26th March 2023 – (Hong Kong) Four robbers, disguised as construction workers, raided a watch store in Tsim Sha Tsui yesterday afternoon, making off with 46 luxury watches worth around HK$10 million. The robbers, armed with cleavers, stormed into the RWW Watch Company store, located on the second floor of CKE shopping mall on Nathan Road, and carried out the heist within minutes. Two of the robbers wielded cleavers, while the other two emptied the glass display cases of the watches. The robbery was reported to have been carried out with military-like precision, with the robbers using Cantonese to shout at the store employees to open the display cases.
According to a store employee who was not present during the robbery, the 3 robbers appeared to be South Asian and all wore reflective jackets and masks to hide their identities. One of them is suspected to be a Mainland Chinese. Once inside the store, two of the robbers brandished cleavers, while the other two demanded the display cases be opened. The robbers managed to empty the cases of their valuable contents and escape within minutes, making off with 46 luxury watches including 45 Rolex watches and 1 Patek Philippe watch, certificates and HK$37,000 in cash. The robbers also took one mobile phone belonging to an employee in the store.
The robbery is being investigated by the police, who are currently reviewing CCTV footage from the area in an attempt to identify the robbers. The owner of the RWW Watch Company listed the stolen watches on its Facebook page and their serial numbers in the hopes that they will be recovered. In addition, the owner has warned the public to be cautious when purchasing luxury watches in the market as they may be stolen goods.
The store owner also revealed that the shop had an emergency alarm system linked to a security company, but unfortunately, it did not prove useful in this instance. The female colleague, who showed great courage by secretly pressing the alarm button upon seeing the robbers, was shocked to find out that the security company had already attempted to contact the police several times but to no avail.
He could not imagine how the stolen goods would be resold, as each Rolex watch has a unique “inner shadow” engraved on the inner circle of the dial, which the thieves are unlikely to be able to remove or alter. He believed that it would be difficult for the thieves to sell them.
The robbery has caused the store to temporarily close, leaving its employees and owner shaken. The RWW Watch Company has branches in Tsim Sha Tsui, Mong Kok, and Causeway Bay. This is not the first time that luxury watch stores in Hong Kong have been targeted by robbers.
Serial numbers of the list of stolen watches shared by the shop owner on Facebook.