Luxury Watch Thefts Surge on the Côte d’Azur
In 2024, luxury watch thefts have sharply increased in the Alpes-Maritimes region, with criminals stealing watches worth over €8 million. The patterns of these crimes show a disturbing consistency: thieves carefully monitor their targets, strike quickly with occasional violence, and then escape by scooter into the nearby hills.
Targets and Methods
Both individuals on the street and specialty stores are victimized. Monaco, which previously avoided such crimes due to extensive CCTV coverage, has experienced two significant robberies this year.
High-Profile Incidents in Monaco
- On 29 May, Monaco Watch Company endured an armed robbery lasting six minutes, resulting in the loss of watches valued at over €4 million.
- On 12 November, The Watch Project was swiftly raided, with four watches stolen in just minutes.
Thefts Beyond Shops
In April 2024, American tennis player Sebastian Korda was assaulted and robbed of his €300,000 Richard Mille watch in Roquebrune-Cap-Martin by two masked assailants. Later, in August, a student from Nice was caught trying to exchange a counterfeit Rolex for a genuine one worth €48,000 at the Hôtel de Paris. Arrested at the Place du Casino, he received a four-month prison sentence.
"Thieves conduct careful surveillance, a lightning-quick, sometimes violent strike, then a getaway by scooter into the hills."
"On 29 May, Monaco Watch Company was the victim of a spectacular six-minute armed robbery in which more than €4 million worth of watches were stolen."
Summary: Luxury watch thefts in the Alpes-Maritimes are rapidly increasing, with coordinated attacks targeting both individuals and stores, including notable heists in Monaco that reflect a worrying rise in organized crime.