Reply With QuoteOr the flaunting of cars or designer clothes or Hermes handbags or diamond earrings etc etc. if people want nice things that is their choice. I don’t think it’s flaunting anything.Originally Posted by forpetesake
I'd say that "flaunting" is a subjective interpretation. If watches are a personal pleasure then it surely follows that one should be able to wear them whenever and wherever one pleases without concerning oneself with other people's interpretations. ;-)
And if, in fact, one wishes to flaunt one's trinkets (whatever that really means in practice), then so be it. That is the freedom of personal choice (risk of crime due to scumbags included).
Or the flaunting of cars or designer clothes or Hermes handbags or diamond earrings etc etc. if people want nice things that is their choice. I don’t think it’s flaunting anything.
I wore a gaudy watch that screamed ROLEX. I have the right to wear the watch but on reflection I was a dick for doing so. Worst of all I put my wife at risk and I still can't forgive myself for that. It was stupidity of the highest order.
Yep I won't dream of wearing a pepsi gmt abroad, last time I went abroad and felt uncomfortable with a Rolex milgauss at the time and that was in 2019.
Have something nice and simple to wear abroad you can go swimming with and not after to take it off, Breitling superocean heritage 2 love them and not silly money
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Not sure that's particularly true. A decidedly shady character clocked my SD when I was walking through the park in a relatively well-off area a couple of weeks ago. He saw me notice him looking and nothing came of it but it's a mistake to write it of as another London or big city problem.
I don't think you should be so hard on yourself. You weren't a dick and it wasn't "stupidity of the highest order". In retrospect, with the benefit of hindsight, it might have been a mistake but stupidity would be to not learn from the mistake. Clearly you are learning from it so well done.
I doubt the thieves spend too much time looking at the make of the watch from a distance and deciding whether to take it or not. They're much more likely to just see a shiny looking watch and the right opportunity to swipe it. If it turns out to be a Rolex, great, if it's a Breitling, fair enough. Targetted thieves do exist, but I don't think your average pickpocket in a tourist hotspot is going to be too discerning. They're just as likely to target a cheap Seiko as a Rolex if the opportunity presents itself.
I think the only difference would be if it was something that was obviously a cheap watch from a distance - a Casio basically. But I think anything on a bracelet is probably going to attract attention.
FWIW: I have been robbed on holiday in Spain before.
This is my thought. It seems to me that even a more expensive G-Shock is worth stealing.
As I mentioned in the other thread where this was discussed, I use a £12 Casio digital when walking the streets of my home in NW London with short sleeves.
I would have though if a villain is going to make a quick random grab it would be the phone and the wallet. I would suspect that most peoples phone are worth more than an average watch.
Sorry to hear of your incident Mick. Glad you remained safe.
Timely thread. I have never given it any thought and just wore whichever watch wherever I am. In London, at work, travelling abroad, everything.
I have read stories such as this and also in the papers but I guess I have been too relaxed thinking it won't happen and it happens so rarely.
Earlier this week, I was in London in a restaurant at lunchtime. They have outside seating which was just 2m from me (other side of the window).
Two mopeds sped up onto the pavement, brandished a machete and took a watch from a man's wrist. Then speeding off the pavement and on their way. I didn't see it in full but heard the commotion and revving of bikes and just caught the end of the incident when they had the watch and drove away.
Police arrived within minutes, let's hope they catch them. I felt so bad for the gentlemen who was robbed, he was middle to older age and looked in visible shock, for obvious reasons.
This is an area I walk past daily when at work and wouldn't dream of this happening there. Stay safe all.
Most phones are locked now and can't be opened without a code or fingerprint, even if they are stolen and left open they can be locked remotely.
Are they targeted much today?
Shady character eyeing up strangers watches...
Are you sure you didn't just meet another TZUK'er in the park?
Another vote for g-shock when on holiday.
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I’d be worried about leaving my others at home. Maybe sell the lot if I can’t wear them outside my front door. Especially as now I am on a permanent holiday
“ Ford... you're turning into a penguin. Stop it.” HHGTTG
I think most targeted phone thefts these days are for unlocked phones. Ones that the owner is currently using.
The stolen phone can then be used for (generally long distance) calls and the contents are accessible until the phone is bricked.
That’s why I wear my £80 Steeldive on public transportation and when I’m in London.
You can still enjoy your watches whilst sunning by your pool, Martyn - one better than the rest of us over here!
that would be true up until recent times but phones are becoming more secure and less and less people are carrying wallets because they use their phones for payments. I was always told to keep my wallet and phone in my front pockets as they're so easy to steal from back pockets. However, if you're wearing any kind of watch on a metal bracelet, a quick slip of the hand and they're easily removed. Natos or leather straps are a more secure option.
That modus operandi seems to be a recurring theme in London. I've heard of a high end bicycle being stolen in a similar way in one of Londons parks and a similar incident in Knightsbridge not too long ago.
Pretty much the same debate as in a thread I started when Michael McIntyre got his Daytona stolen. I took a little flak for suggesting that it wasn't a good idea for him to broadcast to the entire country that he wore one. We should all be able to have nice things without worrying about this stuff, but bad people are out there. I think in this instance the OP found himself in the wrong place at the wrong time. Luck will always play its part. I always try to match the watch to the circumstances but probably don't get it right 100% of the time.
https://forum.tz-uk.com/showthread.p...chael+McIntyre
Last edited by Russ; 7th July 2022 at 10:27.
SIMs removed from locked phones are used to call premium rate numbers set up by the thieves.
I've also commented about this on some other topics, but I've too started to feel a bit more uncomfortable traveling with expensive watches (locally in Finland I still don't worry). There has been just so much more visibility for high end watches in the last few years, mostly due to Instagram that now they are on the radar for all crooks. I recently changed my insurance company and the watches had to be appraiced. They offered me 20000e maximum travel insurance policy, which is not anymore enough to insure two modern Rolex. That is one point, but I also started thinking if I put my family into risk by making us a target by wearing expensive watches - not a good feeling when you start to think about this.
On the other hand, I just came home from a two week holiday in Southern France. We were in Nice, Cannes, Aix and Arles. The number of expensive watches I saw was staggering... In Cannes downtown most popular watches seemed to be full gold Rolex, Pateks, AP etc. I never felt unsafe in Cannes or in any other place we visited.
Last edited by china; 7th July 2022 at 16:50.
I think it would be very sad to not be able to enjoy watches that you love. The only real solution is make sure you have decent insurance - you can’t live your life eyeing your everyone in sight as a potential thief. And what’s the point in watches if you can’t wear them?
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I know that was a scam but is it still the case? Premium rate numbers are apparently harder to set up and you now have to opt in on your phone deal. I think they moved on.
Presumably part of all this is the fact that there is a growing market for stolen Rolexi.
Probably Love Island wannabe types lapping them up.
Which will mean it's more of a Rolex issue, as you just don't get the same online flex with a Bremont etc
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A worthwhile read Mick. Stay safe.
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/202...-rolex-ripper/
What a mugshot.
Utter scum.
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^ Sly's mum in her heyday... Given his age, I'm assuming the chap is extremely short-sighted.
A few policemen have said that about three quarters of victims are men over 70 and the watches are YG. There is rarely any violence because then there is hardly any likelyhood of imprisonment. I didn't realise what she was doing until she got the clasp undone and then she gave up after the wife whacked her. She just calmly walked away into the crowded market without drawing attention to herself.
I have an Omega Constellation, which is really low key, in for service and until then I am wearing the Explorer 1 which is a lot less loud than the GMT11 I was wearing at the time of the incident.
Great, get yourself turned over by a thug with a weapon for a Chinese lookalike, I guess shouting ITS A STEELDIVE will put them off, they might even feel sorry for you!
Well I suppose we could all wear a Seiko and drive a Duster!
Started out with nothing. Still have most of it left.
Is anyone likely to try and steal a Seiko even if it's not the real thing?
I'd rather not be robbed at all. I doubt having a Rolex stolen would make you feel better about it!
M
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Breitling Cosmonaute 809 - What's not to like?
Not one of mine, I hasten to addA worthwhile read Mick. Stay safe.
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/202...-rolex-ripper/
What a mugshot.
That Mick P has shared with such honesty and humility how he nearly lost his watch is admirable.
It’s an uncomfortable perhaps unwelcome subject, about which each of us will have our personal perspective.
But it is important and Mick has done us all a service by raising it. Cheers.
About 10 years or so ago I came out of a jazz club in Greenwich with a girlfriend. Was wearing a Rolex.
Not a problem.
Two weeks later a chap came out of same club with his girlfriend. Two guys tried to take his Rolex, he ran and was stabbed and killed.
Mate of mine had some guy try to rip his Milgauss off his wrist in a busy pub. All got a bit nasty and he ended up with some decent bruises to his wrist. My friend stopped wearing the watch for a while, then bought a decent fake/clone of the watch and now wears that instead.
Personally….I think I’d now avoid wearing a decent watch if I was visiting the UK and especially London. Just can’t be worth the hassle. I have 20+ micro-brands to choose from so would wear something from that collection.
Here, Bali, I don’t think twice about wearing what I like. I own a very nice bar and we see some lovely watches on some customers.
Mind you I’m typing this sat outside a cafe; will pop in for a wee in a minute and will happily leave my iPad, bag, phone on the table. A friend in Highgate had two guys come inside a cafe snatch several laptops and make off. Crazy.
Worth bearing in mind - stealing a mobile here can get you three years. That’s a full three years: you do 100% of sentence.
Not far from here there was a bag snatch (4 years ago?) think video might still be on YouTube and the two criminals were caught by an Italian guy who managed to knock them off their bike. Locals stepped in, then the local security. By time the Police arrived one was dead and the other in a coma. Probably some lesson in that…
(No I don’t live in Kuta. In fact only been there twice.)
( Yes it’s mob justice and I’m not condoning it. )
Prefers dive watches...
I must say I've never understood that approach. I mean, I can see it works in a scenario where someone says "give me your watch", whereupon you say "yes ok", pleased with the deception. (Decoy fakes in a house aren't a bad idea either.) But often on here we hear stories of much more violent watch grabs, in which case it seems perverse to invite any Rolex-mugging attention with a fake one.
That's my instinct too, if I think a watch might attract unwelcome attention. Wear a Squale or something, which gives the WIS pleasure when glancing down, but isn't a scrote magnet.
As I understand it - it's just you are more likely to let it go.
He feels, rightly or wrongly, he can still wear the watch he likes but is less likely to put up a fight if someone tries to take it. Rather than swing someone around that's holding on to your wrist - he could have just it go.
In fact I've just thought about it following your comment; if a lot of these robberies are via distraction it's not violent and you are only losing £500 not £thousands.
The green crystal is not quite right, when compared to the original but otherwise you wouldn't be able to tell. I'm sure other people are doing this as well.
I picked up an Explorer II from a local AD a couple of years ago and declined their offer of their branded bag to place it in. Instead I wore the watch, under a jacket, and put the box in a non-descript backpack I had with me.
I was on a cruise several years ago and, prior to one stop, the ship very highly publicised that they strongly advised against taking anything valuable ashore.
I popped to the ship’s shop and bought one of the cheapest watches they had, a $20 Sekonda.
I remember picking up a high end watch in London from a famous store. I purposely took my own carrier bag as there bag stood out a mile - though the manager did recommend I left the back exit which I did.
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