Rolex getting stolen

[DonRickles]

Originally Posted by beshannon

Three threads on this page alone about safety/storage/home invasion.

Makes you wonder why all the demand if people are afraid to own or wear their watches?

Very strange times and even strange behavior.

__________________
I agree!

Things just like this, might just bite us in our asses one day…..


“Omega Aqua Terra 150, Omega Speedmaster 3861 Moonwatch, Rolex 116710 GMT Master II BLNR, Patek 5711/1A-011, Rolex Cosmograph 116520, Breitling Superocean Steelfish, Glashutte Senator Exellence, JLC Atmos Transparent, Seiko SBXB109 Astron GPS Solar”……….


Stranger days are ahead I’m afraid my friend.

[scottgekko]

Y'all are protected against an orchestrated heist not theft!
I guess y'all must have a lot more house guests than I do. I keep mine in a watch box in a drawer in my closet. No one ever goes in my master bedroom and especially not the closet. They're insured, so if someone broke in, went upstairs, found the watches, and stole them, it would suck, but the odds are fairly low and probably not worth hassle.

[mountainjogger]

Originally Posted by Tools

A safe that can be picked up and carried out the door is less safe than keeping your watches under the bed.

Agreed.

Get a loud barking dog.

[ndrs63]

Mine all are in safe box at the bank now. I weighed the option of an 800 lb vault, until someone reminded me that they are relatively easy to open


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[Calborn]

Originally Posted by Tikandtokalot

I laughed out loud.

LOL! same here

[rolexalias]

I don't worry about burglars when I am away from them, most of my valuables are insured and also locked up in a safe.

[Sunny Arizona]

Keep them inside your aquarium of Rattlesnakes?

[zewill]

Originally Posted by AvGeek

I agree. Most of the “safes” I’ve seen on here are no better than a steel box. My safe is 2300lbs empty, with a 1/2” thick solid steel door and 1/4” solid sides and even then it won’t last long against a plasma cutter or grinder.

Those 600lb safes will walk out the door, professional safe movers can usually move those with one guy .

You gotta be fun at parties… oh you have a piano to move? Yeah sure let’s do it now hold my beer
The stuff we read on forums…

[Giangos]

Originally Posted by AvGeek

I agree. Most of the “safes” I’ve seen on here are no better than a steel box. My safe is 2300lbs empty, with a 1/2” thick solid steel door and 1/4” solid sides and even then it won’t last long against a plasma cutter or grinder.

Those 600lb safes will walk out the door, professional safe movers can usually move those with one guy, think about how easy it would be with 3. Or just get cut open like a sardine can.

I watched as 2 guys installed a safe at my place that was a bit over 400 lb.

To get that off their truck and into my home took a huge amount of effort and skill and planning. It is not easy.

I don’t see a 600lb safe walking out the door. No way. Even if it’s not secured to the floor, as most would be, it’s still not going anywhere in a hurry.


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[Bizcut1]

Originally Posted by beshannon

Three threads on this page alone about safety/storage/home invasion.

Makes you wonder why all the demand if people are afraid to own or wear their watches?

Very strange times and even strange behavior.

It's a pertinent and worthwhile topic and I very much doubt it has anything to do with demand for a Rolex...what
is it about a home safe or even discussing safety precautions in general that would define "strange behavior?"

[AvGeek]

Seems pretty smooth to me. Yes, these are professional movers but it illustrates the point.

https://youtu.be/zoAFtwBIC_I

Or most of the time, they’ll just pry open your “safe”.

https://youtu.be/ZRFZd4SlKQo

Look I’m not trying to argue, but people should really think more about the type of safe they are buying. If you are OK with yours, then that’s all good, but the more people informed about the levels of protection (or lack thereof), the better IMO.

[Gab27]

IMO, a safe (paired with an alarm) is best. However, there are fake safes and there are true safes. Most products marketed to consumers are fake safes. These can easily be defeated. Avoid them.

[Gab27]

Originally Posted by Big Sexy

Not to freak you out but a gun safe is really listed by the insurance under writers as a "residential storage container". Look on the label inside the door. They are a joke. Easy to get into...any thief worth his stones can get into even the best ones in 10 minutes with a pry bar. YouTube is full of the videos if you dont believe me. I would encourage you to watch. I am a collector of valuable military rifles and learning the truth about gun safes convinced me to call my insurance agent and pony up.

You can buy good safes...but not from places like BPS and Cabelas LOL and not for less than probably 15k

The best advice ive heard on this thread is insurance and hiding them in plain sight.

Gun safes are good for keepings kids and crack heads out...thats about it. Dont even get me started on the fire ratings

I agree.

RSCs (AKA Level 1 RSC) are not really safes as much as they are locking containers. The front door, which has the most armor, is at best going to last a few minutes against a single person attack with average household hand tools. But things get even worse with the other 5 sides through. The armor thickness on the side walls of some of these (Level 1) RSCs is, in some cases, about .09 inches of mild steel. That's not to say this is bad when used for its purpose, but a (Level 1) RSC built to minimum spec is not something I would personally store jewelry or major valuables in. (RSC-II and RSC-III safes are a different story though, as these ratings signify a vastly more aggressive test and construction mandates--but these are very new ratings and virtually no safe makers offer safes with these ratings yet.)

I also agree with you about fire. Most gun safes use fire board for their fire resistance, which is generally a vastly inferior construction method compared to modern composite fills. Very few gun safes have a legitimate UL fire rating (signifying they have passed UL 72 testing) and (if they are rated at all), they use 3rd party ratings because the gun safes can't pass the more stringent UL tests. These gun safes, at best, perform unpredictably in fire situations. If fire resistance is extremely important, a UL rating is definitely something to look for IMO, and the specific Class/duration should be chosen relative to the type and level of fire protection desired.


BUT, you can buy a great safe for way, way, way less than $15,000. The key is generally going used and shopping for commercial brands. You can find TL-15 and TL-30 plate steel safes for a couple thousand, and you can often find TL-15/TL-30s with fire protection for not a whole lot more--for many of the folks here who seem to have a lot of Rolexes, TL-15 or TL-30 ratings are probably good places to be, IMHO. Then have a safe specialist repaint it as you want and install whatever interior you like. There are also a few new models that aren't too crazy on pricing. If one is going for a 'gun safe size', these can weigh several thousand pounds, so some consideration is required for installation.

For those just caring about burglary resistance, for a few hundred bucks they can get small B-rate and C-rate plate cash safes. These safes are made out of plate steel and are generally very small (70-200 pounds and around 1 foot of cubic space), but carry a reasonable amount of armor to protect a hand full of watches. (Like any safe, they should be bolted.)

[Will866]

Originally Posted by CrackedDial

Hollow out a book, for example "Accounting Principles for Beginners" and hide it in your bookcase.

A safe is good, but only if bolted to something really immovable.

A bank safety deposit box is even better, assuming you only want to wear your watch as often as you change your will.

They sell these on Amazon under “book safe”. Throw a tile tracker in there too.

[haganaga]

Home security system, big dog, and a gun safe in the closet. If I’m gone, I’ll take my chances that the first two will scare a would be burglar off before they get to the third.

If I’m home and you get through the first two and want to keep going, you better get to the third before I do.


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[Francist]

I read that in UK & France this is happening way too many times. Is this true?

[Danny83]

I use this when I stay it hotels and it 1000% works LOL!!!

https://www.secretstashing.com/produ...-white-regular

[101031-28]

Doubt most thieves can move a 2300lbs safe quickly. Add to that an alarm system with sensors on every door and window, video cameras thorough the property, dogs and guns indoors.

[Dave455]

Originally Posted by Francist

I read that in UK & France this is happening way too many times. Is this true?

You can argue that any theft is too much.

I can only really speak for my own area, but from chatting to a local police officer a while back, it would seem that the majority of theft from properties is “opportunity” based - someone needing money for a fix will find an unlocked door, enter, and pick up any cash lying around. While this is undoubtedly a problem, it’s confined to the bigger towns.

Alternatively, some low life will target an area, but same as above, they want to be in and out quickly. They might break a window if they see a laptop by it, or kick a door in, but any sort of safe / concealment will be effective. Problems arise because folks take watches off and leave them by sinks or workbenches, and then they are gone along with any cash.

Where I live, the most commonly stolen items are lawn mowers and chainsaws. Same problem as above really, folks store them in flimsy sheds, and they are easy targets. If you live in London, or some other big cities, the problem is worse, but unfortunately there’s a lot of money there, and that always attracts low life.

[SeeDweller]

Personally, my reasoning behind an alarm and a safe, is really just to slow a thief down, and keep them occupied. I agree that for 90-95% of the break-ins, the dirt bag wants to be in and out in <5 minutes. They’re not going to spend the 10-15 mins to break into my bolted-down safe, if they do, it’s just less time that they’re not messing up the rest of our home.
Now then, most of my watches are elsewhere, so it’ll just make them spin their wheels on the safe, and that’s fine.
If someone who’s really equipped to break into my safe is what’s in my future, then I accept that risk, and will depend on our insurance to deal with the loss. (Yes, we DO have itemized coverage on our watches - a worthwhile investment, at about $6/yr for each $1k if value).

But again, the whole idea of security is about stopping the crimes of easy opportunity, and I think most of us are aware of that.

Be safe, all!


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[tjantheman]

Originally Posted by Tools

A safe that can be picked up and carried out the door is less safe than keeping your watches under the bed.

Totally agree. Same goes for the briefcase-size Pelican(ish) cases that people store their watches in. If a thief is rifling through your closet and sees a heavy-duty briefcase, I feel like there’s a pretty good chance it’s going to pique his interest. I think you’re better off hiding your watches separately in various cases in various places. They might steal one, but they won’t steal them all.

[tjantheman]

What about a safe, put a few fakes in it, and then leave it cracked open like you’re kind of casual about actually protecting them? And then hide the real watches somewhere else.

[greeneyedguy]

Two words, redundant deterrents. Dogs, alarms, cameras, back up cameras. Make your neighbors house an easier target. Don't advertise on social media what you have.

[teamkitty]

There's preparedness and then there's paranoia. Worry less, live more.

[Chiboy]

Is it not enough to hope a thief assumes it's stainless steel and doesn't bother taking it?

[JoseR]

Originally Posted by Danny83

I use this when I stay it hotels and it 1000% works LOL!!!

https://www.secretstashing.com/produ...-white-regular

you're lucking they don't throw you out of the hotel when the cleaning person finds it....

[alphadweller]

I leave decoys (cheap watches and Chinese knockoffs) in a watchbox on the dresser of the main bedroom. There's also a non-bolted empty safe easy to find and take away. The good stuff is in a hidden safe bolted to the wall.

[jsd757]

The pic that was posted is of a vault door, not a safe. That particular door is tamper proof and fails locked. There are dead bolts on three sides of the door, drill plates, etc. The entry should be located in an area where if a pry bar were inserted, it couldn’t be moved enough to get leverage. The you tube videos show entry with enough room to use the pry bar. The safes shown being broken into typically have either one or two sides dead bolted, not three or four. They are relying on bending the side wall. Put your safe in a location where you can’t get leverage on the side wall. Can a professional get in this vault door? Sure given enough time. Would they make it out of the house, that would depend on your other layers of protection. $10k-$unlimited for watches and balking at $20k-$40k for a vault?

[TheDapperYank]

Originally Posted by kizerman

Install a wall safe. They are relatively inexpensive and anyone with some basic DIY skills can install it themselves in a couple hours or less.

Put it in a closet behind some hanging clothes and nobody will even know it's there and even if they find it, they are not getting it out without power tools and a lot of time.

So UL (Underwriter Laboratories) actually has a safe burglary rating system, and jewelry stores are required to have a TL-30 safe which means that engineers with hand tools can open that safe in 30 minutes or more and those are like $2,000+ for maybe a 1.5 cubic foot safe and those are 700lbs minimum and half inch plate steel on all sides. So "couple hours" is more than a stretch. $200 worth of craftsman power tools would open a wall safe like you described in under 5 minutes.

Don't get me wrong, it's risk vs cost, but as I've learned by going down a rabbit hole with safes, it's much more complicated than most people realize.

[Cauhauna]

Serious question - am I missing something?

My watches are fully insured for market value.

If someone breaks in and takes them, USAA will payout.

Am I the only one with insurance?