Makes me really want to take my speedy into the SF boutique ::sarcasm:: and yes, yes, sometime I will create my own thread and ask my question again.
-j

 

Anybody else remember the car-jacking epidemic in the early 1990s? That was truly nerve-wracking. I lived in LA at the time and I felt I was taking my life in my hands every time I stopped at a red light.

 

Vividly. I was a teenager in the late 80’s and stopped wearing K-Swiss because of the fears that I would get jacked for my shoes. Was a Chuck Taylor wearer after that.

 

I get it. Having said that...if you live in fear the bad guys win. Not just here. Everywhere.

Have fun if you can
kfw

 

I’m “remembering” it every day in the Chicago Tribune. Began with the plague in 2020 and has continued.

 

Celebrities? What is that? Something Un-Social Media has created? 30 seconds of Tik Tok Fame ? And then bragging on Instagram. Why on Earth would I want everyone to know, where I am and what I wear ? Bunch of Idiots. Make it easy to get hurt....

 

Not all heroes wear capes.

 

Living in Amsterdam with at least 1 robbery a week I gave up wearing my Rolexes a couple of years ago

 

Different thugs use different methods. Some have spotters who circulate through expensive areas, and then alert the strike team of a target. The team (up to four plus one or two drivers) arrives in a couple of cars, they know exactly the person they are looking for, they use force or the threat of force (the same thing legally) to rob their target. Other thugs will just attack anyone they find alone in a parking lot or on the street. They don't ask for what you have, they just pistol whip you and beat you into semi-conscious submission, and then strip you of whatever you have. The media uses of the word "Rolex" as just cheap headline click bait...the same way they use Porsche and BMW and Ferrari. The solution is not to cower and hide in fear of these criminals. Situational awareness is the first line of self defense, but that doesn't mean giving up your rights to thugs. I wouldn't run around south central Los Angeles or NYC or London or SF in a tee shirt and a Rolex Day Date. But I wouldn't leave it at home. And even if you did leave it at home, that wouldn't stop the crooks who will jump on any target of opportunity. We, as societies, have created this problem through our permissiveness. I refuse to surrender my freedoms to felons and thugs. I use common sense and other skills to ensure that I feel safe and can enjoy my life fully. As unpleasant as it sounds, Jeff Cooper said it best. "If violent crime is to be curbed, it is only the intended victim who can do it. The felon does not fear the police, and he fears neither judge nor jury. Therefore, what he must be taught to fear is his victim."

 

You must not live in any country that has any form of government

 

I’m curious to know whether you have actually ever been the victim of a violent crime and, if so, how you responded?.

 

A couple of responses and further thoughts:

1 - As I’ve said elsewhere in OF, I bought my IV-1967 1016 Explorer in the late 80’s, for a little over $400. (In the late 80’s, no one wanted Explorers.) I’d be perfectly happy if it was worth no more now, just so long as I could continue to wear it in public without any trepidations. During the decade that I amassed over 200,000 miles on motorcycles, the Explorer was on my wrist almost all the time. I resent that, because of this bizarre market for them, I am no longer as comfortable wearing it.

2 - Some time ago, I started storing watches in a bank deposit box, for the obvious reasons. Now, I have to admit that there are watches I own that I haven’t worn in years. Hell, there are watches I own that I haven’t seen in years. That’s fucked up. I swore that would never happen to me.

3 - Won’t this cause a drop in demand for Rolexes? I ain’t selling mine, but I sure ain’t buying anymore of them, just to store them away. I’d like to think that I’m not the only one drawing this conclusion.

4 - EBay looks different to me now. I find myself wondering how many Rolex listing are of stolen watches.

 

No …you are not alone…

 

This says it all. We can adjourn now.

 

No. And here is why. When I turned sixty I became aware that I had entered the age where I was now a preferred target of violent criminals. Women fit that profile at any age. Animal predators are no different. They chose the old and the young and the physically weaker because they want the easiest kill possible. They don't want to fight that hard for their food. Human predators are no different...but the young don't have the usual affluence of the older generations, so they are usually not prime targets. I began to study what I could do to avoid being a victim, and when that wasn't possible, what to do if it appeared that I was about to become one. This all begins with a mental process in which you must make many decisions and preparations well before any event takes place. The most successful outcome is one that doesn't happen because you are not perceived as easy prey. I do not live in fear of violent criminal attack because I am prepared for it. An honest reading of the moment and circumstances will lead me to decide whether to comply or resist. But one rule of thumb is never to submit. I do not worry about car jacking because I always take preventive measures. I wear any watch I own, anytime I feel like it, because I always practice situational awareness. The only compromise I have ever made was to take my favorite watch off my wrist and slip it into my pants pocket on the Metro out to the Flea Market in Paris. Once out of the subway and the environment changed, I put it back on my wrist and enjoyed it, and the rest of my day.

 

I think all you need is a change of attitude. Stop being afraid. Take the measures necessary to feel secure in the world. Being aware of your surroundings puts you many many steps ahead of someone who might want to rob you. Remember that criminal "predators" don't want to work hard for their "food." They will look for the easy target, not the one that has their head up and is aware of everything around them. Right now, the only thing robbing you is your own fear.

 

Do you live in the city? You sound so naive. With all due respect. Sorry.

 

Touche! But that is another fight.

 

I live deep in Los Angeles. Often eat lunch in the same Beverly Hills restaurant when a woman was shot and a man was beaten and robbed of his $400k wristwatch. It's all sort of like chess to me now.

 

Maybe this was unnecessary to say. I wanted to say, also young people are attacked. Yes, chances are still low something will happen. But you dont see them coming. Even if you have city genes.