For a business dependent on selling expensive watches, it seems somewhat counter-intuitive to warn the public about the risks of wearing expensive watches.
But that is exactly what Watchcollecting.com is doing with a mobile billboard touring London that provides advice on how to behave with a Rolex, Omega or Patek Philippe on your wrist.
The advice, which is in the form of an acronysm for WATCH suggests:
Wear it with care
Avoid unnecessary risk
Travel with a friend
Cover it up
Hand it over, if threatened
“The recent spike in high-value watch crime in London has gathered a lot of attention both within the watch industry and the mainstream media. Much of the coverage is alarmist and could easily put people off buying expensive watches,” explains Adrian Hailwood, head of watches at Watchcollecting.com.
Scotland Yard revealed earlier this year that there had been 621 watches snatched between January and July, almost double the number reported in the same period in 2021.
“At Watch Collecting we care about our community and, rather than scaring them, look to provide practical support. For the last two weeks, we have been running a public safety campaign around the West End of London. Our digital billboard film highlights the problem and offers simple steps to staying safe,” Mr Hailwood explains.
As well as being seen around London as a mobile billboard, the advisory was seen over 1.4 million times on TikTok in its first week. “If it prevents one person from becoming a victim of crime, it is worth it,” Mr Hailwood says.
