Watch Ownership/Robberies
Discussion
I don’t worry about wearing my Omegas and Breitling anywhere, they don’t feel like they’re targeted in the way some other brands are. Of course there’s still a risk but they’re insured and I think I’d actually prefer to have the full RRP reimbursed anyway!
I don’t really wear any of my Rolex any more as a result of an attempted mugging four or five years ago. It’s just not worth the risk so I just enjoy them at home or in quieter places rather than wearing them every day.
I don’t really wear any of my Rolex any more as a result of an attempted mugging four or five years ago. It’s just not worth the risk so I just enjoy them at home or in quieter places rather than wearing them every day.
981SPYGANG said:
Just wondering to what degree has feeling unsafe/not wearing your watch on occasions decreased your enjoyment of ownership?
Referring to the UK, I wish it would go back to pre 2010 when I could wear anything without much worry. Of course there have always been dodgy areas where "you're asking for it!" but the watch crime curve started in 2010 and went exponential from 2016. Pre 2010, I would happily wear anything carefree... nowadays that is all just a memory unless it is something that flies under the radar for crime.So for me, yes, for sure, the crime aspect has decreased my ability to rotate my full collection in the UK. Many may say I am too cautious but my brother was held at knife point for his Rolex... I don't want that happening to me.
I would perhaps think more carefully now about wearing something very rare or special. But not going to worry about the Rolex we have. They’re nothing that hard to get hold of - Nautilus…maybe less so.
That said I walked past a bloke on Regent St yesterday wearing a rainbow AP and he looked like the type that wouldn’t have a fake. Brave..
That said I walked past a bloke on Regent St yesterday wearing a rainbow AP and he looked like the type that wouldn’t have a fake. Brave..
okgo said:
Chicken_Satay said:
I don't think there's any reason to feel unsafe, providing you're reasonably careful where you go/exercise common sense.
But the places these robberies are happening are the most fancy parts of London. It’s not happening in Brixton. It’s Berkeley square. Wills2 said:
981SPYGANG said:
Just wondering to what degree has feeling unsafe/not wearing your watch on occasions decreased your enjoyment of ownership?
What's your view has it affected your enjoyment? Personally I wear my Sky dweller all the time don't really give it a thought. It hasn't decreased my enjoyment of ownership, but just something I'm aware of. The Sky Dweller is very 'Rolex'.
e600 said:
One to watch for is selling. We were essentially robbed at home by an individual, shown below, who pretended to be a buyer. Be careful
Was this a number of years ago? I only ask as remember seeing that cretin in a photo a few years back with someone saying the same that he had been to buy and ended up stealing it. okgo said:
But the places these robberies are happening are the most fancy parts of London. It’s not happening in Brixton. It’s Berkeley square.
I'd be willing to bet if someone walked through Brixton with a Rolex on display they would be robbed, id guess most people wouldn't be stupid enough to do it unless they were a massive hard nut, a psychopath or both. The liklihood of someone wearing one in Berkeley Square is much higher.
Jamescrs said:
I'd be willing to bet if someone walked through Brixton with a Rolex on display they would be robbed, id guess most people wouldn't be stupid enough to do it unless they were a massive hard nut, a psychopath or both.
I’m as un-hard as they come, and not - to my knowledge - a psychopath. (And, by profession, a Crime / Intelligence Analyst (albeit not in London)).I’d be entirely happy to walk through any part of London wearing a Rolex. If I was 14 with a mobile phone, the screen of which I couldn’t lift my eyes from, would probably be relieved of it in an afternoon.
Unfortunately I don’t have a Rolex, but I do have a £200 Gigandet “Hulk” that looks identical at 2m. And a Breitling. No one has attempted to relieve me of either in any part of the country.
Could do some calculations, but off the top of my head (and only marginally flippantly), as a middle aged male with the disposable income to afford a nice watch, you’d have to wear about ten on each arm to raise your risk factor of being robbed to anywhere close to that of a young male in precarious employment, living in substandard housing. Add in overall vulnerability, sexuality, age, deprivation, disability, long term illness, mental health, learning difficulties, race, etc, as the real risk factors.
Jamescrs said:
I'd be willing to bet if someone walked through Brixton with a Rolex on display they would be robbed, id guess most people wouldn't be stupid enough to do it unless they were a massive hard nut, a psychopath or both.
The liklihood of someone wearing one in Berkeley Square is much higher.
Well my wife did last night, I did the day before, and we're both here to tell the tale and have been for many years. The point I was making is that these crimes are happening in very busy places in central London where one wouldn't expect issues and would expect more of a police presence. The other point I make is that 99% of people needn't worry as what they own is far from interesting enough to be worth it. Skydweller an exception possibly. The liklihood of someone wearing one in Berkeley Square is much higher.
There was a good comment posted under one of Britt Pearce’s videos on this, that basically pointed out that since watches aren’t purely functional these days (since everyone has a phone on them etc), all traditional watches are in some sense a statement. So, your 10k Rolex is a similar statement as a 10k diamond necklace might have been in the past.
But watch enthusiasts don’t think of it that way. They’d never dream of wearing a 10k necklace normally (or it’d be taxi from home to opera to home etc). But they’re fine with wearing their 10k Rolex out and visible. That’s always going to attract criminals, just like the necklace would. Especially if it’s somewhat blingy and recognisable.
Myself - I don’t own any watches worth more than £1k. Not sure I could tbh, think I genuinely would be scared of getting mugged.
But watch enthusiasts don’t think of it that way. They’d never dream of wearing a 10k necklace normally (or it’d be taxi from home to opera to home etc). But they’re fine with wearing their 10k Rolex out and visible. That’s always going to attract criminals, just like the necklace would. Especially if it’s somewhat blingy and recognisable.
Myself - I don’t own any watches worth more than £1k. Not sure I could tbh, think I genuinely would be scared of getting mugged.
Crumpet said:
I don’t worry about wearing my Omegas and Breitling anywhere, they don’t feel like they’re targeted in the way some other brands are. Of course there’s still a risk but they’re insured and I think I’d actually prefer to have the full RRP reimbursed anyway!
I don’t really wear any of my Rolex any more as a result of an attempted mugging four or five years ago. It’s just not worth the risk so I just enjoy them at home or in quieter places rather than wearing them every day.
Sounds like you were very fortunate and unfortunately an ever increasing amount of Rolex/Patek owners are not wearing them as a daily.I don’t really wear any of my Rolex any more as a result of an attempted mugging four or five years ago. It’s just not worth the risk so I just enjoy them at home or in quieter places rather than wearing them every day.
Sheetmaself said:
e600 said:
Was this a number of years ago? I only ask as remember seeing that cretin in a photo a few years back with someone saying the same that he had been to buy and ended up stealing it. https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
Ninjin said:
981SPYGANG said:
Just wondering to what degree has feeling unsafe/not wearing your watch on occasions decreased your enjoyment of ownership?
Referring to the UK, I wish it would go back to pre 2010 when I could wear anything without much worry. Of course there have always been dodgy areas where "you're asking for it!" but the watch crime curve started in 2010 and went exponential from 2016. Pre 2010, I would happily wear anything carefree... nowadays that is all just a memory unless it is something that flies under the radar for crime.So for me, yes, for sure, the crime aspect has decreased my ability to rotate my full collection in the UK. Many may say I am too cautious but my brother was held at knife point for his Rolex... I don't want that happening to me.
okgo said:
Chicken_Satay said:
I don't think there's any reason to feel unsafe, providing you're reasonably careful where you go/exercise common sense.
But the places these robberies are happening are the most fancy parts of London. It’s not happening in Brixton. It’s Berkeley square. It would be interesting to see how we the UK rank in the watch muggings stats when compared to rest of the world.
Cross reference that with the legality of self defence 'gadgets' across the countries.....
In the UK - where anything beyond a comb is classed as prohibited - criminals are having an easy time of it.
Cross reference that with the legality of self defence 'gadgets' across the countries.....
In the UK - where anything beyond a comb is classed as prohibited - criminals are having an easy time of it.
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