To leave Rolex at home

[Huromjuicemaker]

Is wearing a nice watch in or around London asking to be mugged? What about in other cities?
Will be traveling back to UK to visit family and do a few work related visits and I have read that watch theft is quite rife and it is organised and targeted, ie there are spotters checking your wrist and arranging ambushes etc. Would I be unreasonable to leave my beloved Rolex at home because the risk is too high?

I wear mine all the time, never take it off. To be honest I’m such a scruff most of the time, people would probably think it was fake 😂

Yes really 🙄 You never hear the BBC or the Times promoting this narrative, it’s always the Daily Fail / tabloids / GB News / non UK media sources (with an agenda behind it, like the time Trump declared that most of London was a no go area for normal folks due to all the drugs and gun crime 🤣).

I have lived / worked in London for nearly 20 years and have many wealthy friends walking round with watches / jewellery/ bags / tech worth tens of thousands of £ every day and do not know a single one who has been a victim of crime. I know far more people outside of London who live in more rural / suburban areas with fancy cars who have had them stolen.

Loving the idea that people don't bother with 5k watches when people are getting their few hundred quid phones jacked 😅

They clearly weren't worth their salt.

Your Rolex High Street thief is a great deal more experienced in these matters than an 'expert'.

I'm not sure what you mean by this - do you mean a good area or a bad area. I know someone who was mugged in Berkeley Square where Rolex wearers are plentiful and so it's easy pickings for muggers. If you mean a less upmarket area I'd say that the risk is comparable.

Either way, if you wear one make sure you have it covered whilst you are outside (e.g. jacket, cardigan etc).

I frequently walk around Dalston at midnight with no issues, in fact it’s so full of young people out and about at that time that it’s probably safer than quieter areas where you’d be on your own

Tbh this thread is just making me relieved that I don't own anything fancy enough to be worth stealing, so I can wander round London (where I've lived for 25 years) carefree!

https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2023/dec/05/hunting-the-rolex-rippers-review-these-brutal-watch-thieves-are-totally-remorseless

Here's the guardian covering the BBCs documentary about watch thieves

Unless your dripping with gold with a open style tote bag on the tube you will be fine.

The only thing I do differently wear a cross body bag as I'm on and off the tube..it's then never a co cern to watch my bag.

If you take time to look around I can see people hundreds of times more attractive to theirs working daily in London without a care in the world.

But I wouldn't ho any city in any country with my purse and phone at the top of my backpack. People could spot a watch close range on public transport surely?

I don’t believe in hiding away anything in case of fear. I wouldn’t buy a watch I was terrified of losing. I don’t keep dinner services for ‘best’. I wear and use what I want when I want if that gives me pleasure. What a waste otherwise.

I have lived in London for 30 years. Had a phone stolen twice and a purse once. Don’t know if that’s a lot or not for a big city.

I don’t see any posh watches as I am not remotely interested. But the shoppers on bond st look very expensively dressed so I dare say they will be sporting designer watches.

Wear the watch and if it gets stolen, claim what you can, back. I really believe that life is for living.

What's the point of having something you never wear out?

Lived here for 30ish years also and had 2 attempted phone muggings, one armed with a cleaver, one snatched and dropped by a scooter rider and one successful mugging for a carton of strawberry ribena.

I would be careful - someone I know was mugged for his Rolex in London recently.

There's been cases where a couple of restaurant workers have informed their ring leaders that a diner is wearing an expensive watch on where they wait outside the restaurant and mug you. If I had a 5-10k Rolex I would maybe but maybe wear it to somewhere fancy in winter where it's covered but anything over that you become a target especially in the summer months where you have bare arms. This goes for expensive bracelets as well which I would also never wear in London or other European cities.

Central London crime update. MIL had her Verbena Sissinghursrt stolen (pot and all!) from her front garden while she was at church yesterday. On the plus side, the pot and plant were found unharmed on a neighbouring street corner about two hours later. The square WhatsApp is alive with speculation. I presume they are planning all future gardening ‘with military precision’ to ensure maximum plant security.

Visitors to London. Do not, bring your herbaceous perennials into Zone One. THEY SIMPLY ARE NOT SAFE!

There is watch related crime in London, and it has increased in recent years, particularly moped based snatch and grabs.
But by the same token, there are hundreds of people in the city wearing Rolex AP RM PP et al on a daily basis and the MET sting operations are widely known about.

It also depends on WHAT Rolex you're wearing. The more sought after the model (sports/professional) then the higher the likelihood of them being on the steal to order lists.
There are some which fly more under the radar like Exp / Exp2, OP, five digit models and not the honking great big ceramics, bla bla bla.

Also depends if it's going to be visible with a t shirt or under a cuff.

Lots of factors to consider I guess but if your gut is telling you to leave it at home, and if you have a safe place to keep it at home, that's probably where you will be most comfortable leaving it.

Personally, when I'm office based in central London and if i've got my arms out in summer, I wear something less instantly recognisable.
In winter I don't care because everything is covered by sleeves.

Edit - May be worth noting also that women's rolexes are less targeted for theft, so there's that too.

DO NOT DO THIS.

What’s wrong with Putney?

I think you’d be more likely to get mugged in Mayfair than middle of the road Putney.

Putney isn’t rough - but if it was, muggers wouldn’t be prowling the streets expecting to come across ££££ watches.

You have never heard or read of anyone being mugged for an expense watch ??? Really ?

amp.theguardian.com/uk-news/2024/jan/17/met-halves-luxury-watch-robbery-in-covert-operations-to-lure-criminals

Ncadviceplease I think they perhaps meant Hackney. If you are relying on Putney for a bar crawl and clubbing, you’re in for a pretty tame night!

Rubbish. Loads of people are mugged ever day. There are certain items I wouldn’t wear in certain parts of London if I went there only because they’re asking to be snatched and some people are just thieves.

There was a spate of Rolex and other expensive watches via moped in Chelsea a few years ago but police stepped in so it didn’t happen again.

Similar to where I live lots of women were targeted for designer handbags, again moped thieves and teens on a local estate. Once a few people complained to the police it stopped.

@CommeIlFaut are you trying to tell me that Fez is no longer cool?!?

I should have clarified that I meant nobody I know personally or even friends of friends. I have obviously heard of some of the more high profile ones in Chelsea etc.