This is the shocking moment when a man in his 50s was robbed of his luxury £28,000 Rolex watch by two men who tackled him from behind while walking with his wife in north London. The video shared by the police shows how two men pulled the man and his wife to the floor and ripped his black and gold Rolex Yacht Master off his wrist just before 7pm on Camden’s Frognal Way on September 13.
After stealing the watch, which had a black rubber strap, the thieves ran off in the direction of Frognal Road. A member of the public who tried to help the couple called the police, who searched the area but could not find the two men.
On Monday, the detectives launched an appeal to trace the two men and said the victims were shaken but did not suffer any serious physical injuries. Met Sergeant Max Pennington said: “The man and his wife were on their way home after enjoying a night out when this horrible incident happened.
“I’m keen to hear from anyone who can identify the two men. I also want to hear from any jewellers or pawnbrokers who might have been offered the watch for sale.”
Watches matching the description given by police retail for as much as £28,000 on the Rolex website.
Street robbery cases in London have increased by 16.6 percent in 12 months with 2,533 offences in October alone, according to the Met’s monthly crime dashboard.
In October, a machete-wielding teenager who threatened to cut off singer Aled Jones’s head as he robbed the star of his £17,000 Rolex watch was locked up. The 52-year-old Welsh baritone was walking along Chiswick High Road with his son on July 7 when the 16-year-old boy attacked him.
England tops the world league table of luxury watches heists, according to global crime prevention database The Watch Register, reported The Standard.
Katya Hills, managing director of The Watch Register, said: “Recent records show a concerning surge in the registration of luxury watches that have been stolen or lost.
“The considerable value and prestige of these high-end timepieces continues to attract the attention of sophisticated and international criminal networks, making them a prime target for theft.
“The increasing number of stolen luxury watches also serves as a stark reminder of the risks faced in safeguarding such high-value possessions and we advise owners to make sure that they have adequate insurance for their watch, to keep photographs of their watch and to make a note of their watch’s unique serial number, which will aid its recovery in the event of it being lost or stolen.”
