Hugely expensive watches - a risk worth taking?
Music industry manager stabbed to death for ‘fake’ Patek Philippe
Emmanuel Odunlami, 32, was celebrating his birthday when a security guard allegedly told assailants he was wearing a £300,000 watch
www.telegraph.co.uk
The story is behind a pay wall, but the headline says it all. Or does it? Is it really this dangerous to wear hugely expensive watches these days (or even having peopleTHINK that the watch we are wearing is hugely valuable) What are your personal experiences, or lack thereof, of watch crime?
11 comments
Sort by
jamie
My interest in watches began when i started watching restoration videos on youtube. I then began watching reviers like Ben, from Bens Watch Club. The first watch that I bought myself was a vintage Lor...
Netherlands
Member since
Last active: 49 min ago
7.50” / 19.05 cm
I think it depends on your risk tolerance and your perception of the risk. These stories of rich people getting mugged for their watches get a lot of media attention but in reality, what are the odds? Of all the people running around in the world with expensive watches, how many get mugged because of their watch? 0.0001%? For some, it's a purely emotional reaction, they hear of two instances and think it will happen to them. For me, as an engineer, it's about the odds. Obviously, it also depends on where you hang out. I don't go anywhere I'm likely to be mugged. You hear a lot of stories about Vegas, but that's a place rife with all kinds of hucksters, grifters and outright thieves; half the population, at least downtown and on the strip, are out for a fast buck. If you live here in Seattle and you don't go down to Belltown late at night, it's highly unlikely you'll be a victim. You just have to use your head and make sure you have good insurance!
I think it depends on your risk tolerance and your perception of the risk. These stories of rich people getting mugged for their watches get a lot of media attention but in reality, what are the odds? Of all the people running around in the world with expensive watches, how many get mugged because of their watch? 0.0001%? For some, it's a purely emotional reaction, they hear of two instances and think it will happen to them. For me, as an engineer, it's about the odds. Obviously, it also depends on where you hang out. I don't go anywhere I'm likely to be mugged. You hear a lot of stories about Vegas, but that's a place rife with all kinds of hucksters, grifters and outright thieves; half the population, at least downtown and on the strip, are out for a fast buck. If you live here in Seattle and you don't go down to Belltown late at night, it's highly unlikely you'll be a victim. You just have to use your head and make sure you have good insurance!
I seem to recall hearing about a couple of people being relieved of their RMs while in the crowd atlast years Monaco Grand Prix. Mayfair and Chelsea, two of Londons wealthiest areas have seen a drastic rise in people having high end watches taken from them. I do not neccessarily think it has anything to do with going somewhere perceivably risky. Thieves can, and do travel.
I don't think anyone has, or will suggest the guy deserved to be stabbed...
The message that most of these types of stories are trying to get across is pretty simple; Conspicuous displays of wealth will attract attention, most attention will be harmless, but some of it won't be.
People need to be aware of what signals they are sending to others, as well as where they are sending those signals.
I live in the roughest part of a very safe city. I wouldn't walk around my neighbourhood wearing "blingy" fake jewellery that looks expensive, because eventually one of the meth heads or other criminals in the area would decide that going after me was worth the risk. If I lived in one of the upscale neighbourhoods the city, the worst that would happen to me for walking around in "blingy", expensive looking fake jewellery would be people looking down their noses at a crass display of wealth, or assumptions it was all fake anyway.
I sincerely hope that there is nothing in the post that comes across in any way like I think the guy got what he deserved, because that could not be further from the truth. I made the post because I find it more than a little disturbing that people are prepared to go to this kind of extreme for a watch. I am also aware that this is at the extreme and rare end of watch crime, but watch crime in general does appear to be on the rise.
apparantly a security guard
people would kill to rob over cheaper things. The world has always been a dangerous place. Nothing to do with expensive watches, everything is by chance and common sense.
if you flex your wealth at a wrong place then you’re kinda asking for it. Not talking specifically about this guy. RIP to him.
Sorry, but I've met a few...🙄