Unfortunately, luxury watches are being stolen daily around the globe. When your watch got stolen, there are several steps to increase the chances of recovering it. Owners should do everything they can to make it as difficult as possible for thieves to get rid of the stolen goods. Like this, they also increase having them caught and tracked down.
In this blog post, you can read the most important steps you can take if you have had your watch stolen to increase the chances of having it recovered.
What to do when your watch got stolen?
- Find the model and serial number
- Report it to the police
- Report it to your insurance company
- Report it to the watch brand manufacturer
- Share posts about your stolen watch on watch forums
- List it on Stolen-Watches.com
Find the model and serial number
Starting, you must define the stolen watch as clearly as possible. Like this, you increase the chances of ever retrieving it.
The most important characteristics here, next to the brand, are the model and serial number. The serial number is unique to your watch because there is no other watch carrying the same number. Think of your watch’s serial number as its very own social identity number that makes it possible to identify it.
It is, therefore, necessary that you know the serial number of your watch so you can use that to report your stolen watch accordingly. This will make it possible to later identify it when found.
Always make sure that you collect the serial numbers of your watches. Keep the receipts or any original documents of your watches safe, which may include information about your watch and its serial number.
If you don’t know the serial number of your watch, try to contact the store/company/person who sold you the watch.
Often the serial number is engraved between the lugs of the case or on the case back.
Report it to the police
The first step to do when you have had your watch stolen is to file a report with your local police. The police can start investigating the theft and you will need a police report to file an insurance claim later.
The police have a database of stolen items and will be able to add your stolen watch to this database. With that said, you must have the model, the model number, and the serial number so that they have the exact details and information about your watch.
The police generally has access to both national and international databases and will be able to spread the word about your stolen watch to other partners and anti-crime-and theft authorities.
Contact your insurance company
Generally, to file an insurance claim, you will need to have a police report. This is why reporting the watch theft to the police is always the first step.
Some watch insurance policies cover less than others, but losses, theft, damage, and disappearance are typical perils covered.
Insurance companies may also have their database of stolen items. In many cases, this database is done in collaboration with other insurance companies to get a wider reach of items and to increase the chances of retrieving these items.
Report it to the watch brand manufacturer
Most luxury watch brands such as Rolex have an internal register of stolen watches, and therefore, it can be a good idea to inform them that your watch got stolen. In addition, some brands have a customer service email or phone line you can use to contact them. It doesn’t hurt to ask if they have their own database to which you can add your watch so they too can keep their eyes open.
Watches need to be serviced to function properly, and fortunately, even stolen watches are taken to service centers to be serviced. When they end up at the official retailers to be serviced by the brands, they will run checks to ensure it is not stolen. If they do find out it got stolen, they will confiscate it and inform law enforcement. This means that your stolen watch can be retrieved when and if it is taken to be serviced by the official retailers, or the respective brand if sent directly to them.
List it on Stolen-Watches.com
Stolen-Watches.com is a website with an international register of lost and stolen watches available for due diligence. You can register your watch in the central database to be used by police forces, insurance companies, and theft victims to increase recovery. It also offers a database search service to retailers, pawnbrokers, jewelers, auction houses, and collectors, which allows them to check the status of a watch before transactions.
Share posts about your stolen watch on watch forums
There are many forums out there that allow you to make a post about your stolen luxury watch. This helps spread the word about your stolen watch, and since these are also found in search engines if someone ever searches for your watch’s serial number, information that this watch is stolen will come up.
When you make a post about your stolen watch in these forums, make sure you include detailed information about your watch, the model, and most importantly, its serial number.
Some (watch) forums and databases where you can post about your stolen watch are:
As mentioned, the more places you spread the information to, the better.
