Gangs steal £1 million in luxury watches monthly in West End

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 17 Oct, 01:20 · Archive

Organised gangs are stealing approximately £1 million worth of luxury watches monthly from visitors and residents in London's West End, according to Metropolitan Police figures revealed during sentencing at Southwark Crown Court.

There were 97 watch robberies or attempted robberies across Westminster, Kensington and Chelsea, and Hammersmith and Fulham in the first six months of 2026, with a further 70 watches stolen between July and September. A knife was 'seen or intimated' in 20 per cent of watch robberies in the past six months.

The figures emerged during the sentencing hearing of three men convicted of robbing Romanian entrepreneur Catalin Botezatu of his £137,000 diamond-encrusted Richard Mille watch outside a luxury Mayfair restaurant on 28 January. A sharp implement was used to cut through the watch's rubber strap, leaving cuts on Botezatu's wrists. The watch, a birthday present from a friend who has since died, has not been recovered.

Detective Sergeant Andy Swindells told the court that despite police efforts, high-value watch theft remains a major problem in the West End, with victims subjected to violence during robberies.

How it is being reported

• £1million of watches stolen in muggings every month in London's West EndThere were 97 watch robberies, including attempted thefts, from January to June this year, totalling 'millions of pounds of stolen property.'Daily Mail · 17 Oct, 01:05
• Gangs steal £1 million of luxury watches in London's West End every month, police revealVictims are being punched, kicked and threatened with knives as organised gangs target wealthy diners and visitorsEvening Standard · 16 Oct, 15:06

In this story: Metropolitan Police · Southwark Crown Court · West End · London · Catalin Botezatu · Younes Djoudi · Ali Eldahouzze · Abdel El Habchi

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