I DROPPED INTO my local watch dealer last week. One of his customers had managed the feat of getting to the top of the Rolex waiting list and was picking up his new Submariner. After he'd had the bracelet sized, he put the watch in a travel pouch and stowed it in his inside pocket. Then he took out an old Co-Op plastic bag into which he dropped the box and paperwork, eschewing the smart bag the dealer offered. 'Can't be too careful nowadays,' he said as he shut the door behind him.
Later I asked my dealer friend if this wasn't a bit over-dramatic. After all, we weren't in central London and it was broad daylight. It might be,' he said. 'I'd be surprised if they'd bother with a Sub; not enough margin in it to make it worthwhile. On the other hand...'
He then told me about a Patek collector who'd been the victim of an attempted robbery in Mayfair a few weeks earlier. He believed the thieves had a spotter sitting at the bar of the restaurant where he was eating. The spotter messaged them as he was paying the bill and they waited by the door to take his watch. When he put up a fight and ran back into the restaurant, they followed him, still trying to pull his Patek from his wrist. Fortunately, he was unhurt and they didn't get the watch. But it gives some sense of how watch theft has moved from opportunist mugging to targeted crime.
Bu hikaye Octane dergisinin February 2023 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Giriş Yap
Bu hikaye Octane dergisinin February 2023 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Giriş Yap
Will China Change Everything? - China is tearing up modern motor manufacture but is yet to make more than a ripple in the classic car world. That could be about to change dramatically
China now dominates the automotive world in a way even Detroit in its heyday would have struggled to comprehend.Helped by Government incentives, the new car world is dominated by China's industries: whether full cars that undercut Western models by huge amounts, ownership of storied European brands such as Lotus and Volvo, or ownership and access to the vast majority of raw materials that go into EV cars, its influence is far-reaching and deep. However, this automotive enlightenment hasn't manifested itself in the classic world in any meaningful way - until now.
Jem Marsh
The hard-bitten Marcos boss was driven like few others and never knew when he was beaten. Thankfully
Vandamm House
A Mid-Century Modernist masterpiece that was immortalised on celluloid - despite never actually existing
Making light
Alfa Romeo's post-war renaissance began with the 1900 saloon - and matured with Zagato's featherweight coupé version, as Jay Harvey discovers
FULL OF EASTERN PROMISE
Is burgeoning classic car interest in the Middle East good for the global classic market? Nathan Chadwick investigates
Before the beginning
This rare Amazon Green pre-production Range Rover is Velar chassis number 4. James Elliott charts its historically revealing factory restoration
Ben Cussons
As the outgoing chairman of the Royal Automobile Club hands on to his successor, Robert Coucher quizzes him about the evolution of this great British institution
BULLDOG & THE PUPPIES
We gather five motoring masterpieces by avant-garde designer William Towns - and drive all of them
Below the tip of the Audrain iceberg
As the Audrain organisation grows, we take a look behind the scenes at the huge car collection that feeds it
Flying the Scottish flag
Young Ecurie Ecosse driver Chloe Grant gets to grips with the Ecurie Ecosse Jaguar C-type at Goodwood. Matthew Hayward is Octane's witness