Patek Philippe Calatrava

Vintage 18k Gold Patek Philippe Calatrava

This Patek Philippe watch was recovered by Art Recovery International after it was spotted being offered for sale on eBay. Sadly, this is a common occurrence after fine timepieces are stolen.  Publicly, eBay condemns the use of their platform to sell, or shall we say “fence” stolen objects, but they do very little about it.  “We provide the highway for commerce” I was told. “But don’t highways need to be maintained?”, I responded. Silence.

 Here’s a typical journey for a stolen watch…this Patek Philippe was stolen from a private home in Verona, Italy in February 2020. Purchased for cash on Portobello Road in London in April 2020. Offered for sale on eBay on July 10, 2020. Recovered by us in July 2020.

On a positive note, the victim’s family owns a winery outside of Verona and was so happy to recover this watch that they sent us a case of Amarone from their vineyard. 

A happy ending indeed.