How ‘Rolex Robbers’ Are Targeting Tourists Across Europe

MADRID – Professional “Rolex robbers” are targeting wealthy tourists in holiday destinations across Europe to steal their expensive watches – often on behalf of organised crime gangs.

Sir Ben Ainslie, the British Olympic gold medallist, was robbed of his Rolex at knifepoint in Barcelona last week.

Sir Ben, who leads Britain’s Ineos Britannia team in the America’s Cup sailing race, was cornered by thieves who stole his watch, reportedly worth €20,000 (£16,866).

The sailor was the latest victim of thefts targeting wealthy holidaymakers in Barcelona and other popular tourist destinations.

Police hunting for the thieves indicated that they may have been repeat offenders who were ‘foreigners’.

According to police, robbers always steal the “Big Four” of luxury watches: Rolex, Audemars Piguet, Patek Philippe and Richard Mille.

In some cases, they steal on behalf of Italian criminal gangs, who use the money released from the resale of the watches to finance drug trafficking and other criminal activities.

Specialised teams of robbers are based in Naples, Italy, and are travelling to cities across Europe to track down holidaymakers with expensive watches, police said.

Spanish officers, along with colleagues in Italy, France and Germany, arrested 35 suspected members of the gangs during raids that began in Naples in March.

Europol set up a special unit to tackle the Rolex robbers, who targeted wealthy tourists across the continent.

According to the police, tourists are often the victims of carefully planned thefts.

One thief rips the watch from the victim’s wrist while another thief waits on a scooter to drive away, after which they disappear together into the crowd.

Sometimes a third person waits in a car so that the goods can be ‘dumped’ to avoid detection.

“When the robber grabs the watch, the victim will pull his arm towards him to prevent his valuable possession from being taken from him and in that reflex the watch will come loose or the robber will snatch it from him,” said a chief inspector of the Spanish National Police who led the operation in Italy. iHe did not want to be named.

“His partner waits for him on a scooter and they both flee within seconds. Sometimes they throw the watch through the car window to avoid being caught with it.”

In Spain, these gangs target tourists in Madrid, Barcelona, ​​Ibiza, Marbella and Palma de Mallorca, some posing as delivery drivers.

In Barcelona, ​​the Mossos d’Esquadra, the Catalan regional police, have created a special unit called Titani to tackle thieves after a surge in thefts.

According to the unit, there are three types of thieves: opportunists, violent street criminals, often from North Africa, and professional thieves who work with criminal gangs.

Once stolen, the watches are quickly smuggled out of Spain.

“The thieves belong to organized crime gangs. Their trips to steal the watches are paid for by clans that finance these cells. The thieves then pay a fee to those who paid them an advance,” the police inspector said.

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The mafia pays the thieves between €6,000 and €10,000 (£5,052-£8,420) in travel expenses to steal, police said. Thieves keep about 30 percent of the watch’s value.

“Some (thieves) work as freelancers, but most work directly for the mafiosos. The money from the stolen watches is used to finance drug trafficking and other criminal activities of the Italian mafia. These second-hand watches are sold for less than the original price,” the agent said.

Another method the thieves use is the “mirror” trick. This involves hitting the mirror of a Maserati or Lamborghini. The angry driver rolls down his window and the thieves rip off the watch.

In 2022, FC Barcelona striker Robert Lewandowski was robbed of his €70,000 (£59,000) watch while signing autographs.

No arrests have yet been made in connection with the theft of Sir Ben Ainslie’s Rolex.