First, condolences. I hate thieves, and I hate that watches get stolen. And I hope that the
Alpha hands stolen watch registry or another stolen watch database can help recover your timepiece.
What to do when your watch is stolen:
1. First things first: file a police report. If you haven’t done that, it is a necessary first step. Without a police report and the ability to prove ownership, the possibility of recovery is infinitesimally small. You’ll need to provide details, such as the unique serial number (or other unique characteristics), for the report.
2. Submit your watch to the Alpha Hands stolen watch registry, one of the other known stolen watch registries, to the appropriate manufacturer if they maintain a stolen watch database (such as Rolex).
3. Share liberally online in forums. The more people that know the watch is stolen, the better. Some people don’t like to share stolen watch serial numbers online, which I confess I don’t understand. Be prepared for the usual cadre of bozos to respond to your post saying that it is “suspicious” and they don’t believe it was stolen, that you shouldn’t have done whatever you did that resulted in it being stolen, how you shouldn’t wear nice pieces while traveling/going to events/eating a restaurant/shopping/going outside, and that you should share more details of the incident “so we can learn and watch out” (which translates into “so we can rub more salt in your wounds”).
4. If you locate the stolen watch, my opinion is to not try to directly engage with seller/reseller for fear they could be scared off and the chance to recover the watch disappears. I would personally engage a third party in recovering the watch before the police get involved. Individuals such as Chris Marinello at Art Recovery International, have expertise in this area and are incented to recover the watch.