[Pro-Tip] - Hide an Apple AirTag inside a watch pillow

I have all of my nice watches on my home owners policy, as long as they are under $10K I don't have to have an appraisal.  I am basically buddies with my insurance guy now since my house was hit by a tornado last year, I just text him when I get a new watch and he adds it.  I also keep my watches in a room that can be shut off when there are workers or strangers in the house and have a large safe.  

My watches are covered under my home insurance, since none of them are expensive/rare, that's all I need. 

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005P12C5A/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Bolted down, it ain't going anywhere!

I never thought of my home insurance.  Time to check the limits, deductible (ugh) and requirements for personal property protection on my policy.  Maybe I'm already covered. Thanks

even better!

Genius!

I always thought safes are for thieves what Kinder Eggs are for kids.

I really don't want anyone having the idea of ​​waiting for me so I can open it.

Respectfully, I don't think the airtag is going to make a difference, largely because I would imagine the crims would toss the box and paraphernalia literally as quickly as possible.  Easier to stuff loose watches in bags than a whole box.

I also think safes just increase the chance of someone telling me at gunpoint to open it.

I keep anything remotely precious in a safe deposit box at a bank somewhere else.  I actually have shockingly few watches on me at any given time.

The idea of a AirTag is just having notifications if the box was moved. 30 bucks for a little extra layer of security.

What I mean is, I don't think it a criminal would necessarily even move the box.  Like, it would be much easier to hid a sack full of loose watches underneath a jacket than it would be to even pickup the box or the watch pillows.  It's not like they're going to care if they get scratched by being jumbled together, if they're just trying to make a quick resale.

Unless the Airtag is sensitive to within a couple of feet (I don't own one so I don't know), I'm having a tough time envisioning the utility.  One man's opinion.

Hmmm...  I guess it all depends upon what sorts of situations one imagines one might end up in.  If I go back to first principles, here's my particular logic flow:

Random criminals who want money

• Let us imagine a universe in which I am a criminal, who is looking to steal things from people, to then sell.  I love money, and I need money, but I don't like working a regular job.  Under that scenario, rationally, the smartest thing for me to do is break into people's homes when they're not around, grab any valuables I can find, and then leave in the dark of night.  After all, I'm not trying to engage in violence with anyone - I'm not risk-seeking, I'm not trying to prove anything, and I just, you know, want to be able to sell stuff I've stolen and have some money
• What I would do is I would canvas a neighborhood and go door-to-door, under the guise of raising money for charity or some community program.  I'd knock on your door and tell you that if you buy such-and-such magazine subscriptions, the proceeds will go to some youth sports program.  But, what I'm really there to do is to suss out how easy it would be to break into your home when you're not around to steal your things, all the while keeping an eye out on the neighbors.  If all the neighbors are gone from X o'clock to Y o'clock, you don't have any security system or a Ring doorbell, and the doors and windows look old and flimsy... I'll come back and burgle your house when you're away
• Even better, I'd probably show up in a van with a fake plumbing logo on it, so that if anybody sees me with my van parked in your driveway, nobody will be any the wiser

For criminals who want money, the safe will thwart their aims.  They find it, they can't remove it, and if they happen to have the type of equipment to drill through and saw apart a safe, it would make such a racket that they would quickly be discovered.

How about the case where someone is waiting to jump you when you're standing in front of your safe?

Random criminals who want stuff so badly they'd engage in violence

• Let us imagine a universe in which I am a criminal, who is not just looking to steal things from people, but also willing and able to engage in violence to get what I want.  Under that scenario, I'm risk-seeking, I'm probably trying to prove something...  probably to other young men in my peer group...  I wish there were a word for when young men get together in big groups in order to engage in violent crime...  I think it starts with a 'G' ...  Groups!  I'm part of a group!
• What I would do is I would sell drugs, I would violently rob convenience stores, I would canvas nightclubs and shopping centers and areas where there are likely to be lots of people going out and openly displaying their wealth.  And that's how I would choose my victims

For group members, it's a moot point.  Unless you live in group territory, they wouldn't even know you existed, that you had a safe, much less to wait around for you to open it.  

And, if you do live in group territory, the only rational thing to do is get the f*ck outta there!

Legitimate workers who are criminals

• Let us imagine a universe in which I am criminally-minded, but I work in a job that brings me into the homes of people with valuable stuff.  Under that scenario, I'm in the house as a plumber or a repair guy or a contractor / manual laborer or whatever
• What I would do is I would have plenty of time to scope out your home, see where your valuables are kept, and then to plan out how to steal all your stuff when you're not around.  AND I would know where your safe is

This is the true danger.  The solution here is to simply have camera systems set up all over the house - Ring and Google Nest home security systems are incredibly cheap and easy to set up.  The manual laboring criminal absolutely doesn't want to get caught.  He probably has low executive function and when he sees some valuables, knowing that he could easily get them at some point when you're not home, he gives in to temptation - he's got a hyperbolic discount rate.  So, if you make the danger / cost to him high enough (prominently displayed security cameras throughout the house), that's probably enough to overcome the hyperbolic discount threshold.  

What always blows my mind are all the stories you read about rich people being bludgeoned to death in their own homes, and it's never the butler who did it - it was some handyman, or the lawn maintenance dude, or one of the guys who came to work on the roof.  And it takes like 2 weeks for the police to catch the perpetrator who always says, "I just meant to grab the diamond necklaces when nobody was around, and then he came home in the middle of the day and I had no choice."  

Why don't these people have camera and security systems in their homes???  Craziness.

Regardless, I fail to see how in any of the above 3 scenarios, having a safe in which to store your valuables makes it more likely for your valuables to get stolen!

Hide them in the books on your bookshelf…thieves will never look there…Thank You, Chris Rock

Keep your expensive watches at the back of a bottom drawer, and have one display box filled with overly blingy Invicta's on show.  

The joke is on any thief trying to sell them on later!

These are valid scenarios, however, I rather follow the basics:

Don't let strangers get in:

- Locks, Fences, etc;

If they are in, monitor them the maximum as possible:

 - Stay at home when strangers are there, remove/obstruct/Lock stuff if you can't stay at home with them

 - Use as many cameras and, in this case, movement sensors as possible (like this AirTag).
 

If they are already in the house with bad intentions:

 - Encourage them to leave as soon as possible (alarms, etc). Don't tempt them to stay any longer, that is why I am against safes.

It is just a 30 bucks for a little extra layer of security after all.

Classic!

https://www.artofmanliness.com/skills/how-to/how-to-make-a-secret-book-safe/

That reminds me my time on university... not watch related 😜

Haha! At the end of the article, it asks: have you ever made a Book Safe?

NO! Unless I’m Andy from Shawshank or a hitman - who would?? 😂😂😂

Glad you do this! I’m an insurance agent and have a few guys like yourself who text me their pickups and I add it. Very affordable to add them

Brian, may I suggest upgrading to a Stealth safe in the same size? Sadly, Sentry safes are super easy to pick, and this specific lock can be done with relative ease (See LPLs vids for a few example). This one can be foiled by a bic pen. :-)

Granted, your average thieves aren’t bright and break ins are crimes of convenience, but still. Also, clearly I spent too much time messing with locks during COVID.  :-)

https://www.stealthsafes.com/pages/hs4-ul-home-safe

Agreed. When you are being assessed by the insurance company they will ask if your house has cctv, alarm systems, safe etc. Inventorize your watches with valuations and photos. But lets be honest. If a burglar has set his mind to it, even your safes arent....well...safe!

Correct, enough time and tools, no safe is safe. That said, it’s very unlikely. Having a safe is tremulously beneficially for most break-ins where it’s about getting in and out as quickly as possible. Getting a 500lb+ safe out is going to draw attention.

Damn!  It's like the old Kryptonite bike locks!  Designed to be completely foolproof... except against bic pens!

All right.  Definitely time to buy that Stealth safe.  Thank you for the link, my man!

I mean my safe is like 500lbs and bolted to the concrete floor… haha