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Serial numbers
Every watch costing more than a few hundred dollars has a serial number.
Idiots who steal watches will almost always go to another store or pawn shop to sell them for quick cash.
When a watch is stolen from an individual or a store, however, the serial number is passed on to property recovery detectives. What thieves are too stupid to know is that any place that would buy the watch from them is required to log it into a property recovery system with description, model number, and, yes, serial number.
They also have to take the thieves’ personal information from a valid form of photo identification such as a driver’s license or passport. If the serial number of a watch has been logged as stolen, the property recovery detectives will come in, seize the watch, and track down the perpetrator.
I’ve personally been in the middle of this multiple times as a store liaison to the police. This system is very effective!
By the way, even if the idiot thief removes the visible serial number, this number is often duplicated inside of the watch as well as the individual movement number.
Stolen watch registries
What every person who owns a fine watch should know is that most brands have an internal “stolen watch registry.” There are also brand-independent stolen watch registries like The Watch Register and Stolen Watches.
If your watch gets stolen or is even just lost, you relay the model number and serial number to the brand. At some point, most watches get sent back for service to an authorized service center or to the brand directly, especially if the parts are proprietary.
The brand will seize the watch and return it to its rightful owner. Keep this in mind the next time a pair of hookers lift that $600,000 Greubel Forsey from your hotel room!
With all of these reasons not to ever steal a watch, somehow the world remains filled with imbeciles who keep on trying. Let’s just hope nobody gets hurt in the process.
lf you own or work for a fine retailer and would like further advice, don’t hesitate to contact me. I am always happy to help make our industry a better, safer place to work.
* This article was first published on July 6, 2016 at 6 Reasons You Would Have To Be An Idiot To Steal A Fine Watch.
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