Rolex Thefts on Rise as Luxury Watches Worth £1 Billion Missing

Luxury watches worth more than £1 billion ($1.3 billion) have been reported as stolen or missing, with a surge in the number of thefts last year.

Around 80,000 watches have been registered as stolen or missing with The Watch Register, a company that helps owners, auction houses and dealers identify stolen timepieces for a fee.

Some 6,815 watches were added to the list last year, a 60% increase compared to the previous 12-month period, the company said Monday.

As secondary-market prices for the most in-demand models from Rolex, Audemars Piguet and Patek Philippe surged during the pandemic, so too ...