The loss of a beloved watch can be a devastating blow, and unfortunately, in several big cities you just don’t know who lurks around the corner waiting to relieve you of your most treasured timepiece.
Prevention is always better than cure, so all the usual common sense practices apply: avoid being on your own at night, especially in unfamiliar cities. And consider wearing a cheap disposable watch in everyday situations and save your best Swiss timepiece for special occasions.

If you are unfortunate enough to experience the theft at gun or knife point of an expensive watch and other valuables, the advice from the police is to try and remain calm and comply with the demands made of you. These situations can be extremely unpredictable; muggers, already high on adrenaline and other substances, may well decide the only way to deal with you is to resort to the use of a weapon.

Don’t give them a reason to use force.

Try to note as many details as you can about your assailants so that you can provide a good police report. Once your watch is stolen, whether on the street or at your home, the chances are it is going to be fenced – passed on to unscrupulous dealers or pawn shops for money.

WatchSearcher.com

But if you own a quality Swiss watch you can trace it with watchsearcher.com.

WatchSearcher was founded in January 2000 in the Swiss canton of Neuchâtel, otherwise known as Swiss watch valley. In 2008, Tesweb SA comprehensively updated the WatchSearcher service by revising all the surveillance and research systems. Today WatchSearcher owns a vast database which records details of stolen, lost and found Swiss luxury watches. This database allows both consumers and watch dealers to:

• Verify if a luxury watch has been declared stolen
• Confirm the validity and authenticity of a research certificate
• View watches by brand and model retrieved by Police or Customs authorities

This free service enables you to declare a stolen watch, and enter and remove details of the watch stolen from you. It’s important to note down serial numbers at the time of purchase and also to take photographs of your watches for easy identification.

Insurance companies and the police also use this resource so that they can be made aware of missing watches. With your watch on the WatchSearcher database it can be checked and if it’s there the chances are you can get it back.