does that mean that it's marked as stolen on a register somewhere?

Yes it does mean exactly that.
I forget the name of it, but dealers, manufacturers and pawn shops all use it.
Any member of the public can pay a one off fee and check a serial number too.
A bit like V-Checks, Car Vertical etc.

[Red 5]

MrJuice said:

Sorry OP

I would suggest don't beat yourself up. These things happen and although the sentimental value is very high, you cannot account for scrotes doing what scrotes do.

I hope you manage to get a suitable replacement

I know this is the correct answer thanks

[Red 5]

alscar said:

The Watch Register.

That’s the one
The insurance company say it will almost turn up at some point, as thieves steal things to sell, not have around for too long.

[Red 5]

Hard-Drive said:

Had something similar. My dad was the one who got me into watches, and always said from a young age that one day "his Tudor Submariner would be mine".

He passed away in a nursing home in Spain in 2016. I went out there to repatriate his ashes and pick up his personal effects. Needless to say, no Sub, just the papers in his box of stuff.

Obviously the whole visit was pretty traumatic and with the nursing home staff shrugging their shoulders, and with my zero mental capacity to deal with it at the time, that was that. Best not to dwell on it as the "what kind of person..." thought train just made me angry/despair, but for that very reason I have never, and will never, promise my watches to my son. If they get to him when I go, that's a bonus, or he will get them long beforehand if/when he gets more pleasure from owning them that I do.

That’s way worse!
I hope they treated your Dad with more respect, than they showed his belongings when he was gone

I guess it’s best to just treat them like cars and use, enjoy, sell, repeat.

[Red 5]

liner33 said:

Gutted for you but at least you got some joy from the insurers

My dads house was burgled many years ago and they took my step mums jewellery and (He thought) his Omega Seamaster , some weeks later he opened the armrest on the car and found it sat in there , it was then he recalled removing it when he was working on the car (Porsche 928s since its pistonheads after all )

20 years later it went missing from the care home he was in .

There are some scummy people about

I’ve looked in my armrest lol

My Dad refused to let anyone take his watch off in the hospital when he was there for three months.
I thought he was taking it off daily to wash, but no!
When he came home, I took it off and it was taking skin off

The sad thing is, it was a basic Seiko, but one he treasured due to me buying it for him when I started work.
Bloody watches!

[Red 5]

At the moment I’m struggling to get enthusiastic about any particular replacement. I still like Breitling best, but all the ones I like are automatic, which requires a watch winding box, if not worn daily.
I’d also want to secure it when not in use.

I like a couple of the Avenger 42mm models and the Night Mission still.
I’m told Breitling want to service them every two years in a minor £210, major £460 rotor.
I’m not sure I can be bothered now

The battery / quartz models are either plastic, or orange faced as far as I can see.
A battery every 4-5 years is fine by me, if they bring out a non balloon based special edition in black/blue face.

I’ve got a bit of a downer on the whole thing at the moment!