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Vintage Watch Theft - Please Read

  1. Stewart H Honorary NJ Resident Apr 15, 2015

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    Tonight's London Evening Standard reports that a vintage watch dealer's premises was broken into on Saturday evening and 124 watches, worth £200,000 were stolen. Given that four of them were pocket watches, worth over £30,000 between them, the other 120 are all in the price range that most of us, on this forum are buying regularly. Apparently, the thieves tried a repeat performance on Sunday but were disturbed.

    With the nature of Euroland's non-existent boarders, these are probably in Eastern Europe already, waiting to be sold onto unsuspecting buyers - like us.

    I am intending to try to contact the dealer tomorrow and see if he can let me have a list on the stolen pieces and I'm sure that Trev and Ash would not mind me using up their band width by posting it.

    Whilst many on here have little sympathy for dealers, we have to remember that he is just a guy, trying to make a living and the insurance company will not pay him his margin on this considerable amount of stock.

    If I can get a list, I would encourage members to cross-post on other fora to try to protect the members there. Remember that if you buy a stolen item, even in completely good faith, you do not own it and can lose the item as well as your money. Given that most people like to pop the back off of their watches and show pictures on the net, it is easy for them to be identified.
     
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  2. dsio Ash @ ΩF Staff Member Apr 15, 2015

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    Give us anything you can, serial numbers, pics etc of any stock.
     
  3. gatorcpa ΩF InvestiGator Staff Member Apr 15, 2015

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    If you can include eBay UK in the distribution of this list, that would be great.

    They should know if they are auctioning off stolen merchandise or not.

    gatorcpa
     
  4. Stewart H Honorary NJ Resident Apr 15, 2015

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    I've sent a message to the dealer through his web site, stressing that I'm not fishing for the reward - if anything came of it, I'd rather see it go to charity - and pointed him to this thread.

    Let's hope that something comes of it as I'm sure he will be inundated with messages looking for the reward. I used my work contact details so he can check me out - unfortunately our web site doesn't say that the only reason I work is to afford to buy watches.
     
    citizenrich and Nobel Prize like this.
  5. gatorcpa ΩF InvestiGator Staff Member Apr 15, 2015

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    That may be arranged if you like. :)
    gatorcpa
     
    Stewart H likes this.
  6. Event horizon faux seller of watches and complete knobhead Apr 15, 2015

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    Yes Tony Bliars open door policy has been fantastic for international criminals in our tiny island. I'm beginning to have negative thoughts on the whole foreign imports without any border checks on criminal background. I've noticed the U.S. Doesn't like undesirables coming into their country. Expect eBay to aid international crime in the near future when the collection has been distributed thinly across a number of recipients. A list of the stock stolen is a great idea I don't want to pay for a watch that isn't mine at some point in the future.
     
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  7. PatrickJ Apr 15, 2015

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    Can we ask what london dealer? Or is that not appropriate.
     
  8. Nobel Prize Spell Master! Apr 15, 2015

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    I applaud this initiative. On this note not only Ebay UK but eBay international should be notified.
     
  9. khmt2 Apr 15, 2015

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  10. Impondering Doesn't actually ponder all that much. Apr 15, 2015

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    "I've noticed the U.S. Doesn't like undesirables coming into their country."

    I wish this statement was true!
     
    noelekal likes this.
  11. SpikiSpikester @ ΩF Staff Member Apr 16, 2015

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    You'll have to forgive any temporary anti-immigrant sentiments coming out of the UK at the minute.

    We're going through electioneering which is stirring up the immigration debate like it's 1979. But with fewer facts being employed in the discussion...
     
    Matty01 and lenny like this.
  12. CanberraOmega Rabbitohs and Whisky Supporter Apr 16, 2015

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    I struggle to believe any of it is as bad as what is going on here in Oz.
     
    Matty01 likes this.
  13. SpikiSpikester @ ΩF Staff Member Apr 16, 2015

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    Don't bet on it.

    It never ceases to amaze me that people don't realise how much a certain breed of politician will exploit the same old fears in difficult economic conditions, decade after decade.
     
    Matty01 likes this.
  14. gatorcpa ΩF InvestiGator Staff Member Apr 16, 2015

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    At the risk of sounding like a TV police procedural writer, this looks like a robbery-for-hire job. It will be very difficult to sell these pieces in public as they are pretty much unique. No, someone knew about them, knew exactly where they were, and hired someone to go get them.

    If we could only enforce the laws we already have without the cries of "discrimination" at every turn, we'd be a lot better off. Remember that the 9/11 terrorist pilots were all aliens who came here for training. They overstayed their student visas and were here illegally.

    But no one bothered to look for them.
    gatorcpa
     
    Edited Apr 16, 2015
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  15. Stewart H Honorary NJ Resident Apr 17, 2015

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    I have received the below from the unfortunate dealer:

    Stewart good evening,

    Thank you for your kind words, but only two wrist watches were taken, both Omegas, and clearly sold or used by the thieves immediately
    Everything else is collectors market pocket watches. if you can suggest any suitable sites, would be delighted to hear from you.

    Kind regards

    Simon

    If anybody knows of any pocket watch communities, I'll be delighted to pass on the information.
     
  16. Buckeyes#1 Things come with instructions? Apr 17, 2015

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    "I've noticed the U.S. Doesn't like undesirables coming into their country."

    What does this mean?
     
  17. citizenrich Metal Mixer! Apr 25, 2015

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    A nation isn't really a nation if it doesn't enforce her borders, language or culture.

    The person(s) involved in this caper may be prep school boys named Smith and Johnson from Green Park but I doubt it. You probably doubt it too, yes?

    Our kind hearts and soft minds are often exploited by criminals and scofflaws who know I'd rather be called anything but an ignorant xenophobe.
     
    Edited Apr 25, 2015
  18. citizenrich Metal Mixer! Apr 25, 2015

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    Julie Bishop wants to go to Iran and see if the Mullahs are willing to take back all the refugees who weren't anything close to refugees. They're liars and cheats. I can't imagine you seek to defend the ability of liars and cheats who jump ahead of truly needy asylum seekers and take their place. Do you?

    You don't strike as type of person who supports cheaters and liars but maybe I misjudged you? Sorry.
     
  19. CanberraOmega Rabbitohs and Whisky Supporter Apr 25, 2015

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    Seriously?

    This forum is very open, but traditionally there have been a couple of topics we have avoided (eg gun control), and kept debate civil.
     
  20. Matty01 Port Adelaide's No.1 Fan Apr 25, 2015

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    Yep plenty of Aussie Xenophobia being shown by the Aussie government too on an ongoing basis.

    Promoting the line that people who come out here via boat or other illegal means are queue jumpers as though they have pushed a kid out of the line at a fairground attraction and stolen thier place, as opposed to having risked life and limb to come here with nothing because thats a much better option than staying at home.

    Our current politicians disgust me.
     
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