Luxury watches are catching media attention, and it is not for the reasons you would think. Normally, the exquisite timepieces hit the spotlight when worn by billionaires, but this time, it’s newsworthy because of a sharp rise in organised crime networks illicitly dealing in high-end collectibles. As of 2025, theft of luxury watches reached a record high, recording a whopping $2.3 billion.
Rolex watches account for a significant share of reported thefts, due to soaring resale prices and a high demand in secondary markets. Let’s explore what the experts have to say about luxury watches, especially Rolexes, becoming targets for criminal networks operating across major cities and tourist hubs.
Why is Rolex dominating global theft statistics amid a rise in luxury watch crime?
According to The Watch Register, luxury watches reported as lost or stolen reached an all-time high of £1.7 billion last year, raising concerns about street crime in cities like London. Approximately 10,000 luxury watches had found their way into the database in 2025—around one every hour—bringing the total number of recorded timepieces to 114,000.
The platform, which enables buyers to confirm the authenticity of pre-owned watches through their serial numbers, has seen increased usage in the resale market. Online verifications grew by 29% year-on-year, with over 280,000 watches now verified each year.
Managing director Katya Hills noted that these statistics point towards a strong industry commitment towards addressing watch crime, adding that quicker identification rates highlight the effectiveness of their efforts in disrupting the illicit trade.
Rolex, representing 44% of all watches, remains the most sought-after based on inspections by traders and individual purchasers, and 51% of those marked as lost or stolen this year. The Watch Register noted a significant increase in successful recoveries, identifying 1,375 stolen watches in 2025—an increase of 21% from the 1,136 counted in the previous year.
“This is evidence of the global pre-owned watch market actively using our database as a tool to fight watch crime,” Hills stated.
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The sale of fake watches is also on the rise
The Watch Register also stated that there are a lot of watches that are being sold with forged documents. Moreover, technological developments like CNC machines and 3D printers make fakes difficult to identify.
Reportedly, a third of recovered stolen watches are being sold with “box and papers” to lend legitimacy to the operation. There is a boom in high-end counterfeiting, with 10% of the 40 million fake luxury watches produced each year undetectable to the naked eye, requiring professional authentication.
As there is a spike in demand for luxury watches, the rise in reported thefts highlights a murky reality as costly status symbols are fuelling illicit underground trade. Nevertheless, The Watch Register is doing great work to keep tabs on such thefts by tracking the secondary markets.
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