Richard Mille RM 029

Richard Mille RM 029 Titanium Timepiece

04 December 2024

RECOVERED TODAY by Art Recovery International, this $200,000 RM 029 🇨🇭 titanium timepiece.

It can happen anytime, anywhere. Watch theft is out of control and very much an international business:

Purchased in St. Barts 🇫🇷 2019
Stolen in Italy 🇮🇹 2021
Fenced in Wales 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 2022
Sold in London 🇬🇧 2023
Located in Dubai 🇦🇪 2024
Returned to our theft victim (an uninsured billionaire) in Monaco 🇲🇨 TODAY.

PLEASE, insure your fine art, insure your jewellery, insure your watch collection. Law enforcement is not going to do what we did to recover this watch...and certainly not in 7 days.

Following a theft, it is important to file police reports (even if the police seem disinterested) and to notify the manufacturer (some of whom maintain databases of stolen watches).  No matter which watch register or database you use, it is critical that you do not let them handle the recovery.  Some of these watch registers are conflicted and actually represent the dealers or auction houses and are not acting in your best interests.  They are simply looking to collect fees from both sides of the dispute.

If your watch appears in the marketplace for sale or service, we strongly recommend that you resist the temptation to immediately contact the possessor.  A clear and fluid strategy needs to be implemented prior to contact in the event that the possessor disappears, or the dealer/auction house returns the stolen item to their consignor, never to be seen again. Law enforcement must be notified at the right time to encourage their involvement without them ham-handedly seizing the watch and holding it for years until a Court sorts out the title issues.  We will sort out the title issues and present it to the police.

Feel free to contact us for a free consultation on stolen art or watch cases BEFORE you retain that lawyer who is going to “give it a go” for the first time. You will be charged by the hour for their education.