Cannes Film Festival attracts luxury watch thieves: Authorities respond

Fashion United

20-05-2025

Each season, with the sun and the Cannes Film Festival, very wealthy tourists and their luxury watches begin their journey to the French Riviera, attracting highly specialised and well-organised thieves in their wake. This presents a unique challenge, and the authorities are trying to adapt.
On Saturday, the thieves won the game of cat and mouse, stealing a watch worth over 100,000 dollars from a passer-by in Cannes.
However, on May 2, five people were arrested after attempting to steal a Richard Mille, estimated at 600,000 dollars, from a member of the Qatari royal family, just a stone's throw from the Croisette.
Since April 1, more than a dozen thefts or attempted thefts of this type have been recorded in Cannes, according to the Grasse public prosecutor's office. There were 38 in 2023 and 32 in 2024, mainly between May and September.
But the thieves also operate in Saint-Tropez and around Monaco, before following the wealthy to Paris, London, Barcelona, Geneva or Munich.
In 2024, in the Alpes-Maritimes, the loot, including snatch thefts, burglaries and other break-ins, was estimated at 301 watches for a total of 8.3 million dollars, after 275 watches and 6.9 million dollars in 2023.
But 'the heart of the reactor is the city centre of Cannes,' Damien Savarzeix, the Grasse public prosecutor, confirmed to AFP. There are two types of thieves.
There are locals, who act when the opportunity arises, such as when a Rolex wearer is drunk leaving a nightclub. There are also much more organised groups, most often from Naples, who target watches worth over 100,000 dollars, with an elaborate modus operandi.
Spotters identify a valuable watch on a passer-by's wrist, then a thief steals it - subtly or violently - and jumps on a moped with a tampered number plate, brought in advance in a van and driven at full speed by an accomplice. Safe haven
Even though Cannes and Saint-Tropez have security plans to control exit routes, 'it happens very, very quickly,' explained Eric Antonetti, head of the Alpes-Maritimes judicial police. For example, on May 1, the police were unable to intercept a motorbike that sped through heavy traffic after the theft of a Patek Philippe watch.
The authorities' objective, according to the prefecture, is to neutralise one of the links upstream. Municipal video surveillance centres, police officers on the ground, private hotel security and beach attendants are all being used to identify suspicious behaviour.
This year, to combat the fragmentation of responsibilities between the police, the gendarmerie and various public prosecutor's offices in areas patrolled by the same criminal groups, a specialised liaison office meets every week in Nice. Cooperation is also being stepped up with the Italian, Swiss, German and Spanish authorities.
The case of the Qatari prince proves that this can work. A suspicious scooter spotted the day before, information from Italy and Switzerland, intensive surveillance before the attempted theft and checks at the exits of the city centre led to the arrest of all the alleged members of the gang.
Known for similar acts elsewhere in Europe, these Neapolitans, aged between 32 and 44, are due to be tried on July 11 in Grasse and face several years in prison.
But 'we're not claiming victory, it's just a battle that has been won, because we're dealing with well-structured, fairly agile networks, so they're going to adapt,' warned Thierry Migoule, chief of staff to the mayor of Cannes.
Especially as the second-hand market is flourishing for luxury watches, boosted by the long waiting lists for the rarest models. For example, the Qatari prince's watch, which was targeted at the beginning of May, was already worth almost double its new price of 350,000 dollars.
To put a stolen watch back into the legal circuit, the most sophisticated networks are capable of falsifying serial numbers and providing the necessary boxes and fake certificates.
For less discerning buyers, a luxury watch 'is an extremely attractive safe haven,' stressed Damien Martinelli, public prosecutor in Nice, citing the example of a drug trafficker who went on the run with a box of watches that he gradually resold. (AFP) This article was translated to English using an AI tool.
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