Successful Recoveries
These are just a few of the watches we have recovered recently. We do things that the police can’t and won’t do to reunite you with your stolen timepiece… Some of our case studies would make a great film but we will never breach our strict code of professional responsibility and confidentiality.
Patek Philippe 3970E Pink Gold Perpetual Calendar Chronograph 1990 We take pride in representing theft victims in their efforts to recover their stolen artworks or watches. Sometimes, the victim is not who you think it is. In this case, we were representing the collector who, in 2019, consigned this $125,000 timepiece for sale at one of the big auction houses. Unfortunately, the watch was withdrawn from sale when it was discovered that it had been registered on the manufacturer's internal database as “stolen” from a collector in Italy. Three years had passed with no information being made available to the collector on whether his watch would be seized by police or returned. In 2023, Art Recovery International was brought in to resolve the dispute. Within a matter of weeks, ARI met with the manufacturer, their compliance team, and Italian law enforcement to successfully, and unconditionally, resolve the claim. This rare and important timepiece will soon be offered for sale with no issues.
Gerald Genta Mickey Mouse Watch This Gérald Genta Retro Fantasy Disney Mickey Mouse Watch. Stolen from a Jewellery Shop in Geneva, Switzerland in a smash and grab robbery involving 21 timepieces in November 2024. The watch appeared for sale at a major online marketplace consigned by a "dealer" in Lithuania. Once again, we employed our creative method to recover the watch leaving the Lithuanian to ponder his due diligence practices. Special thanks to the Swiss Police 🇨🇭 who wouldn't lift a finger to help us or the theft victims. Other than handing out police reports, I'm not sure why the Swiss have a police force at all. You would think they would be interested in supporting the Swiss watch industry and Swiss watch dealers. Did anyone want to investigate the Lithuanian to try and locate the other 20 watches? No. That would require putting down the 🍩 🥐. If you see your stolen watch being offered for sale, let us know and we'll develop a strategy to get it back even if it was cleared for sale by one of those imprudent and avaricious watch registers.
Imagine renting this sumptuous villa in Saint Tropez in 2019 with family, friends, and YOUNG CHILDREN, only to wake up early one morning to find three Eastern European thugs wearing balaclavas invading your vacation, threatening your family, beating you over your jewellery and watches. Blood all over the kitchen. It happened to my client who was able to recover his Richard Mille RM010. The watch had been customised with diamonds, but we recovered it nonetheless in Dubai even though it had been cleared for sale by a certain "watch register" in London who will seemingly clear anything for a few pounds. The victim stood on principle, recalling that horrible morning, and finally feels a sense of justice. Please, be careful this summer. Try not to take expensive items with you on vacation. If you must, we can recommend a few insurance companies that you should contact first. Don't go commando!
1976 Rolex 18K YG Submariner 1680 Blue Dial and Arabic Date Disk. What time is it? Time to announce the recovery of another stolen Rolex. This €80,000 Rolex 18K YG Submariner was stolen in Paris in 2020 and located in San Francisco in 2024. It was recovered today by Art Recovery International. Compensation paid to the possessor? Zippo. Don't buy stolen stuff. To my insurance company clients and colleagues, how about developing an insurance product that encourages collectors to buy insurance cover for their high-end watch collections? An interesting aside to this case, the negotiations with the lawyer for the possessor took about 2 weeks, the same amount of time it took to convince UK Customs that no VAT is due on stolen property. No kidding.
Rolex Oyster Perpetual Day-Date II The watch was stolen in the USA in 2015 and located for sale in the UK in 2025. Despite having a "certificate of clearance" from one of those watch registers, the watch flagged up as stolen when a UK based dealer submitted the watch for service. Art Recovery International sorted the title issue between the dealer, victim, and their insurance company allowing the watch to be sold without encumbrance. NOW, what to do with that clearance certificate from that unnamed watch register? If you cut it up into about nine pieces, you will have nine Post-it note size pieces of scrap paper.
Richard Mille RM 029 Titanium Timepiece this $200,000 RM 029 🇨🇭 titanium timepiece. It can happen anytime, anywhere. Watch theft is out of control and very much an international business: Purchased in St. Barts 🇫🇷 2019 Stolen in Italy 🇮🇹 2021 Fenced in Wales 🏴 2022 Sold in London 🇬🇧 2023 Located in Dubai 🇦🇪 2024 Returned to our theft victim (an uninsured billionaire) in Monaco 🇲🇨 TODAY. PLEASE, insure your fine art, insure your jewellery, insure your watch collection. Law enforcement is not going to do what we did to recover this watch...and certainly not in 7 days. Following a theft, it is important to file police reports (even if the police seem disinterested) and to notify the manufacturer (some of whom maintain databases of stolen watches). No matter which watch register or database you use, it is critical that you do not let them handle the recovery. Some of these watch registers are conflicted and actually represent the dealers or auction houses and are not acting in your best interests. They are simply looking to collect fees from both sides of the dispute. If your watch appears in the marketplace for sale or service, we strongly recommend that you resist the temptation to immediately contact the possessor. A clear and fluid strategy needs to be implemented prior to contact in the event that the possessor disappears, or the dealer/auction house returns the stolen item to their consignor, never to be seen again. Law enforcement must be notified at the right time to encourage their involvement without them ham-handedly seizing the watch and holding it for years until a Court sorts out the title issues. We will sort out the title issues and present it to the police. Feel free to contact us for a free consultation on stolen watch cases BEFORE you retain that lawyer who is going to “give it a go” for the first time. You will be charged by the hour for their education.
We successfully recovered this €300,000 Richard Mille RM67-02 Automatic Winding Extra Thin “Alexander Zverev” timepiece, stolen in June in Interlaken, Switzerland, while its owner was having dinner with his girlfriend at a local Thai restaurant. Although the thieves were arrested, the watch remained missing until it resurfaced in Dubai. It took us just 12 days to negotiate its unconditional surrender with the possessor’s lawyer and secure its return to the rightful owner. Following a theft, it is important to file police reports (even if the police seem disinterested) and to notify the manufacturer (some of whom maintain databases of stolen watches). No matter which watch register or database you use, it is critical that you do not let them handle the recovery. Some of these watch registers are conflicted and actually represent the dealers or auction houses and are not acting in your best interests. They are simply looking to collect fees from both sides of the dispute. If your watch appears in the marketplace for sale or service, we strongly recommend that you resist the temptation to immediately contact the possessor. A clear and fluid strategy needs to be implemented prior to contact in the event that the possessor disappears, or the dealer/auction house returns the stolen item to their consignor, never to be seen again. Law enforcement must be notified at the right time to encourage their involvement without them ham-handedly seizing the watch and holding it for years until a Court sorts out the title issues. We will sort out the title issues and present it to the police. Feel free to contact us for a free consultation on stolen art or watch cases BEFORE you retain that lawyer who is going to “give it a go” for the first time. You will be charged by the hour for their education. To my member insurers, once again, an uninsured victim. He claims he can’t find the right insurer for his collection. I’ll leave that up to you folks…
Another uninsured stolen watch is on its way back to the rightful owner. Stolen in Munich in September 2023, this Audemars Piguet Royal Oak, 18ct gold timepiece was passed around various fences in Eastern Europe before landing in Austria. ⚠ Attention secondary watch sellers: please don't buy stolen watches, I'm just going to take them away from you. ⚠ Attention watch collectors and dealers, get your collections insured! It's crazy out there.
Richard Mille RM 055 “Bubba Watson” This $400,000 RM 055 was stolen from a swanky club in Los Angeles, where eight suspects attacked the victim and removed his watch. The watch was later located in Paris with a major celebrity who had no connection to the theft. Chris Marinello handled the delicate negotiations, resulting in the unconditional surrender of the stolen timepiece. While the settlement agreement is highly confidential, the possessor learned a very hard lesson… don’t buy $400,000 watches from a guy named “Tony”.
Three A. Lange & Söhne timepieces worth $100,000. Twenty-six rare watches were stolen at a watch fair in Munich in September 2023. Just two months later, these three (below) were offered for sale online by a Romanian dealer. ARI developed a unique strategy in coordination with the Munich police to recover these watches over the last few weeks. The victim has his watches back and the Romanian seller has nothing but a lesson! WARNING: several Swiss online dealers and auction houses are refusing to cooperate (or even communicate) with theft victims and are turning a blind eye to high-end watch theft. They hide behind Swiss law which, historically, has prevented theft victims and victims of Nazi-looting, from recovering their property. In our opinion, they are nothing but glorified fences of stolen goods. Look for more stolen watches to be offered through Swiss dealers until the watch industry wakes up and realizes that their very own customers are becoming theft victims with little recourse in Swiss jurisdictions. Did someone say "boycott"?
Vintage Patek Philippe Watch Recovered Following “Magical” Theft A rare vintage Patek Phillipe watch was recovered following a theft that the victim described as “pure Magic”. In 2016, the theft victim was outside his hotel in Amsterdam when he was approached by two men. One shook his hand with odd familiarity while the other placed his hand on the victim’s shoulder. After backing away, the victim thought nothing of the encounter and suspected he was only a victim of mistaken identity. Later, when getting dressed for dinner, he realised that his Patek Philippe watch was missing. Incredulous, the victim searched his hotel room and retraced his steps over the previous few days. Surely he would have known if the two men he met earlier had somehow taken his watch, after all, it was tightly strapped to his wrist. At the end of his search, the victim finally asked the hotel to review the cctv camera pointed outside the hotel. To his amazement, he witnessed the two thieves “magically” removing the watch from his wrist without him feeling a thing. The theft was reported to the Amsterdam police and to the Patek Philippe centre in Geneva. Nearly one year later, Patek Philippe notified the victim that his watch had been submitted for repair from a dealer in Germany who bought the vintage timepiece with little or no documentation. Seized by German police and in liaison with Dutch authorities and Chris Marinello acting on behalf of the Insurer, the watch was recovered. Marinello offered the Patek back to the theft victim who declined to reimburse his insurer. “That watch brought me nothing but bad luck” he said. “I’ve bought another Patek but this time with a metal, locking clasp. Thieves would have to remove my arm to get this one off”. The watch has now been sold on behalf of Underwriters.
18K White Gold Rolex Cellini King Midas Another stolen watch reunited with its rightful owner! This 18K White Gold Rolex Cellini King Midas was one of 26 watches stolen from a hotel in Munich (with less than stellar security) in 2023. The watch apparently decided to take a vacation to Turkey, where it was offered for sale online. Recovered by Art Recovery International, the parent organization of Watch Recovery International. Was the watch collection insured? Nope. When are you folks going to learn?
Breguet 3350 Tourbillon Messidor yellow gold watch 1995 In November 1999, A London couple returning from a dinner party were to become the latest victims of the “Rolex Robbers” who eventually graduated to murder in order to steal high-end watches and jewelry throughout the capital. The gang had been waiting in Chelsea Square and attacked the couple ripping their watches right off their wrists. The Banker husband resisted and was violently beaten and kicked in the face by his assailants. In December 2021, one of the watches, a £30,000 Breguet gold Tourbillon Messidor appeared for sale at Sotheby’s in New York. Christopher A. Marinello, acting on behalf of the Insurer, negotiated an unconditional release from the Consignor to recover the watch.
Patek Philippe Watch, Stolen in Italy, Recovered in Hong Kong A gentleman’s Patek Philippe annual calendar strap watch in 18k gold was stolen from a collector while traveling in Italy. The watch later appeared for sale at auction in Hong Kong. Acting on behalf of the London-based insurer, we negotiated a resolution of the title dispute pursuant to a confidential settlement agreement.
CARTIER 18K GOLD PANTHÈRE RECOVERED IN THE UK This Cartier 18K Gold Panthère watch was stolen during a horrific home invasion. The watch was later located at a pawnbroker in Middlesbrough, UK. While the pawnbroker was exceptionally cooperative, the person who brought the watch in was not. In our experience, those who refuse to cooperate with law enforcement or with our efforts to investigate and recover stolen property often have something to hide. The possessor’s obstinance ultimately led to the watch being seized by the authorities and returned to us on behalf of the theft victim and their insurer. Sorry mate, you lose.
A stolen $335,000 Richard Mille RM 72-01 Automatic Winding Lifestyle Flyback Chronograph was recovered seven months after a horrific home invasion and theft. The recovery involved four jurisdictions, three sets of lawyers, two police forces, and ultimately, one unconditional and confidential surrender. Complex recovery operations of this nature go far beyond what a watch register can handle. If you are in possession of a watch that may be stolen and would prefer to resolve the matter discreetly before law enforcement arrives at your door, contact Watch Recovery International.
This very unusual $200,000 M B & F HM9 Flow Road "Horological Machine" watch was stolen in 2022 in London (of course) in a violent mugging. (NB, no insurance) This rare timepiece was offered for sale at a Swiss auction house which cooperated fully and agreed to an unconditional surrender to the theft victim. (Unlike Geneva-based Antiquorum Auctioneers who return stolen watches to their vendor/consignor even if they may be the thief). Special thanks to Swiss prosecutors, who after 14 months, finally looked inside the case file to see our power of attorney, authorisation from UK law enforcement, and negotiated surrender from the possessor. It took some convincing that there was no one left to prosecute, and that the victim should be reunited with his property. We support, and are grateful for, law enforcement involvement in art theft cases. However, it’s time to give a bit more consideration to the theft victims who are often desperate to have their property returned to them. Photos can be substituted for the actual items for prosecutorial purposes rather than keeping valuable and delicate artworks in police evidence lockers. (Hello Serbian Prosecutors and the ATF in the USA?)
Richard Mille RM016 Watch Two safes containing luxury watches worth €3m (£2.5m) have been stolen from a Paris warehouse. The theft took place in the eighth district of the French capital, at a storage facility for luxury watchmaker Richard Mille. One of the police sources said the safes had not been attached to anything. Local residents alerted police after noticing strange activities in the area on Sunday night. The wealthier districts of Paris are home to some of the world’s top brands, making them a prime target for robberies. In 2020, one of the watches appeared for sale at Sotheby’s Hong Kong. Art Recovery International’s Chris Marinello, acting on behalf of Richard Mille, had the watch withdrawn from the sale and negotiated an unconditional release of the watch back to the manufacturer. In the few years since the theft, the watch had travelled from Paris, to Bangkok, to Hong Kong in what has become one of several established routes for stolen high-end watches.
Rolex Watches Stolen from World Trade Center Site Recovered Would you believe that in the horror of the aftermath of the World Trade Center attacks on September 11, 2001, someone stole important watches from the Tourneau jewelry store in the mall below? Chris Marinello negotiated the return of a few of these watches to the insurance company when they were matched by their serial numbers. Don’t ask where they came from, the rest is confidential.
Stolen from a London based jeweller in 2011 whose car window was smashed by thieves. Jaeger-LeCoultre watch, box, and papers were stolen, and then fenced through pawnbrokers and two auction houses before being recovered by ARI’s Chris Marinello. Shockingly, not one, but BOTH UK 'provincial' auction houses returned the stolen watch to their consignor AFTER being informed that the watch was stolen property and that it must be held by the gallery pending a civil resolution or law enforcement involvement. Despite this misbehaviour, the watch was recovered from the cooperative pawnbroker who should have done some due diligence before taking the watch in and selling it on. One of these days, this provincial thinking by provincial auction houses is going to be reported as a crime. Some auction houses panic when stolen items show up in their salerooms and they parsimoniously try to get rid of the item even if they are breaking the law. The Trade should consider this a warning. Without naming names (today, anyway) I will say they were not very nice Fellows.
A lady’s 18ct Gold Wristwatch, Eterna Sometimes, while we are researching the provenance of a recovered work of art or jewellery, we discover that the original theft victim is somehow involved. In this case, this rare Eterna watch was reported stolen as part of a horrific burglary. The victim was tied up and beaten by the criminals who wanted to know where the valuables were located inside the home. The theft was reported to the police and a vast trove of jewellery was claimed on an insurance schedule. The victims were from an old aristocratic family in the UK and held the titles “Baron” and “Baroness.” The Eterna watch later appeared for sale at a local auction house in the UK. The sale was stopped, and we were put in touch with the consignor. Much to our surprise, the consignor was the Baroness herself. Apparently, this watch was mistakenly included in the insurance claim, and we were able to convince the Baroness to release any claim she had to the watch. Of course, she was welcome to keep the watch and reimburse the insurer, but she declined. We usually give folks, from all walks of life, the benefit of the doubt.
Vintage 18k Gold Patek Philippe Calatrava This Patek Philippe watch was recovered after it was spotted being offered for sale on eBay. Sadly, this is a common occurrence after fine timepieces are stolen. Publicly, eBay condemns the use of their platform to sell, or shall we say “fence,” stolen objects, but they do very little about it. “We provide the highway for commerce,” I was told. “But don’t highways need to be maintained?” I responded. Silence. Here’s a typical journey for a stolen watch… This Patek Philippe was stolen from a private home in Verona, Italy. Just two months later, it was purchased for cash on Portobello Road in London. Three months after that, it appeared for sale on eBay, where we identified and recovered it. From theft in Italy to recovery after appearing online: approximately five months. On a positive note, the victim’s family owns a winery outside of Verona and was so happy to recover this watch that they sent us a case of Amarone from their vineyard. A happy ending indeed.
RICHARD MILLE RM011 RECOVERED IN GENEVA This Richard Mille RM 011 was recovered from a collector in Geneva who purchased the watch with no papers and without performing any due diligence. The watch was stolen from our client outside his home in London. Thieves had been watching him from afar and spotted the bright red and valuable timepiece on his wrist. Two criminals approached on a moped, forced the watch off the victim’s wrist, and sped off into busy London traffic. The police were notified and the watch was recorded on a number of private stolen watch databases. We were alerted when the watch was submitted for service in Geneva. Despite the case being relatively recent, the police were not interested in conducting an international investigation. Fortunately, we were able to negotiate an unconditional surrender from the possessor, and the watch was returned to our client.
This $200,000 Richard Mille RM 011 Felipe Massa Chronograph was reportedly “lost” inside a Louis Vuitton bag “on that midnight train to Roma.” The watch was subsequently sold in Hong Kong to a dealer based in the UK and was released unconditionally following our intervention. The timepiece was not insured.