Getting a watch or multiple watches stolen is a watch owner’s worst nightmare, and it can be seriously rage-inducing if it ever happens. All of the money and time you invested into your watch can feel like it is completely wasted. But, fear not my friend, because several tips and tricks can help you in the process of getting your timepiece back!
I know all about this because a couple of years ago, my family had to deal with a home invasion in our residency, which was one of the worst things that have ever happened to us. A couple of thieves invaded our household and stole a safe that had precious items in them, and my family was upset about it for months.
Read on to view my steps, tips, and what you should do if your watch ever gets stolen.
1. Immediately File A Police Report
If your watch is stolen, one of the first steps that you have to do is file a police report. The sooner and faster you file a police report with officers, the better the chance of finding the thieves that stole your luxury watch and your timepiece will be stored in a police database.
Once you file a police report, you can describe the thieves to police officers and workers, which can have a chance of tracking down the thieves that stole your timepiece. In addition, thieves often leave traces of evidence, which can also help police officers in the search for your stolen timepiece.
At the time when I had a home invasion with thieves that stole my family’s safe, we immediately called the police and reported the incident to the officers that came to our house.
We provided a detailed description of what happened, provided some details of what the thieves looked like, and showed them some evidence of the break-in that we found throughout the house (there were some knicks in the furniture they ran into. The officers we talked to took note of this and added all of our stolen items to their database.
Right after we did this, the police officers we talked to looked around our area and tried to find people under the description we gave them, but they could not find anyone.
Even though we couldn’t find the thieves that took my family’s safe during our home invasion, it doesn’t mean that the police officers that assist you either and the police have their own database of stolen items, and they can place your watch in their database if you provide them the serial number of your stolen watch.
There are millions of stories of police officers finding and catching thieves that have stolen watches and other precious items, which is why the first step you must take is to immediately file a police report to improve the chances of finding the thieves who did it and register your stolen timepiece into the police database.
2. Visit “The Watch Register” Or “My Stolen Watch”
If your watch is stolen, all hope is not lost because individuals with big hearts have created websites like “The Watch Register” and “My Stolen Watch”, which are websites where you can register your stolen watch and get your watch recovered if it ever shows up. Websites like these are extremely helpful because it improves your chances of getting your watch back to you safely.
For “The Watch Register”, it costs around $20 to register one watch to their database, and they will continually search on the international market for your watch’s unique serial number until it’s found and they also work with police that find watches that are found on criminals, and they will notify you immediately if they find it.
All you need to register a watch with “The Watch Register” is your stolen watch’s serial number and proof of loss (which can be provided from a police report or insurance).
On top of that, “The Watch Register” also provides one-off searches, where you don’t have to register your watch, but you can simply provide them your stolen watch’s serial number, and they will respond to you in just five minutes and tell you if your watch has been found.
These one-off searches on “The Watch Register” start as low as around $3, and they also sell search bundles as well if you would like to search more often.
I think that registering your watch is the best option when it comes down to “The Watch Register”, and I personally prefer it over one-off searches. Once you register your watch with them, they consistently keep a lookout for you and notify you if they find it, which is totally worth it in my opinion.
As for “My Stolen Watch”, they provide an extremely similar service just like “The Watch Register”. Similar to “The Watch Register”, “My Stolen Watch” has its own database of stolen watches and they also work with the police force across the world to try and locate your watch if it ever comes up.
Some thieves, once they steal a timepiece or multiple, go on the internet to sell the watch, and they must provide the unique serial number of the timepiece to sell it. This is where “The Watch Register” and “My Stolen Watch” come in handy. If they see that the serial number of your watch is being listed on the market, they will notify you immediately and track down the thief who is trying to sell it.
At the end of the day, I prefer both “My Stolen Watch” and “The Watch Register”. I think that both of their prices are reasonable: the small fee of $20 can be life-changing if they do ever find your watch out there in the world, which is why I recommend it.
You can visit both of the websites by using these links down below (I am not affiliated with them; I’m just providing helpful links to assist you in finding your watch).
The Watch Register: https://www.thewatchregister.com/
My Stolen Watch: http://www.mystolenwatch.com/home-en/
3. Learn How To Properly Store A Watch At Night
Watches and timepieces are commonly stolen at night, which means that storing your watch correctly can save you the headache and time
If your watch has ever been stolen before, you would clearly know that it is the worst thing that could ever happen to a watch owner, and properly storing your watch at night can reduce the chances of your watch ever getting stolen again.
Recently, I have been looking at Reddit discussions talking about stolen watches, and I have seen terrible horror stories of some individuals getting all of their watches stolen at night. Because of that, I always make sure to properly store my watch at night so I can lower the risk of it being taken significantly.
Since I know the pain and suffering that comes with dealing with stolen luxury goods, I want to completely avoid it as much as possible so that I never have to deal with it ever again. This is why I take storing my watches at night so seriously. I never want to deal with the issue of having my precious objects stolen again.
Personally, what I do when I store my watch at night is I store my watches behind a lock and key, and place them in a hiding spot only I know about. This way, thieves have no idea where to look, and on top of that, you need a key to ever get to my timepieces. I found that this method works for me very well, and it has helped me stay calm whenever I go off to sleep at night.
As a matter of fact, I wrote a whole article discussing the best ways to store a luxury watch at night. In the post, I go over the best ways to store a luxury watch at night that I personally found. If you want to see the full, in-depth article to help educate yourself about where and how to store a luxury watch at night, you can do so by clicking right here.
4. Consider Watch Insurance
Losing a watch or getting a watch stolen is one of the worst things that can ever happen. However, watch insurance can keep you completely covered if your watch gets stolen, and can provide you the funds to replace your watch if anything ever happens to it.
If your watch is already insured with a reputable company, then they will easily provide you the means and funds to replace your watch if it is ever stolen. However, if your watch is not insured, then it is much harder to
As I did my research on watch insurance, I found that “Jewelers Mutual Group” is the best overall watch insurer out there right now, which has been recommended by “Investopedia” and “The Balance”. If you are looking to insure your timepieces, I would also recommend going with Jewelers Mutual Group
I honestly have been really thinking about getting watch insurance for my really expensive timepieces like my Panerai Luminor Chronograph and my Breitling Wings watch. Since the watches cost so much money and are the best watches in my collection at the moment, I would be completely heartbroken if any of the two watches were ever stolen: especially my Panerai watch since it’s an heirloom from my parents.
For me, getting watch insurance for my more expensive watches makes complete sense because the watch insurance can keep me completely covered if any of them ever gets stolen. You may be wondering, “Wouldn’t it be expensive to insure an expensive watch?”.
While it is a valid question, the price of watch insurance may not be as expensive as you think. Generally, watch insurance for most companies costs around 1% to 2% of your watch’s overall value per year. Let’s say that your watch is $2,000, then you would pay as low as $20 per year for your watch insurance, which I personally think is extremely inexpensive.
I think the cost of watch insurance is completely worth it. Watch insurance like this can help you keep peace of mind so you know that you will be completely covered, which is why I recommend it so much for you and I will most likely purchase watch insurance for my more expensive timepieces.
Here is a link to Jewelers Mutual Group if you’re interested (again, not affiliated, just trying to help you as much as possible).
Jewelers Mutual Group: https://www.jewelersmutual.com/
5. Spread Your Story Across Forums
Forums about watches can be super useful, and they are filled with positive people who can try to make your day better and, if you find the right kind of people, help you find your stolen timepiece.
Even if other users on forums are not able to help you find your stolen timepiece, they can at least provide you some positivity and a sense of reassurance that you most definitely need if you are dealing with a stolen watch. I scroll through forums all the time, and I always see positive people commenting on other people’s posts, and it puts a smile on my face.
If you’re going through a tough situation where your watch is stolen, you are going to need all the help you can get, and forums can be a helpful tool that is filled with gracious and amazing people, which can come in handy physically and mentally.
Here are some of the most popular forums about watches:
- WatchUSeek: https://www.watchuseek.com/
- Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/
- OmegaForums: https://omegaforums.net/
- RolexForums: https://www.rolexforums.com/
- The Watch Forum: https://thewatchforum.co.uk/
Personally, some of my favorite forums are WatchUSeek and Reddit since there are a ton of users on both websites, and you will have a better chance of connecting to someone who can really help you.
At the end of the day, dealing with a stolen watch can be really stressful and heartbreaking. However, after you have read this article, I hope you understand that all hope is not lost because these are legitimate ways to help you get your stolen watch back and provide the reassurance you need mentally.