The Perceived Threat from Watch Crime and how it Changes the Way We Enjoy Luxury Watches 

Junghans in the streets, Lange in the sheets.

Street robbery and or street violence, in any form, is one of the most upsetting crimes and a very good indicator of a society in decline.

The threat is real and perceived in London. Myself got my IWC robbed from my writst in London in 2018. What an awful experience it was, even though it was a "smooth" operation by the thiefs and there was no physical violence involved. The emotional scar is real however.

There needs to be an industry wide database of all stolen watches' serial numbers readily available (and used as standard) by ALL watch repairers and vendors. Before any work is done, that serial number is checked as a matter of course, and the watch forfeit whenever a stolen serial number flashes up. Make it extremely hard for any stolen watch to go under the radar, and the market for stolen watches will soon become untenable.

Put the watch theives in prison for seven years minimum & ten years if ANY violence is involved, ultimately it is the fault of the police & criminal justice system who fail to hand out the needed sentences for these crimes..

I left London in 1989. Then never encountered any threats, even whilst living in Brixton back then. I’m now in North Northumberland and never worry about which Watch I wear when out & about. Rolex included

How sad. Same happens when you flash large diamond wedding rings. When thieves aren't prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law, this is what results. And for those who say it isn't getting worse, I wonder what planet they are on.

For years I wore a particularly under-the-radar IWC as my everyday watch, and it never really gave me a moment's pause for concern - other than in London where I'd never choose to take anything expensive, especially on the tube where a robber or pickpocket could disappear into the crowd in seconds. Fortunately, interesting or just plain cool watches aren't necessarily all expensive, and they're something we can all enjoy. My current favourite is my Seagull 1963 which I'd happily wear anywhere.

It has been like this for years in Brazil and makes it impossible wearing anything outdoors. Hope the situation gets better for you, cheers!

When I was a kid (about 30 years ago) my father wouldn’t wear his Rolex DJ (about 2G back then) in city he grew up in - Calcutta India… he said someone would chop his arm off for it and in the UK it’s ok because we are safe…30 years on I wouldn’t wear this watch I’ve inherited in pretty much any major city in the UK… Make that of what you will!

Which is why I am grateful to be living in Hong Kong - it is absolutely watch mecca here. We have one of the lowest crime rates in the world, and I see GMTs, Daytonas, Royal Oaks on a daily basis, on the streets, in the MTR (subway train), at the park. People are just so used to seeing luxury watches here.

Well since I live in Key West, FL in the USA I have the right to bear arms for self defense. I always carry a Colt .45 caliber model 1911 pistol concealed in my waistband that I am well trained on and that makes me the equal or better of any person that would wish to do me harm. So I get to wear whatever I want without fear. I have worn a Rolex on my wrist everywhere in the US for over 25 years without any incident whatsoever. Admittedly I do not purposely go into high crime areas much or go 'clubbing' in big liberal cities. If I ever decide to travel out of the country, and therefore can not be adequately armed, I would probably wear my Glycine Airman Vintage Noon Purist gmt $800 on a dark brown leather strap. I really like this 40mm GMT 2 time zone watch that measure 24 hours at a time and wear it now often just for fun anyway but it would be a perfect travel watch.

When buying we should not accept "without box and papers". That should lower the rate of watch robers in time.

The way your watch makes others feel for me resonates. Waiting in line for a coffee the barista’s look of hurt at my Rolex made me rethink. For many, these things are unobtainable. Hence, I have paired down but not out of fear. Life is short and uncertain. Getting robbed for my Daytona isn’t a worry.

You touched on it early on. You've actually made me more conscious now than I ever was. I've just visited London this week and was wandering around wearing a new Seamaster. Not mega expensive but I never gave it a moments thought. Got me thinking 😮

I live in South Africa and it has certainly affected how I collect and wear watch. Having been in a few violent encounters I don't fancy being stabbed again. I therefore dont wear anything bold or steel strapped in public anymore. Casio's standard models in black are now the only thing I can wear in public as someone was even killed for a Seiko the other day. Sad times indeed.

After a while kind of a system developed itself: Business meeting at a hotel or restaurant, with my car parked at the entrance or garage nearby = any watch fitting my outfit. Shopping in the city on a saturday / going to Berlin or Munich = below 3000. Dinner in the city / Pub with chance of getting sh*tfaced = below 1000. Physical work = any Seiko 😎

I work in london on local authority contracts, I wear a G-SHOCK or my Apple Watch while at work, then in evenings and weekends I put on my more appealing to me watches , I’m always aware of my surroundings which is sad but just a fact in life that you must not drop your guard. The only place I seem to relax is when on holiday in an all inclusive resort that isn’t open to anyone just walking in to the hotel/resort , also they always have security guards on the beaches and main entrance. Isn’t that a terrible way to think but unfortunately that’s how I perceive it anyhow. 😢

A thoughtful, considered and articulate video, thank you. I travel frequently in the developing world so consider this question often, and maintain two collections, one for safer venues, the other for travel. Key for me, though, is the fact that my travel is my most special watch wearing opportunity so I struggle to find a lower cost alternative that will be worthy of my memories. Thank you for your recommendation of Christopher Ward. I focus on less than $2K USD as a loss in that range won’t be crushing. In any event, something particularly bad seems to be happening in the U.K., and I do hope it gets sorted. All the best.

This is something I think about. A lot. I live and work in London and now my overt 'sexy' watch - my Rolex - I rarely wear in London at all. It sits in a safety deposit box and I get it out when I go overseas on holiday and for biz; definitely in places less fancy or 'rich' than London...but ultimately safer than London. For me, even as I'm ex-mil law enforcement and somewhat capable of defending myself, it would be the risk of me being with my family, or friends and the risk of potential collateral damage to them.

I live in NYC and travel by subway to Wall Street everyday. I wear Rolex, Breguet, Breitling, Cartier and everything in my rotation. Never had an issue or a concern, knock on wood.

I live close to San Francisco and when I visit I'm much more concerned about my car getting broken into. My luxury watch is with me at all times. Helps that I'm 6'2" tall to scare off thieves.

It’s also weighing on London. I live in Monaco, and after the obvious tax aspect the second most prominent reason we have a queue of new residents is security. This type of crime is virtually non-existent (heard tell of some guy being relieved of his RM in a nightclub once but that’s about it) thanks to plenty of visible (and plainclothes) police, CCTV and a very firm hand. They also regularly stop and search anyone who looks “out of place” - make of that what you will.

As a watch enthusiast who owns over 40 watches, this was a subject that troubled me for some time. I am not a wealthy person so any watch worth more than £1000 is a considerable purchase for me and the most expensive watch I have bought was a Tudor Black Bay M79230N. Ultimately I decided to sell the Tudor because I felt I was not able to wear it and feel comfortable. I was concerned it was too recognisable from a distance. I think to spot an expensive watch there has to be something distinctive about it, be it the snow flake hand of a Tudor, the unmistakable crown on the dial of a Rolex or the distinctive shape of a Royal Oak or Nautilus and of course anything with the hue of red or yellow gold. All of my valuable watches are stainless steel and I tend to pair them with straps as opposed to bracelets. I personally feel wearing them this way helps them fly more under the radar as they don’t tend to catch and play with the light as much. I have recently come into some money and I have been considering buying something to crown my collection, but I must admit I am finding it very difficult deciding on what to get. I do know one thing though, if I had much more disposable income I would wear much more expensive watches with a lot less care.

I wear my Apple Ultra watch when in NYC. I told my wife I don’t wear my other watches (Speedmaster, Tudor Pepsi) in NYC for fear of theft. She informed me that thieves weren’t interested in my watches.

I learned a long time ago You can’t have anything nice in the UK

I gotta say, even wearing my Gen 1 Apple Watch with the stainless steel strap fills me with fear. I was in Croydon the other day visiting someone and walked to the busier part of town to check out a retro game shop - the amount of attention I felt on my wrist was _very_ unsettling… London has a massive problem, and it can only be fixed by… well… god knows.

This is why I also carry a firearm...I have been in a few situations, one that actually involved my watch and they have much more to worry about than I do.....If you flash wealth, you better be a man who can defend your wealth....If they wind up getting my watch, they will also be getting some lead to go with that gold.

I still wear my nice watches in London but I choose carefully the tops I wear. Sleeves must cover my watch

I must say that Christopher Ward "The Twelve" looks absolutely gorgeous - refined, very well-made, and (the titanium version) COSC certified. I want one now.

My approach is: what’s to be is to be. If my destiny is to meet such event of having a watch being stolen, so be it. I’m never going to be prisoner to my watch and fearful of wearing it. If I feel this fear - I am out of the watch hobby.

Funny timing. I was wearing my Zeitwerk to the capital today, for the first time ever. And I specifically chose a long sleeve because of it. And Oslo is about 1000x safer than London. I would never travel with it, simply because of theft/robbery. That being said, if you want to ease your mind, I'll take the Odysseus off your hands. I'll even give you back every penny you paid for it! :D

I think there is an important conversation to be had within the watch community about what it means to be walking around wearing a watch that might have the value of someone's yearly salary. We talk about certain cities being hotspots for "watch crime" - I also live in London - and it can't be a coincidence that this seems to occur in places where there is extreme wealth disparity, with people living in extreme poverty and people living with relative wealth both taking the underground. I love watches, but there's a growing tension within me around this and I can't shake the feeling that there's an obscenity to the hobby in some respects - at least the luxury side of things. I am not defending people getting robbed and beaten up in any way - it's awful - but the conversation never seems to get to the core of why these things happen. By acknowledging that certain areas seem to have a higher prevalence of these thefts than others, we have to admit that there is a socioeconomic root to it. Anything else is magical thinking - people living in London do not have a spiritual propensity towards nicking Submariners.

Where i live, there are so many wannabes wearing Rolex super clones, that is why people dont care anymore about the watch you wear. So many super clones for sale and so many people buy them to impress people they dont know. Started wearimg my Tudors and Seikos and i feel good about it knowing its the real piece.

I travelled into London yesterday after watching this video and decided to leave my new Explorer at home. Instead I wore my 20 year old Omega AT which I didn't think many people would notice. Opposite me on the train was a guy wearing a lovely gold IWC Portugieser worth at least £20k. He had short sleeves and it really was an eye catching piece. As we disembarked at Paddington I complimented him on it and mentioned I'd been reluctant to wear my latest purchase into London after watching a RU-vid video. His comment was a shrug and "maybe you shouldn't watch RU-vid videos"

I'm from the UK, but I emigrated to the US in 2009. The UK seems to have taken a pretty sharp nosedive in the last few years, and it is very sad to watch. This sort of behavior would be unthinkable where I live now.

I couldn‘t understand how somebody would buy a watch without box & papers! The risk that the watch is stolen or a fake is very high! Who on earth is throwing away his box and papers of a watch whitch costs THOUSENDS of Euros/Dollars???? Nobody could be so stupid! I mean, if I buy a car, I also don‘t throw away the papers of it! @all: STOP BUYING WATCHES WITHOUT BOX AND PAPERS!!! If no one would buy watches without box papers, then the number of watch thefts would decrease drastically!

This is another reason the rich love Dubai , Singapore , Kuala Lumpur , Zurich , Monaco and most republican cities in the Usa where it will be be fine , the Uk particularly London , seems to be in a death spiral

Classic example for me is I take a few watches on holiday, I was in Milan last week and I took my Explorer and my MoonSwatch for those moments when you are worried about some of the people that concerns you and when I did have my Explorer on I felt very worried at times as it’s known for pick pockets , I’ve now moved on the Varenna on Lake Como and I feel very happy here as it’s very safe here so it’s case of making sure these days that you go to nice places if your wearing nice watches

Been traveling to London from DC since Oct 2023. I usually stay for a week, maybe more. I actually commute out to Croydon when I'm there. I wear everything from Rolex, to AP, to Lange. Never felt unsafe. Same is here state-side in DC, NYC, or LA. I don't want to diminish the actual thefts, but I think a few cases have turned into a bigger issue than it is. I just got back from vacation in Portugal, not one concern. I love London, amazing city.

My other half wears my old Invicta Pro Diver. She wears it because she can read it and she does a lot of yard work and just needs a tough cheap watch. But so many people think it's a Rolex and she has had funny looks from people. I have told her she can have something else but doesnt want to change it. Also I have advised if anyone wants to take it...just let them.

Casio FW91: the only realistic option on the streets of London or Birmingham.

I'm very intrigued by the comments you recieved from the former police detective regarding watch criminals educating themselves to identify Langes. I watch the Lange grey market in the UK like a hawk, so few come up for sale it seems practically impossible for a thief to steal a Lange in London and then shift it in the UK without the victim/community finding it. Food for thought though, I, like you, have naively felt safe from targeted crime as Langes (I assumed) fly under the radars of most criminals, clearly this isn't the case anymore.

I'd wear any watch in Norway or Dubai, totally safe. Rolex Omega Panerai in my own town. Horage Supersede everywhere else - even enthusiasts don't give it a 2nd look and it's the perfect everyday luxury watch.

I'm happy to wear any of my watches anywhere I go, and I live in a dreaded "flyover state", blessed with so much that people in big cities seem to go without, including safety. Glock is good insurance as well 😆

My feeling is that one has to distinguish between London and everywhere else in the UK. Why? Because there are numerous highly organised robbery gangs operating in London. To this extent it is probably unwise to wear visibly _any_ moderately high value item on the streets in London. No doubt the stories about the gangs educating themselves about watches are true. That being said, though, I'm 100% sure their main target is always going to be Rolex - just because these are relatively easy to sell quickly and for a good amount without box&papers. But Lange? Journe? Patek - aside from Nautilus/Aquanaut? I dunno man...are they really going to see a Lange _Richard Lange,_ let's say, or a Patek _ref 5296 sector dial_ from 20 paces away and identify it in the same way they would spot almost any Rolex Professional Range model? And even if they did, would such a watch be remotely so easy to sell hot without box&papers as a Rolex? I know someone who lost an F.P.Journe in a bag-theft. When they reported it as stolen to Journe, they were informed that it would become from henceforth virtually un-sellable other than in a back alley, so to speak; and that it would in any case sooner or later have to find its way back to FPJ for servicing - at which point it would be flagged up as stolen... At the very least, when outside of London, wearing something like a Lange would be genuinely extremely under-the-radar, I think.

The justice system is to blame, we way to soft on criminals, I bet if we went back a few centuries and cut of one’s thieving hand they wouldn’t do it again or couldn’t.

My watches are usually firmly under my sleeve, unless of course I'm wearing short sleeves in which case my gshock is on my wrist. It's scary knowing what a keen eye these thugs have.

Bottom line is, you wouldn't walk through a city waving a wallet with 10 grands worth of 50's sticking out of it. Chances are you'd be fine, but at all points in our day we do subconcious risk analysis and mitigation. I love watches, they're a beautifully useless item to enjoy and come in so many varieties, complications and designs, but I've always felt there's a degree of vulgarity towards the higher end, or at least in the way they're openly worn in public.

If you had a Rolex on your wrist and a Glock on your hip I wonder then if you’d have a watch crime.

Hence why I chose to buy an Omega Speedmaster instead of a Rolex Sub, the chances of being mugged in London are diminished dramatically and still looks good. PS: plus I am on the list 😂

I live in North Canada, we have very little ,,watch crime,, here. We do struggle with polar bears, though. The good thing is, that they leave your watch intact, they only eat the edible parts of your body, but the watch stays there.

The sweep on that Grand Seiko is beautiful!

Back in the 1980's, my best friend and I would routinely visit London for business and pleasure and we are from So. California. Back then, we never had any worries riding The Tube at midnight with her wearing diamonds. Not anymore. Being an entrepreneur, I have been a loyal patron of Piaget since college. Like me, all my watches are old. I prefer manual movements, ultrathin, with leather straps. Most don't attract attention as they are plain and understated. With increasing crime in London and Paris, I prefer to remain closer to home. Who needs the hassle? We all know the cause... My solution: Wear a tennis "sweat band" surrounding a prized watch as not to gain attention, or a long sleeve shirt or sweater. If that doesn't work, get a travel pouch you can carry under your shirt, with a neck cord. Put papers, cash, cards and your watch in there. Carry a fake wallet, and put some cash in your shoe. Put on your watch at your destination, hotel or home.

People are getting popped on the head with hammers in the chelsea area. I was waking in that area and saw two guys on mopeds that looked like they were cruising for a soft target very recently. I really enjoyed 4 years of hulk ownership but as someone who walks through London I could no longer wear it without 360 degree awareness at all times, so what’s the point. Sold it. My girly had a gold JLC reverso and I do worry about her sometimes.

Where I live you can wear a million dollar watch and no theft. In fact many people wear PP, AP,Rolex, etc. In London I would NOT do this and would wear my most low key Seiko.

This is a media driven thing. Who buys stollen watches? Drug dealers and other criminals. There are so many watches that look exactly like the most popular model the Submariner that being targeted for a genuine one is unlikely. Your mobile phone is more likely to be stolen. The no1 thing that is going to get someone mugged is their own attitude walking around. If you are nervous about your safety you are far more likely to be a target...

Going to a five star restaurant wear your big boy. Going to the market SKX and so on. A good way to avoid getting robbed is traning your self to be aware of your saroundings thieves look for the people that are distracted.

It is indeed all in your mind. The likelihood of it happening is very very slim. I live in London and I wear expensive watches, and I have never felt concerned. Not once. The 'problem' really has been blown out of all proportion by the likes of Paul Thorpe. Rampant paranoia. Like any big city, there will be crime; but it is a bit like the 'more likely to be eaten by a shark' analogy. Enjoy your watches, otherwise don't buy them. To add, if you see a modern watch on sale without box/papers there is a 95% chance it has been stolen. Very few box/papers have been 'lost in a house move'. I refuse to buy modern watches without box/papers because I do not want to encourage criminality and it would feel wrong to walk around with another person's stolen watch on my wrist.

Well .. since I just sold my only Rolex and I have a few Bremont watches to keep me company .. I guess I’m happy about that choice. The Rolex was nice … but Bremont is the better choice.

Pretty strong correlation between strong 2nd Amendment areas and lack of watch theft.

I live 8 miles due west of Chicago Im new to the world of watches but no problem wearing a rolex dj or a grand seiko sbga465. Wishing everyone a good day and may catastrophe never strike you.

It is irritating. Im also based in london and am looking to buy my first luxury watch, and have more or less decided on an Explorer as my GADA for the reasons youre talking about. I generally think, if based in london, dont walk around with anything you couldn't buy a replacement of comfortably. If i get the rolex stolen it wont be a particularly big deal for me personally, wouldnt currently be the same with an RM etc

It just shows that England, and very much all of western Europe has degressed into developed countries. I have never heard about those things coming from Europe in the previous decades. Pickpocketing, yes, but never serious physical threat with knives and machetes. But here we are today with Moped gangs and being mugged broad daylight. That's just beyond sadness.

This makes me think. How do people recognise luxury watches. I can understand that some watches shout expensive. Like Rolex but are there some expensive watches that would be understated. Or do they listen to conversations about how expensive they are, or do they hang around expensive restaurants or venues and assume watches worn are probably expensive. I'm looking at watches that I think only watch geeks might know about.

Someone tried to steal my watch. About 10 minutes later they came back with my watch and a bundle of cash and he told me to “go out and get something decent!”

my favourite watches are my Bremont (3K), Omega (6K) and Breitling Navitimer (8K). I am happy wearing my Bremont all the time and on holiday, although it's a beautiful watch. My Omega I would tend only wear in better parts of London and my Navitimer is really for premium going out with my wife to a nice place. My collection is far cheaper than watch enthusiasts and probably most of those reading here, but I don't feel comfortable in some of the parts of London my wife likes to go to markets when wearing a t-shirt and the Omega or Breilting. I am less worried about the professional thieves (which tend to target tourists around expensive shops or rich looking people in expensive areas when there is no one else around) and more for casual thieves with a knife or in a young gang. That's just me.

The extent to which most major cities have decayed is dismaying.

Was in London this weekend. No watches, at least not on wrist out in the open. Only put it back on in secure location - past security desk / police checkin at motorsport event, and inside hotel. Have an ugly black cheap plastic Swatch System51 also if/when needed. Most capital city centers should be considered as cut throat locations, to be avoided like the plague.

What an awesome video. I love to hear the thoughts of other watch enthusiasts.

You do great content . Decide if your hobby is worth the mental strain of living where you do or is professional security worth yhe cost .

Interesting that you have chosen a CW 12 as your "under the radar" watch to wear out and about in London. I'd suggest that from a distance of about 5m, this watch could easily be mistaken by a potential thief as being an AP RO, or a Czapek if the thieves really know their stuff ;-) Point is, this homage type of design is still a red flag to the potential thief.

Luxury watch = much prettier than the Richard Mille, hahaha. Another interesting essay!

Wonderful video about an unfortunate topic. Frankly, I'm surprised it has taken so long for thieves to focus on premium watches considering the trends toward conspicuous consumption. Be safe.

I think this is also part of the reason why i like to go for the more unusual watches/watch brands

Great content, very well articulated. I choose to wear my bright yellow G-Shock when in crowded urban spaces… and my Rolexes in quieter, safer environments. You just have to be mindful of your surroundings and the conspicuous wealth on your wrist. Stay safe out there. 👍🇬🇧 You have a new Sub. 👍

I’m bothered that I might be putting my family in harms way in due to my some sort of avarice on my part but want to be able to have and enjoy some nice things that I’ve strived for

I say always have a beater watch you can wear. Intercity. Stop the crime and prevent your safety from a theif😊

Anthony Farrar has robbed loads of watches😮

Just because a Rolex falls under RRP doesn't mean its not a good payday for the thieves. Its still a win for them. I'm luckily enough to live in Tenerife which is extremely low crime and I've only heard (anecdotally) heard of 2 watches being stolen in 7 years.. Both in the same 'rough' area of late night drugs and drunken brits abroad area However when travelling as we did a world cruise this year and will be doing another next January I'm unlikely to bother with my Rolex unless I'm in somewhere safe(Japan, Dubai or Singapore etc) I'm in Uk a few times later on in the year (Newbury & Oxford) so feel reasonably safe: but into London? Hmm no I'll wear a unknown microbrand instead. It's not just watches of course, everything of value is a target. Crime is rampant and isn't under control or ever likely to be. The creep to become a mini America is very disheartening.. Its the frog in a saucepan situation.. But overall yes anything that makes you circumspect has a detrimental mental affect even subconsciously . I left the UK in 2015 one of the main reasons was the rapidly increasing decay in society standards. My Partner is from the Baltic states, travelling around there you realise how badly the West has failed in its keeping people safe. Its quite sickening . I fear for my daughters and their kids futures and constantly urge them to leave the UK far behind if at all possible.

I always think about the possibility of getting robbed of my watch, i live in sweden. I atleast hide my Rollies in alot of situations, i choose not to wear it alot also. I work in a area with alot of criminals, if id work in a safe area id wear it alot more.

People SHOULD be able to wear whatever they want (watches in this case). However in the real world if you are walking around affluent areas like Mayfair of Kensington with a watch over £5000.00, you are potentially gonna be a target. Sad but true.

Ever thought about moving to UAE, a place that is safe and where being wealthy is not seen like a crime that deserves punishment???

I wear a nasty looking beat up old and the cheapest Casio when I’m out of the house these days. It isn’t only London that has a watch theft problem. I’ve seen a guy robbed of an ordinary gshock here in Sydney on the train system. My other watches that I value are only worn in the house for now. I’m ok with that. But .. I was targeted by a burglar earlier this year .. long story short they got nothing but the shock of their life, with a crowbar across their bow. Secure your watches and your home too folks! Trust me it’s not fun to be robbed at home or on the street.

Thieves don't study your watch before they steal it, so, sadly, even blingy, $50 Chinese Rolex/Omega clones can put you at risk. I don't travel any more, but when I did, I had a "collection" of $20 plastic quartz watches for walking around in dodgy areas. I actually had a guy offer to buy one of them in a resort town in Mexico; apparently they weren't available there. (This was pre-internet.). He was a food vendor in the village, and a great guy, so I gave it to him. This video is mostly talking about 5-10-20 thousand dollar watches, but consider that even a $500 watch represents a "free" $100 for a low-level thief, easily turned over in a pawn shop and largely untraceable. In general, watches, along with cellphones, are the only items of concentrated value that we carry around. In London, at least, no one is going to steal your shoes.

I resent the situation as much as anybody, but I am also aware that part of the reason why we can afford car-priced watches is fundamentally the same as the reason people are willing to risk their lives over stealing them - growing inequality. There is no free lunch, so take the good with the bad.

There needs to be a much harsher punishment for robbery. minimum 5 years and minimum 10 if violence is used. then it may be that the idiots think about it an extra time

Here in Montana, we have a different solution to the problem. I am armed always, and so are a lot of other people here. We don't have much of this kind of crime because people here (thieves) know that trying to mug someone might just cost the thief their life.

Crazy that in London you have all of this crime and around the corner you have the royal family and the home of Government, some how it seems crime is tolerated and brushed under the carpet.

Here in the States…..I carry ALL the time. Try to take my watch and i will perforate you.

One of my friends owned a very modest ladies Rolex. While staying at a hotel, she felt, during, half sleep, that someone was in the room! Recalling her half-dream-like state, in the morning, she looked around her room. Her Rolex was gone!!! The hotel strongly denied that any staff member would sneak into her room and steal her watch. But somebody did!

Wear a London watch when in London (Seiko, G-Shock, Hamilton) Wear a more expensive watch elsewhere.

In the 1920's a New York Supreme Court judge held in a non watch related case to the effect that " the risk to be percieved drfines the duty thst is owed ". Wearing a real or counterfit gold Rolex in to a pub might get you a bad bruise or worse. Your friends discretion is intelligent . Save your luxury watches for luxury events . Enjoy your fine watches at home .

As a society, I’m somewhat astonished at how decent British people have rolled over and accepted high levels of crime in well to do public venues. Yes - it’s always been a poor idea to wear expensive jewelry in a bad area of a large city. But when you can’t walk down town with a watch on, out of fear of being mugged, then the terrorist have won; so to say. If the politicians and police won’t solve this then my solution is to just carry a concealed carry pistol and your worry and risk goes way down. Cheers.

I will just not wear my luxury watch when I go to major cities such as the Hague, Amsterdam or Düsseldorf.

You know what looks great with my "luxury watch"? My concealed Sig Sauer P229.

Like you said use your discretion, be street wise, be conscious of your surroundings. If you are weary of your surroundings . If you have a man bag put your hand under your man bag ,which would be putting your hand in your pocket. Some people are pretty naive and get to comfortable on the street like there in there house.

I got my Richard Mille tourbillon watch robbed off me, should’ve bought a Lambo

I only wear my more expensive watches with long sleeves now. On hotter days when that's not possible I opt for less desirable options ranging from Seiko to Tudor.

I think this part of the watch bubble evolved the latest admits the rising hype and this will be last branch to die out when the hype really came down. Rising prices justified everything, even buying a Watch that is most likely stolen. If the trend remains how it is, buyers will have more choices and will go to safe variants rather than the best price for a shady product.