Higher rate of Rolex mugging/thefts?

[Pure_class]

Saw a few YouTube videos today discussing mainly what seems to be a higher rate of thefts/robberies towards people wearing Rolex. With all this Rolex hype via social media/internet is anyone seeing this becoming an actual reality? Or is this more YouTube/social media placing limited incidents under a microscope making them seemingly appear more common/widespread? Of course there always has been and always will be certain areas or times you should be weary. But has this increased to the point others here don’t like to wear their watch out of the house or wear anywhere daily or travel etc. Thoughts?

[garyk]

In November 2019, I walked into the Paris Rolex store at the Vendome shops and the SA there told me I should be careful wearing my JC DSSD there. Later we were in Brussels and Brugge and didn’t feel unsafe but we witnessed an attempted theft of a laptop case (while boarding a train) from a woman who grabbed it right back and ran down the thief. Someone had to pull her off this guy, kind of crazy…

[S52]

Yep... I believe it.

I find myself a bit more paranoid now out in public when wearing my watches. I always keep my head on a swivel and will stash the watch out of sight whenever I find myself riding the subway or walking around undesirable areas.

[vh2k]

You are safe in suburban Connecticut.

Leaving a ritzy restaurant in Manhattan at 2:00AM. Be aware of your surroundings.

[Pure_class]

Originally Posted by vh2k

You are safe in suburban Connecticut.

Leaving a ritzy restaurant in Manhattan at 2:00AM. Be aware of your surroundings.

Yes agreed there haha. I do work in NYC and commute in etc. I do wear my 5 digit sub quite a bit but have recently started to question that…I still tend to see tons of other rolexes on commuters and people walking in the city during my commute..I imagine there are so many out in the wild daily.

[RolexSimon]

If you don't feel safe wearing your watch - don't wear it!!
No problem in Australia but I wouldn't wear my Rolex out late in the USA / London / Paris / Barcelona and several other places.

[Playinwittime]

I saw many of those videos as well. London has become the capital by far of lux watch robberies. However, I would only wear my Rolex in suburban LA and not venture into the city where a few watch robberies have been happening lately. Being from NYC, I’d say that I would curtail my wearing it beyond daytime desk-diving white collar commuting. Wearing the crown at night in NYC increases risk, just like it does everywhere else.

[Dirt]

Originally Posted by RolexSimon

If you don't feel safe wearing your watch - don't wear it!!
No problem in Australia but I wouldn't wear my Rolex out late in the USA / London / Paris / Barcelona and several other places.

There are plenty of places which are risky.
My wife had reason to be very concerned for her safety in Paris at one time, and we both had serious reason to be concerned once in Italy in a place that generally never gets a mention.

[RolexRon456]

In Chicago and I wouldn’t wear a Rolex around uncovered. Cops seem overwhelmed these days and I doubt they would care much if a rich guy loses his Rolex.

[RollieNZ]

A sad indictment on society that we can longer wear our watches in many places now without fearing for our safety and the loss of our timepieces.

Perhaps this phenomenon is due to the higher prices now for many of the hot models and also the social media exposure.

What's on our wrist no longer 'flies under the radar'

Maybe the only place we will be safe wearing them is in our own home!

[Tomas Eriksson]

In the US perceived crime is up while crime rates have dramatically declined since the 90’s.

And while looking at statistics, avoid walking around in public drunk at night and you lower the risks quite a lot.

[ferrissteve11]

Social media may have brought them more to the forefront of those looking at/for watches; however it's more about being situationally aware of your surroundings and not putting yourself in a position of risk. Granted there are times when that is out of your control however practicing some basic risk mitigation can go a long way. My .02

[zengineer]

Originally Posted by RolexSimon

If you don't feel safe wearing your watch - don't wear it!!
No problem in Australia but I wouldn't wear my Rolex out late in the USA / London / Paris / Barcelona and several other places.

3 cities in Europe and the entire country of the United States of America? I'm with you about London and Paris but we are more than New York City, Los Angeles and Miami.

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[RollieNZ]

Of course it's important to be situationally aware and not take unnecessary risks but I don't see how this will protect you when you are being specifically cased as a wearer of a high value watch and targeted by gangs of robbers who you are powerless against.

[grimps]

Many of the holiday destinations in Spain and the Baleric Islands are well known for watch thefts.

[ratty]

Originally Posted by Playinwittime

I saw many of those videos as well. London has become the capital by far of lux watch robberies. However, I would only wear my Rolex in suburban LA and not venture into the city where a few watch robberies have been happening lately. Being from NYC, I’d say that I would curtail my wearing it beyond daytime desk-diving white collar commuting. Wearing the crown at night in NYC increases risk, just like it does everywhere else.

Do you have any actual evidence of London becoming the capitol by far of lux watch robberies?

I have worked in London for over thirty years, including as a police officer, and have family members who have worked there longer than that. I’m curious to know what you know that I don’t!

[rkny]

I lived in NYC from 1989-2018 and rarely gave my watch much thought. Heck, I even got mugged at gunpoint early on, and the muggers weren’t interested in my watch, just my wallet.

Fast forward to today, and a guy eating at a sidewalk restaurant outdoors in Manhattan last month was robbed of his Submariner right in the middle of dinner, and another was shot during the robbery.

Now I live in Chicago, where at least there’s no false sense of security.

[xrole]

Originally Posted by Pure_class

Saw a few YouTube videos today discussing mainly what seems to be a higher rate of thefts/robberies towards people wearing Rolex. With all this Rolex hype via social media/internet is anyone seeing this becoming an actual reality? Or is this more YouTube/social media placing limited incidents under a microscope making them seemingly appear more common/widespread? Of course there always has been and always will be certain areas or times you should be weary. But has this increased to the point others here don’t like to wear their watch out of the house or wear anywhere daily or travel etc. Thoughts?

This is not rocket science. Worsening economic conditions for the poor among society, and bettering economic conditions for the rich, are creating more of an wealth gap and imbalance. This will inevitably lead to an increase in crime and if you wear a Rolex on your wrist then there is a chance, that while you are out in public, thieves are going to to see and recognise it for the walking payday that it is.

I would never wear a Rolex in an economically poor country where people get killed for a lot less than an expensive watch.

[RealMadrid1988]

Originally Posted by rkny

I lived in NYC from 1989-2018 and rarely gave my watch much thought. Heck, I even got mugged at gunpoint early on, and the muggers weren’t interested in my watch, just my wallet.

Fast forward to today, and a guy eating at a sidewalk restaurant outdoors in Manhattan last month was robbed of his Submariner right in the middle of dinner, and another was shot during the robbery.

Now I live in Chicago, where at least there’s no false sense of security.

And thousands more dined that same night with their Rolexes on and nothing happened. I don’t get the obsession with the sensationalist headlines. Get your watches insured and enjoy them like they’re meant to be enjoyed. If you get robbed, hand over the watch, remember as much detail as you can about the assailant, and immediately file a police report.

[RolexSimon]

Originally Posted by zengineer

3 cities in Europe and the entire country of the United States of America? I'm with you about London and Paris but we are more than New York City, Los Angeles and Miami.

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Apologies again - of course I would feel safer in country USA but I'm usually in big smokes!!

[teck21]

Originally Posted by xrole

This is not rocket science. Worsening economic conditions for the poor among society, and bettering economic conditions for the rich, are creating more of an wealth gap and imbalance. This will inevitably lead to an increase in crime and if you wear a Rolex on your wrist then there is a chance, that while you are out in public, thieves are going to to see and recognise it for the walking payday that it is.

I would never wear a Rolex in an economically poor country where people get killed for a lot less than an expensive watch.

Places like HK and Singapore have far worse rates of economic inequality than Paris/London/Rome.

It’s not so simple an explanation.


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[Harry-57]

YouTwitFace is good at propagating ideas and opinions as well as facts. The fact to BS ratio has never favoured truth and it slips further towards myth every week. People post click bait, others repost it and suddenly it's the truth. This is why no one can walk into a Rolex AD and buy a SS Professional watch.

Not that crime is a myth. But don't bother getting anecdotes from strangers. Get official statistics and trust your own common sense, judgment and situational awareness. Some people (excluding those unfortunate enough to have a medical condition which renders them cognitively impaired) don't seem to have any common sense or peripheral vision at all. Others don't trust their guts. Exercising a grain of awareness will put you well ahead in the risk stakes.

London isn't dangerous per se. Behaving in certain ways at certain times in certain parts of London is risky. Just like it always was, even before Rolex existed.

[Madman37]

Have you seen the Rolex Rippers story in Poole UK. They have stolen so many. Where do all these watches go?

[xrole]

Originally Posted by teck21

Places like HK and Singapore have far worse rates of economic inequality than Paris/London/Rome.

It’s not so simple an explanation.

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I was of course generalizing, based on my experience and/or knowledge of West/Europe and the Americas. So, I will exclude Asia from my generalizations as I have no real familiarity with levels of crime there.

[Uggi]

Take the number of robberies and divide it by the number of instances where humans wear Rolexes in society.
That's how likely/prevalent this is.
You're talking about getting hit by lightning. How worried are people about that?
If you live in London and see/read the news about NYC and Houston and LA robberies you are encouraged to believe that these places are a degenerate dystopian wasteland of horror and terror. If you live in the US and see the news about London you are encouraged to believe that people are getting chopped up like sushi on a daily basis.
There's a lot of bull in modern life. You have to sift through it.

[rkny]

Originally Posted by RealMadrid1988

And thousands more dined that same night with their Rolexes on and nothing happened. I don’t get the obsession with the sensationalist headlines. Get your watches insured and enjoy them like they’re meant to be enjoyed. If you get robbed, hand over the watch, remember as much detail as you can about the assailant, and immediately file a police report.

I’m not suggesting anyone should hide under a rock. But when something like that happens, which was, up until that moment, literally unheard of in Manhattan, it is noteworthy, and indicative of a changing climate.

If a UFO landed on your lawn tomorrow, despite thousands of other lawns with no UFOs, you’d still find it remarkable. So would a lot of others.

Just like when the girl was shot and killed in Mad Sq Park in 2020. It was a “what is happening?” moment.

Or last summer when I saw a guy pleasuring himself on a sunny weekday at noon, on a bench outside the Ace Hotel on Bway…. That was new!

[russeree]

Originally Posted by xrole

This is not rocket science. Worsening economic conditions for the poor among society, and bettering economic conditions for the rich, are creating more of an wealth gap and imbalance. This will inevitably lead to an increase in crime and if you wear a Rolex on your wrist then there is a chance, that while you are out in public, thieves are going to to see and recognise it for the walking payday that it is.



I would never wear a Rolex in an economically poor country where people get killed for a lot less than an expensive watch.

Truth spoken.

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[PattayaHammerTime]

Originally Posted by ratty

Do you have any actual evidence of London becoming the capitol by far of lux watch robberies?

I have worked in London for over thirty years, including as a police officer, and have family members who have worked there longer than that. I’m curious to know what you know that I don’t!

maybe a bit much to name it as the capital of thefts, I know of people who have been targeted in many of the euro cities and holiday destinations, it's all down to luck on the day or as we suspect wearing it in a restaurant and the waiter alerting the thieves etc so they know who to target.

Recently in leafy Essex a young man was sparked out cold for a fake rolex he was wearing on his way back from a day out in London, he was drunk and deemed an easy target?

I rotate watches to suit the environment I am going to be in but have ended up in places like Brixton wearing my Rolex, being mindful of your surroundings and not make yourself look vulnerable or waving your arms in the air at a concert so people can clock you is a big factor I feel.

In saying that my aquanaut is staying in the safe more and more lately, used to be nobody knew what it was but now it's as obvious as my rose gold yachtmaster, sad times indeed!

Moral of the post is regardless of where you are don't make yourself a target and read the room, that should be a life skill anyway!

[Luke@TRF]

in london people are getting mugged for all sorts of high end stuff. watches, bikes, phones. the prison term is simply a joke. Yesterday in the news some rich dude run over and killed a guy in a RR, sentence term is 8 months imprisonment, suspended for 2 years.

[padi56]

I wonder how many millions of Rolex watches worn daily worldwide never get robbed or mugged. Today the media jumps on this bandwagon with there constant scaremongering, yes people get mugged and robbed daily world wide and mostly for a lot less than a Rolex watch. So when wearing anything expensive its up to the owner to show diligence and common sense when wearing any high value item.