Insurance scam attempt or has this overpriced watch really been misplaced?
This is what investigators from the banditry repression squad will have to establish.
Saturday, December 25, they were seized by the Paris prosecutor's office to investigate the theft of a luxury watch, a Rolex, Daytona Rainbow model.
If the theft of luxury watches jumped 20% this year in Île-de-France, it stood out because of the value of this Rolex, plus 400,000 euros.
Its owner was staying in a famous Parisian palace, the Plaza Athénée, avenue Montaigne, a stone's throw from the Champs-Élysées in the 8th arrondissement of Paris.
He realized that his precious watch had disappeared on December 25 when he wanted to take it back where he had left it the day before, in the safe placed at his disposal, at the back of the closet.
It was when he opened this box, however secure, that he discovered that the Rolex was no longer there.
A model composed of 56 diamonds
Investigators then noted that the theft had been committed during New Years Eve, between 9 p.m. and 2:30 a.m., without breaking and entering. The client therefore did not realize anything. The front door to the bedroom was intact when the wealthy tourist returned from his evening. Just like the door to the safe. In his room, the man had stored designer clothes, luxury leather goods but also other watches that could have potentially interested thieves. But it was only this Daytona Rainbow that seemed to have been targeted.
The police officers first undertook to study the images of the hotel's CCTV cameras which scan the corridors and accesses before the watch is finally found in the complainant's room, according to the Paris prosecutor's office, which announces that the however, the investigation is still ongoing.
“The Rainbow is a very rare model, explains Gérard Vautrin, Rolex expert.
This watch is no longer produced.
It was initially sold for around 80,000 euros.
Rolex has acquired a unique machine for cutting precious stones ”.
It is made up of 56 diamonds.
The theft of luxury watches - when it actually does occur - is the most profitable thing for thieves today.
These high value items are immediately resold.
"When there is a theft, it is often because there is an order," says a police source.