Advice for wearing PP in Europe

[bibbi]

Originally Posted by Will_NL

It depends on a couple of things:

- don't wear a Nautilus or Aquanaut at all, that's asking for trouble
- don't wear a Patek or Rolex out in the open whilest also wearing other expensive clothing brands (or even without)
- Stay out of well know bad areas and be mindfull of your surroundings

And in my opinion this goes for Barcelona, Madrid, Paris (all large cities in France), London, Rome, Amsterdam, and many other European cities. At the moment the EU is being overrun by immigrants from Romania, Poland and Africa which causes a host of problems that I will not go into because this is a watch forum

my 2 cts

Thank you for being noted as a „host of problems” immigrant nation in the EU (for those not knowing - Poland is an EU member).


bibbi

[JulesVerne]

From what I heard, there were fewer watches stolen in Paris in the past year compared to 2020-2022 period.
Still, one needs to be careful: wear long sleeve, be mindful of your surroundings.
I only had one attempt on one of my watches (Rolex Daytona) at a music festival in Barcelona but noticed the thief and my friends were surrounding me too

[herefortheattachment]

Originally Posted by cavallino17

South of France is especially bad. Don't wear anything north of a swatch. Friend of mine got robbed for an Omega.

Goodness, I think of Omega as being under-the-radar for non-watch folks. What kind of Omega was it? Hope your friend is alright.

[YoungMoneyAssassin]

It’s going to be hot in the summer, I will never travel with any watch that I wouldn’t walk around with in short sleeves.

In the past I have worn my VC overseas blue dial on its rubber strap. It just isn’t as recognizable as the common Rolex sport models or something like an AP, 5711, etc.

My advice would be to wear something a little off the normal path and you should be good. Also depends on your overall age and physical condition I guess. I will be hitting anyone who tries to steal a watch from me very hard. It’s a big risk they are taking, and I’m not traveling alone.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[lightcatcher]

What about Portugal? Planning to visit this summer and I was thinking of wearing an explorer 1 for the trip.

[bibbi]

Originally Posted by lightcatcher

What about Portugal? Planning to visit this summer and I was thinking of wearing an explorer 1 for the trip.

Exp 1 should be completely easy in PT. Yet, as in any big city, you don’t want to go into shabby parts of Lisbon in the night. With the watch on or off.


bibbi

[aa_watch]

Originally Posted by JulesVerne

From what I heard, there were fewer watches stolen in Paris in the past year compared to 2020-2022 period.
Still, one needs to be careful: wear long sleeve, be mindful of your surroundings.
I only had one attempt on one of my watches (Rolex Daytona) at a music festival in Barcelona but noticed the thief and my friends were surrounding me too

Barcelona is probably the worst city for watch thefts.

[mjolnir2thor]

Originally Posted by soxfan39

Summer is fast approaching and many will be traveling in Europe. For those living or traveling in cities such as London/Paris/Geneva/Zurich would you wear your PP around town?

I flew to Europe many times over the past 15 years and on one flight I sat next to a jeweler from London. I was wearing a new Omega SeaMaster and she warned me about wearing such a nice timepiece when out and about in London. She stated they will stalk you (e.g., wait for you to come out of a restaurant) to rob you. Indicated she had customers who had experienced this misfortune and that robberies were becoming common.

I personally had a coworker in Lyon France get jumped by 3 guys when he walked down a side street one evening while returning to his hotel room. They beat the crap out of him and stole his wallet and his watch. No situational awareness on his part and it got him into trouble. Ended up in the hospital for one night.

Towards the end of my traveling abroad, I ended up wearing an Omega Speedmaster Professional and was very discrete with the watch, ensuring it was typically covered by my sleeve. Personally, I’d wear something else; however, should you decide to wear your Patek, situational awareness is key.

[mjolnir2thor]

Originally Posted by aa_watch

Barcelona is probably the worst city for watch thefts.

Was at a restaurant in Barcelona and was told not to leave my cell phone out on the table by the waiter. He said someone will come walking by, grab the mobile phone and run! You’ll not get your phone back!

[Ubiquitous1984]

Originally Posted by YoungMoneyAssassin

My advice would be to wear something a little off the normal path and you should be good. Also depends on your overall age and physical condition I guess. I will be hitting anyone who tries to steal a watch from me very hard. It’s a big risk they are taking, and I’m not traveling alone.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

You might be Jon Jones for all I know, but what I would say is what are you going to do if they pull a knife out on you? Or worse, a knife on your partner? Or there are four of them armed with bats? The former boxing world champion Amir Khan had his watch stolen in London by a gang. It doesn't matter how brave or tough you are: these gangs are ruthless and have nothing to lose compared to you.

[MRBolton]

I'm now even more scared to wear my Daytona in Paris!

[aa_watch]

Originally Posted by MRBolton

I'm now even more scared to wear my Daytona in Paris!

Just keep your watch under your sleeve, you will be fine :)

[MRBolton]

Originally Posted by aa_watch

Just keep your watch under your sleeve, you will be fine :)

With it being July, I don't plan to have a sleeve that low!

[subtona]

Originally Posted by Russell996

Such a beautiful watch.

Also a nice long sleeve sweater

I recall London itself doing a PSA/ad campaign advising people not to show their watches. Billboards in the street

[fsprow]

Originally Posted by Will_NL

It depends on a couple of things:

- don't wear a Nautilus or Aquanaut at all, that's asking for trouble
- don't wear a Patek or Rolex out in the open whilest also wearing other expensive clothing brands (or even without)
- Stay out of well know bad areas and be mindfull of your surroundings

And in my opinion this goes for Barcelona, Madrid, Paris (all large cities in France), London, Rome, Amsterdam, and many other European cities. At the moment the EU is being overrun by immigrants from Romania, Poland and Africa which causes a host of problems that I will not go into because this is a watch forum

my 2 cts

Seems like staying in bed and watching videos about the world going to hell and the dangers of immigration is the best approach. I prefer to be out in the world and willing to take statistically small risks.

[soxfan39]

Originally Posted by fsprow

Seems like staying in bed and watching videos about the world going to hell and the dangers of immigration is the best approach. I prefer to be out in the world and willing to take statistically small risks.

I've been waffling back and forth but tend to lean toward this approach.

I'm fully insured but will be traveling with family and would rather not risk a chance of putting them in any danger. But as another reply said it's not like the states is any safer and I don't feel the least bit unsafe wearing it in Los Angeles.

What I'll probably do is end up taking a couple different options with me and wearing the Seiko diver or apple watch in Paris/London and then strap on the big boys in Switzerland.

I'm touring Patek in Geneva and would hate to be there without representing. :-)

[private jet villain]

Originally Posted by Breizh

I'm in Europe two months every year with my Nautilus 5726, no issue whatsoever.
Most people don't know what a Patek is.
Use the same common sense you use in LA.

And remember, pick pockets target people looking like tourists first, just dress accordingly.

“Most people” don’t know what it is but watch thieves absolutely do. With that said, I have higher risk tolerance as I wear RMs, Pateks, APs out and about but I do exercise caution.

[pav333hp]

It's probably fine and most people are OK until something bad happens. Doesn't matter what city in Europe or US or any other parts of the world for that matter. Watch theft can be a crime of opportunity or targeted... And yes, people have been assaulted, beaten, and in some cases killed unfortunately for a watch :(.

1. Long sleeves certainly help with covering the watch.
2. If you do decide to wear, make sure it's insured.
3. How well can you handle yourself (meaning, are you physically fit, can you fight, can you defend yourself, can you run fast, etc.) - while I'm not suggesting you get into physical altercations, but outcomes can be vastly different if you're 6'5", strong and know how to fight vs. someone who's unfit and isn't trained... Just saying... again not encouraging anyone to get into fights - just saying you should know your own ability to handle yourself in a bad situation.
4. Situational awareness is 100% key here - and at all times! I'm always looking around at people and what's going around me.

Will you be fine... probably... no one care really tell you or predict what can//may/will happen, but in recent years expensive watches have been a target and problem is bad enough that it generated global news, especially in watch circles... So make your own decision on this, but know that the watch theft problem is real and does happen.

[bobernet]

All the responses are going to be statistical or anecdotal. No one has a crystal ball. Risk is low until it happens to you.

I wore my 5930 in Athens, Lucca, Pisa, San Gemignano, Florence last spring. Then alternated it and a Cartier Santos I bought in Rome while we were there.

I wore my 5370 in Malaga, Barcelona, Vienna, Prague, Warsaw and London.

I wore my 5270 in Mexico City, Sydney, Brisbane, Hong Kong, Singapore.

I’ve worn platinum Daytona, rose gold Royal Oak, Rolex President in platinum and yellow gold.

All of these all over the world without issue. That doesn’t mean no crime happens.

[Medem]

Watch theft in tourist areas is a prevalent problem and the thieves know what you are wearing. Assuming no one notices an expensive watch is naive. These are specialised bands that move all over Europe.

A diplomat had his 40k Rolex stolen in broad daylight in Madrid recently. A rainbow Daytona was flashed on a social network from a distant European country only days after being stolen locally. They were caught of course; they are savvy but also, fortunately, not always clever.

Watch theft is not infrequent. People are followed to hotels and homes. The number of thefts is small compared to the number of tourists and locals dining and getting about, but if you asked the local police they would probably have a very different view as to whether watch theft is infrequent.

Bring it, by all means, but be mindful.

[mongrelnomoad]

Originally Posted by strettyend

Was going to ask about Saint Tropez and Cannes. I assumed it would be fine giving the wealth and opulence there?

I was in St. Trop this last week and spend a lot of time there. Even the shopkeepers wear Rolex, and AP/Pateks are more common than Swatches. Zero issues.

For London (where I live most of the time) it’s complicated. My wife wears a GMT every day, and I wear most of my watches (Lange, Patek, AP, Rolex etc) even on the Tube or cycling around the city. That said, I doubt I’d wear a Nautilus with short sleeves nowadays as that’s just asking for it - my daily is a Czapek, as nobody knows what it is.

[fsprow]

Originally Posted by soxfan39

I've been waffling back and forth but tend to lean toward this approach.

I'm fully insured but will be traveling with family and would rather not risk a chance of putting them in any danger. But as another reply said it's not like the states is any safer and I don't feel the least bit unsafe wearing it in Los Angeles.

What I'll probably do is end up taking a couple different options with me and wearing the Seiko diver or apple watch in Paris/London and then strap on the big boys in Switzerland.

I'm touring Patek in Geneva and would hate to be there without representing. :-)

Sure seems like a good approach to me. Family safety first!
Frank

[mongrelnomoad]

Originally Posted by Will_NL

It depends on a couple of things:

- don't wear a Nautilus or Aquanaut at all, that's asking for trouble
- don't wear a Patek or Rolex out in the open whilest also wearing other expensive clothing brands (or even without)
- Stay out of well know bad areas and be mindfull of your surroundings

And in my opinion this goes for Barcelona, Madrid, Paris (all large cities in France), London, Rome, Amsterdam, and many other European cities. At the moment the EU is being overrun by immigrants from Romania, Poland and Africa which causes a host of problems that I will not go into because this is a watch forum

my 2 cts

Dude… way to go with the causal ignorance and bigotry. For a start, Romania and Poland are members of the EU.

[johnsonsxusfrt]

Originally Posted by Will_NL

It depends on a couple of things:

- don't wear a Nautilus or Aquanaut at all, that's asking for trouble
- don't wear a Patek or Rolex out in the open whilest also wearing other expensive clothing brands (or even without)
- Stay out of well know bad areas and be mindfull of your surroundings

And in my opinion this goes for Barcelona, Madrid, Paris (all large cities in France), London, Rome, Amsterdam, and many other European cities. At the moment the EU is being overrun by immigrants from Romania, Poland and Africa which causes a host of problems that I will not go into because this is a watch forum

my 2 cts

thanks for the heads up, I'm heading to Europe next month and your cautious note is helpful


BTW when I went to London last year my travel agent literally said "don't wear a Rolex"

[sya]

Originally Posted by JulesVerne

From what I heard, there were fewer watches stolen in Paris in the past year compared to 2020-2022 period.

Still, one needs to be careful: wear long sleeve, be mindful of your surroundings.

I only had one attempt on one of my watches (Rolex Daytona) at a music festival in Barcelona but noticed the thief and my friends were surrounding me too

Will popular tourist areas like Louvre, Eiffel tower, Versailles, Disneyland require you to remove your jackets during security checks ar the entrance?

Sent from my SM-S916B using Tapatalk

[kb866]

Keep it covered with long sleeves. London, Geneva, Zurich don''t get hot during the summer except for a week a year.

Having said that, I was a victim of an attempted robbery last year in Barcelona while not even wearing my watch. I wore the watch around the W Hotel and then left it in my luggage before going out to dinner in a touristy area. After dinner, I was approached by two thugs that held me up at knife point and pulled up my left sleeve asking and looking for my watch.

[kb866]

Originally Posted by mjolnir2thor

Was at a restaurant in Barcelona and was told not to leave my cell phone out on the table by the waiter. He said someone will come walking by, grab the mobile phone and run! You’ll not get your phone back!

This happened to my wife in London last year.

[YoungMoneyAssassin]

Originally Posted by Ubiquitous1984

You might be Jon Jones for all I know, but what I would say is what are you going to do if they pull a knife out on you? Or worse, a knife on your partner? Or there are four of them armed with bats? The former boxing world champion Amir Khan had his watch stolen in London by a gang. It doesn't matter how brave or tough you are: these gangs are ruthless and have nothing to lose compared to you.

:) you are totally right. In that case I would hand the watch over with pretty much a smile and get out of there alive, file an insurance claim.

Anyone who robbed me in a non violent pickpocket type scenario I think I’d hit :) perhaps this isn’t a realistic view. I think I fantasize about these guys getting what they deserve. I can’t be alone in that lol.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[scurfa]

Originally Posted by johnsonsxusfrt

thanks for the heads up, I'm heading to Europe next month and your cautious note is helpful


BTW when I went to London last year my travel agent literally said "don't wear a Rolex"

The hotel I was heading to in Barcelona told me the same thing!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[bob101]

Originally Posted by scurfa

The hotel I was heading to in Barcelona told me the same thing!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Honestly these days it’s not worth the hassle wearing watches out in Europe.
Dress watch under the shirt sleeve perhaps.