This is purely your decision to make as the decision impacts only you. I have a frustratingly low appetite to risk so If I was not covered abroad I wouldn't take it.
Hi Guys,
New on the forum. I bought my first rolex a few months ago and got it insured. Nothing fancy or blingy just a standard Mk1 241270
My insurance doesn't cover being abroad with the watch. I'm going to Singapore and Bali in a few weeks time and wondering whether to take the watch with me or not.
I feel like there's so many fake watches in Bali most people will just assume mine is fake too? (I'm not worried about Singapore, although a little bit worried about Coronavirus haha)
This is purely your decision to make as the decision impacts only you. I have a frustratingly low appetite to risk so If I was not covered abroad I wouldn't take it.
I always prefer to stay low profile while abroad. Especially if it's holidays.
Spent 7 weeks diving in Bali. No issues wearing watches out there.l from my experience Even saw a few divers wearing their rolex while diving . I just stuck with my sunnto D6 while under water andva military omega when feet dry.
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Wouldn't you take out separate holiday insurance cover anyway?
Think I'd be inclined to upgrade my insurance to cover it anywhere ... I certainly wouldn't travel with it uninsured, regardless of where I was going
I took my £50 G-Shock to Barbados despite having insurance for other watches. Kind of regretted it tbh, as I saw lots of other nice watches whilst there and resort was really a safe environment. Your call but insurance is a must. I will be braver next time.
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What's the point in having a nice watch and being too scared to enjoy it??
Are people really just wearing their expensive watches at home?
Due diligence and common sense go a long way. That or just get rid of your watches and enjoy you life in a more carefree way.
..hope that doesn't come across as a lecture as it isn't the intent....
Phone your home insurance provider and ask how much it would cost to insure your valuables away from home. They’ll ask what kind of valuables and values, and give you a price to add to your existing policy.
Worth keeping in mind this will likely cover loss and accidental damage as well as just theft.
I wore my white dial skydweller For 5 weeks around Singapore, Australia and NZ recently with no concerns at all. FWIW Singapore is as safe a country as any I’ve ever been to.
AXA were good in this regard, though I don’t just know the current terms offhand. I nearly had cause to use it when Airport Security at Madeira extracted my Rolex in its travel pouch from the bottom of my hand luggage without telling me, sealed up the case again and then put the watch in its pouch through on a separate tray several minutes later. Had I not been slow in gathering my shoes, computer, phone etc etc I would have walked off with no idea. I would then have arrived home with no clue what had happened to it. I still wonder if there was an ulterior motive there.
this is a recurring theme at WUS - should I take my watch to [insert any country that is not USA].
to OP - if you survived in London's third world country slums where gangs on mopeds are chopping off hands to get watches (according to WUS), then you'll be OK in Singapore and Bali.
My daily wearer is a sub non date , has been for the last 20 years , I either wear that or my white faced Daytona when I’m on holiday.
Never had one cause for concern.
For me, the decision is a no brainer. If you're not covered to take it abroad, why would you even consider doing so ?
If it goes missing, for any reason, how p1$$ed off are you gonna be ?
Leave it behind and buy a cheap G Shock for the trip.
If you take it abroad I certainly believe wearing it is much safer than leaving it in a hotel room, safe or no safe!
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Couple of points
Only a nerd would recognise a 214270 from a distance of more than a few paces. We buy them because they fly well under the radar. Organised gangs are on the lookout for the easily recognised models, i.e Yellow Gold Day Dates etc. Your very ordinary looking Explorer is very safe.
I travel around Europe about 24 weeks a year, I am old, decrepit and a very easy target for a mugging. I always wear a Rolex and I have never had an ounce of trouble. Right now, today, I have just returned from Oxford Street in London and I wore a Daytona, no problems whatsoever.
Why not approach your insurance company and ask them to include your watch under "Global All Risk cover". It will not cost you much and will give you peace of mind. You quite often get it free of charge until the next annual renewal.
I prefer to wear something fairly cheap whilst abroad thesedays, 10 years ago I didn`t think that way but my attitude to risk, and my perception of risk, have changed as I`ve got older. None of my watches are insured for outside the house, I`ve always worked on the basis that I wouldn't lose a watch or be 'persuaded' to part with it. My watches still aren`t insured for outside the house, it would probably be costly because I've got a fair few, but nothing worth more than £3K (mostly well under £2K).
If I was the OP I wouldn't do it, or if I did I`d get insurance cover. I guess it depends whether you'd be prepared to soak up the loss if anything happened.
Watch theft seems to be more prevalent thesedays, watches have increased in price dramatically and the low-life seem more tuned into this type of crime than in the past.
Without insurance I wouldn’t risk it,get a cheap watch to wear ,if you loose it it’s no big deal.
I wouldn't, my friend went to Spain the other week and was mugged in broad daylight in a tourist area and he did not even have a nice watch which would probably invite people to target you even more.
I had a grands worth of diving equipment stolen in Bali. All insured but it was a pain to replace and put a downer on the trip somewhat. I was based in Singapore at the time, never any issues there.
Surprised by most of the replies, maybe I am considered a risk taker. Then again I personally buy watches to wear, rather than keep as safe queens, I've have always worn a nice watch abroad sometimes before I have even got around to insuring them. Then again I only buy to a level that I can afford to lose (albeit I'd be totally gutted), if the worst should happen. Taking them abroad seems to be to be especially appropriate if you are sporting a GMT
Not sure I would be happy without insurance, if you could get travle insurance then the watch is there to be enjoyed and you should wear it.
Like many things it’s luck of the draw! I’m never not wearing a watch for the risk of it being stolen. I’m also not going to get stabbed over losing it either. If someone wants something and there motivated enough then someone is taking it. Let them have it. Be insured get paid out. Go again. Same with cars etc etc.
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Beware the laskars.
I bought a G-Shock for this very reason.
I tend to get very drunk when I'm abroad, so would not risk it at all.
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Being aware of your surroundings is one thing. Not doing or not wearing something because you are concerned about the risks would make me question if I should buy it in the first place. If I lost a watch (even without insurance)would mean I'd obviously I'd upset, angry, and no doubt gutted for a while, but in the end I'd get over it. If I didn't think that, I'd probably not buy it in the first place.
Sometimes I wonder if our/my own attitude is down to life experiences, I very much changed my thought processes, and my priorities during the 2nd gulf war. Realising that some things are important in life, whereas some things are (when all is said and done) just trinkets. They are without doubt things that give us pleasure which we strive to own and should without doubt be enjoyed, but trinkets all the same.
Exactly this. Wearing an expensive watch in the Kennedy district of Bogotá is inappropriate and likely to draw the wrong kind of attention, especially if you stand out anyway. People have been murdered for far less. In Zona T it's relatively safe, although I know several folk who have been relieved of wallets and jewellery at gunpoint in the area. Local knowledge helps and if in doubt it is best to play it safe. This didn't prevent me from enjoying the collection in Colombia one jot, if anything the consideration of what to wear during various South American travels added to the enjoyment.
All my watches are insured but I never take my Submariner on holiday abroad.
I don’t want to tempt fate and, in some places we visit, the value can represent many months pay which I feel can be slightly insensitive.
I wear my SMP 300 instead which tends to fly under the radar somewhat.
Even with this I always feel uncomfortable seeing it vanish in the tray through the airport scanners until I retrieve it again!
Last edited by JeremyO; 28th January 2020 at 08:00.
I have done this a few times, wore something cheap and then realised it feels safe to wear something nice!
Now my holiday/travel watch is a Sinn EZM2 with a few strap options, it’s a really good pick up and go to watch being quartz, dresses up and down well, waterproof to 5000m+ should I find an extra deep pool and it just looks awesome on the wrist, it’s still worth around £1k so not cheap but it wouldn’t be recognised by Rolex hunters..
I generally don't take anything too showy to some of the places that I visit - I remember torturing myself for a couple of weeks about which X33 substitute I could take to Libya and then spent the 30 minutes before the flight counting Yachtmasters on fellow travellers in the departure lounge. The X33 is pretty much the consummate travel watch to me and I now always take that (but probably wouldn't wear it out and about in Nairobi, for example).
The most dangerous part of Singapore is safer than the safest part of the UK. It is ludicrously safe. I lived there for four years, and used to walk around on nights out after dark with short sleeves and a DayDate and had no trouble, ever.
Bali is also very touristy, and super safe. Had 10-12 holidays there and wore my Rolex 50% of the time, always fine. Obviously don't be silly - don't stumble drunk down dark alleys and don't take it off and leave it somewhere - but if you're just hitting the usual tourist spots and hanging out at beach clubs you'll be fine (you'll probably see far nicer watches while you're there!).
if it's a lads holiday and you intend on spending a lot of time drunk, perhaps wear something cheaper. If it's a family holiday to hotels, tours and beach clubs you'll be a-okay.
Singapore - there a couple of weeks ago and saw a Platona in the wild - just a guy and his kids wandering along one of the main shopping streets. It's very safe!
I have an ex colleague (American) who wore a Daytona to Caracas 2 years ago. Needless to say he didn't have it on the way back home.....
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That is very suspicious. I normally wear my Seiko SKX which I put in my hand luggage before security and put straight back on after retrieving my bag. But this really makes you think and is a good reminder.
OP - wear your watch but be careful - during airport ‘security’.
I’ve been to Bali and wouldn’t take anything too expensive there,chances are you’ll be fine but for peace of mind it’s best to leave it at home,especially if you won’t be covered if something did happen
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I lived in Singapore for a decade, it is probably the safest country in the world, plus everyone else is wearing Rolex, AP, Patek. Its a Mecca for WIS.
Been to Bali dozens of times, again you should be pretty safe and you will see plenty of Rolexes (real ones too) as its a playground for the Asian rich. Magnificent place. Enjoy.
But, what do you do if your house is burgled while you are in Singapore....