America’s Cup: Leave the bling at home

When it comes to luxury brands associated with sailing, Rolex is the undisputed leader. As title sponsor to some of the leading competitions, their watches are revered worldwide. But it isn’t just sailors that like them… robbers like them too.

Known as ‘Rolex robbers’, America’s Cup Challenger of Record skipper Ben Ainslie gave up his in a knife-wielding attack, and it wasn’t an isolated incident. He was just the latest victim of thieves targeting rich holidaymakers in Barcelona and other popular tourist destinations.

In some cases, they steal to order for Italian crime gangs who use the cash from the re-sale of these watches to finance drug smuggling and other criminal activities.

Specialized teams of robbers based in Naples in Italy travel to cities across Europe to target holidaymakers sporting these expensive timepieces, police said.

Spanish officers, working with counterparts in Italy, France and Germany arrested 35 suspected members of these gangs in raids which began in Naples in March.

Europol created a special unit to deal with the Rolex robbers who were targeting wealthy tourists across the Continent. – Full report