Reply With QuoteJust take all your short sleeved shirts to the charity shop. Preferably a shop in Devon.
Just read this now. Absolutely crazy, two guys on a moped demanded his Rolex watch then stabbed him in the neck after which he died.
Have any of you recently stopped wearing your Rolex or any other noticeably expensive/desirable watches in London?
My boss, one of the other guys in the team at work and I all have a Rolex. My boss has stopped wearing hers to work and saves it for special occasions and has politely asked if we would consider not wearing a Rolex for a little while. I'm wearing my Speedmaster and MM300 a lot more. The other guy is wearing his regardless. We are field based and spend four days per week out and about in London a mixture of areas.
Am I being too concerned? Is this playing on anyone else's mind? I have a BLNR and was seriously thinking of adding a Hulk but now think perhaps that is too loud and could make me a target.
Just take all your short sleeved shirts to the charity shop. Preferably a shop in Devon.
Nope. I'll keep well doing as I like. I'm not going to let a bunch of scallywags dictate how I live my life.
I won't be wearing mine next time I visit London. To be fair, I only visit at the weekend and often stay out in the evening for a few drinks.
Reading the story in various bits of press - he was killed for his possessions not for his rolex which is a slightly different thing.
How would these moped thieves tell a Rolex from a Steinhart whilst both moving and from a distance of a few yards away. I can only tell distance with time to stare and from fairly close distance.
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Good thing they were not identified as Muslims or it would be a terrorist attack and the BP would be foaming at the mouth.
Considering the number of Rolexes worn daily in London, and the number of incidents where the owner is subjected to some form of duress, you can choose to leave it at home but I would also recommend the tin foil hat.
'Against stupidity, the gods themselves struggle in vain' - Schiller.
http://www.standard.co.uk/news/crime...-a3592836.html
A female friend of mine who lives in Ladbroke Grove has stopped wearing her gold Rolex after her neighbour was robbed of a watch at knifepoint recently.
Things seem pretty grim in London at the moment considering the recent moped acid attacks etc.
I spent 20+ years working in and around Soho almost always wearing short sleeves or with rolled up cuffs, often went drinking in East London and wore a sub date or Panerai of some description 24/7 and never even thought about it. In recent years as the area became busier and busier and I realised my watches were now the same price as a small car I did become aware it wasn't a great idea and started wearing a g shock every now and again. Now I've moved out of London and still prefer not to wear a fancy watch - I agree we should all be able to wear what we want, but I'm the sort of (stupid) bloke who'd probably try and fight a mugger on principle, a situation I avoid by wearing WIS watches!! (I.e. Nice watches most people think are from Argos!)
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The guys on the mopeds don't work alone. 'Spotters' in the bars and pubs identify targets and advise the moped men as they leave.Originally Posted by mr_esearch
Can you imagine if you killed someone for their watch and it turned out to be the new Steinhart BLNR?!
I guess it depends on which model you wear and. not just how you wear it. If it has a cyclops, polished centre links or is part/all gold it will be quite loud whereas if it's a 36mm DateJust without a fluted bezel or an Explorer 1 you'll be fine.
I was walking up a side road to my car in Archway last week wearing a BLNR with my shirt sleeves part rolled up and a moped rode by me, stopped, turned around and then came back towards me before turning into a block of flats. I'm not a small guy at all but my heart was racing and I was ready to swing my laptop bag!
The risk when these guys are carrying acid, firearms, or putting knives in your neck is huge.
What a horrible world we live in. RIP.
I posted on a thread recently about some member here wanting to know if it would be safe to wear his Rolex whilst backpacking abroad.
I said that London is as dangerous as anywhere and was shouted down. I still hold that view and in some ways it is more dangerous than much poorer cities across the world.
I have travelled extensively and have been accosted far more times in London than anywhere else. In fact I have only been troubled twice when abroad. Once in Romania and the other in Israel. Never in Africa or S America. Nor anywhere in Asia either...apart from being pestered for money by American drug addicts in Thailand.
If someone demands your Rolex give it to them no argument and anything else they demand likewise. Not worth dying or being seriously injured for.
www.webwatchmaker.com
Living in Bolton, if I had a Rolex it would be very unlikely I would be specifically targeted for it. They are so few and far between around here that most people would half assume it was fake. Getting it taken off my wrist as part of an opportunistic mugging would be much more likely.
I actually feel safer in London than I do in Bolton, maybe because I know what goes on in these parts.
Very sad. I'm in London every few weeks and always notice just how many Rolex are worn. I never feel uncomfortable with mine, but I'm quite careful and aware of what's going on. Thankfully it seems I'm also lucky.
I feel far less comfortable in many major US cities..
I spend a lot of time working in London and recently I've started leaving my sleeves rolled down with my watch under the sleeve. In saying that, I' m still conscious that I'm walking around with my laptop bag over my shoulder, which could be a target in itself.
I like to think that coming from Glasgow, or any other big city does sometimes gives you a sixth sense for someone acting suspiciously, but these moped gangs are so quick, I don't think there's any advanced warning that they're targeting you until it's happened.
The recent run of terrible stories can't help but make you think, and statistics in the Times this morning seem to back it up. These moped robberies have been building for a while, after police were told not to chase them in case the riders crashed, endangering both themselves and the public. I hope the police will be allowed to chase them again in future though, and if the muggers get injured in the process that's perhaps unfortunate, but it would strike me as an occupational hazard. They do have the option to stop when asked, after all. Letting them get away with it certainly isn't helping.
It won't change what I choose to wear personally, but I already keep my eyes open and think about what I'll be doing and where. I've certainly had situations where you suddenly become conscious that you're wearing something nice and it disappears up the sleeve. If I'm out drinking in a dodgy neighbourhood, my choices change. Something tells me they won't be able to identify a vintage Grand Seiko, while I can still enjoy wearing it.
Not worth losing your life over a possession that can be replaced, the problem we have nowadays is that there are less robberies where they get scared off by have a go heroes and the likes, now there is more chance of them turning violent, like this scenario.
The number one area in London for close proximity between the wealthy and the criminal. It's like the area around the Gare du Nord, you never stop feeling beady eyes on you, trying to work out how to rob you.
+1 on that. I don't have anything (other than my wife and dogs) that is worth losing a life over.
I also travel extensively - most weeks in fact - and although I visit some exotic countries and cities my line of work takes me into the...ahem...less salubrious parts shall we say. Next week is back to the Middle East, which promises to be particularly interesting.
Each to their own, but that's why these days I mostly travel with two watches, one for work and one for play. Walking around with a timepiece hanging off your wrist that might be worth, in some countries, several years salary is little different than walking around with a fistful of dollar bills. Either risks capturing the wrong sort of attention, ending up in the sort of newspaper headlines that makes you think "what sort of idiot would do that in the first place?".
I prefer to call them scum
We really should discuss this more often - I cant remember what we all agreed on when it was discussed last week, or the week before that.
;-p
You can call them what you like :) I opted to tone down my original description once I noticed it wasn't a bear pit thread.
It really is about time the police started shooting these moped bandits ( obviously with a non lethal round of some sorts)
mike
Isn't there a forum member here who was robbed of a Rolex on his driveway less than a month ago? Kingsbury / Harrow area.
Watched a program on tv few nights ago about how they caught a moped gang. Seems they targeted people in expensive cars and entering or leaving expensive houses/shops/hotels. Going specifically for the watch and jewelery as its the norm around there.
Its not just a London thing though, this type of crime has gone on for a long time all over the world, its pretty easy as the chance of getting caught is slim.
The guys on tv were identified by their clothing and bikes as faces were always covered.
Is it not the case that Police can't chase mopeds as there's too much danger to the rider? I heard this from a friend who had her Range Rover stolen in London.
I simply do not believe that people are riding round on mopeds looking for watches to steal. A wallet or cash are far more tempting targets, for obvious reasons.
Indeed, in thirty years in London I never met anyone who had been robbed of their watch. Working in the media, I am all too aware of how exaggerated 'moral panic' can be. Especially in the summer, when news slackens.
The acid attacks are vile. And must be stopped. But as the story gets old, the attacks will die down too. In truth, crime is lower than it was twenty years ago.
The greatest danger in London....being run-over. For those interested in the facts. Murders average less than 200 per annum. Deaths and serious injuries from road accidents, about 2000 per annum.
Last edited by paskinner; 21st July 2017 at 15:40.
I think it's at a point where the risk to the public by not chasing and apprehending these lowlifes is greater than any risk to the public from a pursuit related incident. I couldn't give two hoots about whether the moped mob live or die, at least during a chase there's going to be blues and twos which should put nearby members of the public on alert. The alternative is more knifings, hammer attacks, acid attacks etc so it's not like their current policy is working - quite the opposite in fact.
The issue is these people on stolen high power mopeds (350-500cc) take off their crash helmets the second police give chase. Once there is a sincere risk to human life the police are not allowed to chase. Someone on a big powered motorbike fleeing the police without a crash helmet is at risk of a collision and as a consequence, death. If anything goes wrong the police can and will be arrested, charged, and sentenced for causing death by dangerous driving. There is no exemption for dangerous driving during a police pursuit. This is why moped crime is so rampant in London at the moment, it's almost a risk free crime.
My understanding is that the policy is not to chase them if they haven't got their crash helmets on. So a lot of these guys drop their helmets and speed off, while the cops pull back.
I think they should just ban Rolex.
The chavs never take a second glance at my Seiko.
I was watching one of the TV reality cop shows and they called off a pursuit because the pillion passenger took their helmet off, presumably in case the poor soul might fall off and bump their head, then sue the police! Seems clear the scumbags know this and use it to their advantage.
I live and work in London. Whenever someone who is not known to me personally asks me about my watches I always politely say that they are replicas, or in street parlance; "fake mate".
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They are allowed to chase 'if the rider is involved in a serious offence, or “there is clear potential for grave consequences” such as “an immediate threat to life, significant damage to property or issues of national security.”' (Quote from the Evening Standard)
So don't expect the Sweeney if you have had your mobile phone snatched but they should chase someone who has used a weapon.
You're right - it's best not to lie.
I work in London. Won't be changing my watch wearing habits for anyone. I also wear 30K Pateks in open spaces. Dunkirk spirit.
Martyn
- - - Updated - - -
I work in London. Won't be changing my watch wearing habits for anyone. I also wear 30K Pateks in open spaces. Dunkirk spirit.
Martyn
...because the soldiers at Dunkirk were worried about being mugged for their £30k Patek.
Anyway, that already happened at the AD
I tell my wife's family my watches are fake (other reasons) but then they always ask if I can get them one too!
I don't wear my watches for show so it's not anyone's business. I rather not get the attention of the wrong ones.
O and no they are not fakes.
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Probably wrong analogy. Basically what I meant was, I was not going to give in to insurgent influences and wear what I want wherever I want....because the soldiers at Dunkirk were worried about being mugged for their £30k Patek.
Anyway, that already happened at the AD
I saw a child on a moped in South London a few weeks ago and they were smaller than my 10 year old lad, he was trying to turn it around and his feet couldn't touch the floor, he ended up driving up onto the pavement, if he got chased he would have fallen off very quickly.
Blimey. Makes it kind of easy for the criminals in these instances.
I work in central London and wear a Rolex (SS GMT or Hulk) nearly every day. When I'm not wearing a Rolex I wear a Black Bay or an Omega. I'm not going to leave my watch at home in case I get mugged for it -
As someone noted earlier, this is a case of moral panic. Whilst it is a terrible and horrific incident that was reported in that article, you need to realise just how rare this kind of thing is. As for those who say that they would not wear a Rolex in London, I assume they would also not wear one in any other city in the country or most global cities for the same reasons? I would expect the risk is the same in Paris, New York, Milan, Berlin, LA, Manchester, Frankfurt, Dublin, Boston, etc, etc....
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These moped thieves/thugs are getting completely out of hand. The London police has got to get their act together with this issue fast, I can't understand why the cops are not taking this issue more seriously!!! Be careful with you watches guys and don't flash them around too much. It not worth losing your life over a watch even though it may be our pride and joy!
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I guess the term "in London" was too broad on my part. My wife works in the square mile and I wouldn't care about wearing something nice around there but on any given day I can be in St John's Wood, Hampstead or even Ruislip where I happily wear my Rolex but when I have to go to Bethnal Green, Wood Green, or Tottenham I wear the Omega or MM300, sometimes even an SRP777.
If someone comes up to you with a knife asking for your Rolex most people would give it but when someone stabs first or has a drinks bottle with acid in it ready to squirt the consequences are worse than simply being mugged.
I totally agree, when my sub was stolen a few months ago in Islington after a night out , I was told by the officer handling the case that they just did not have the resourse to investigate it thoroughly.
I was disappointed to say the least as my debit card was also stolen at the time and used contactless in a number of tesco's and convinence stores which I hoped would have captured one of them or an associate on CCTV.
I am really conscious of wearing a watch now, or even talking on a phone if I get a call.
That's very sad to read and my thoughts are with the man's family. Too much violence in the world.
Tesco will 100% have had CCTV and it's sad the police just don't have the resources to follow this through. My bank allowed my a card without contactless but my credit card company demanded I have it. My plan was just to use contactless via the phone with finger print/Touch ID.
Regarding the phone calls I know what you mean. The answer for me was Bluetooth headphones. Used to only use them in the gym but great for out and about too, especially in the car.
You gave your perception, and other people had different perceptions..........
My perception is still that there are more dangerous and targeting cities in the world.
This latest London attack - is simply the one that is reported in our media. The American in Lagos or the Canadian in Mexico don't reach our ears.
But - I think we can agree, that one needs to evaluate the potential wherever we travel to.
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