Just one in 88 luxury watches snatched in London are ever recovered, figures reveal

"Luxury watches are compact, valuable and easy to move across borders - they're essentially criminal currency. With such low recovery rates, owners need to stay one step ahead. Document every serial number, ensure your watches are properly insured, and avoid wearing high-value pieces where thieves are on the prowl. Once a stolen Rolex or Omega leaves the country, it's almost impossible to recover. Many are traded in parts or resold with falsified paperwork. Without proper documentation or serial tracking, ownership is hard to prove."

"Cmdr Featherstone said the issue had been an outlier for the Met, adding: But the bottom line is that isn't good enough. The public deserve better. We think they are responsible for approximately 40 per cent of all phone thefts in London. Our serious crime directorate has been involved in these operations, which they wouldn't normally be. They would normally be involved in firearms offences, drug importation, et cetera."

Around 5,180 luxury watches valued over 3,000 were stolen across London between January 2022 and July 2025, yet only 59 were recovered. Recovery is approximately one in 88 stolen timepieces. Just over one per cent of thieves were charged or convicted in London, compared with 11 per cent for robberies. A 1.38 million watch robbery at 247 Kettles jewellery store in Richmond preceded the suicide of store manager Oliver White, 27. Many stolen watches leave the country, are traded in parts or resold with falsified paperwork, and become hard to trace or prove ownership. About 80,000 devices were stolen in London, and police efforts to tackle phone snatching and organised theft have been described as insufficient despite recent operations and arrests. Owners are advised to document serial numbers, insure watches, and avoid wearing high-value pieces in risky areas.

Read at www.standard.co.uk