Luxury watch thieves are stealing an average of £1 million worth of timepieces from the wrists of Londoners and tourists every month in the West End, Scotland Yard has revealed.
The scale of the problem emerged at the sentencing of three men involved in the robbery of a £137,000 Richard Mille watch belonging to Romanian fashion entrepreneur Catalin Botezatu outside a luxury Mayfair restaurant.
According to Metropolitan Police figures presented to 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 alone.
Police said a further 70 expensive watches were stolen between July and September.
Detective Sergeant Andy Swindells told the court that despite police efforts, high-value watch theft remains a major issue across central London.
"Despite all of our efforts, high-value watch robbery remains a problem in the West End, and we average about £1 million stolen from the wrists of Londoners and visitors every month," he said in a statement read to the court.
The officer said many victims had been subjected to violence, with some being punched, kicked or injured during robberies. A knife was either seen or implied in around one in five offences over the past six months.
Police identified Mayfair and Knightsbridge as key hotspots for organised gangs targeting luxury watches, often around restaurants, hotels and the capital's night-time economy.
Prosecutors said the trio carried out reconnaissance before surrounding the businessman shortly before midnight and ripping the watch from his wrist.
A sharp object was allegedly used to slice through the watch strap, leaving cuts to the victim's wrist.
Giving evidence during the trial, Mr Botezatu said he was pushed against railings and feared for his life.
"I couldn't believe that something like this could happen in London, in front of a luxury restaurant where I was a client," he told jurors.
The watch, which had been given to him by a close friend who has since died, has never been recovered.
Djoudi admitted the robbery, while Eldahouzze and El Habchi were convicted after a nine-day trial. Sentencing is due to take place later on Friday.