New database helps jewellers identify stolen watches

A new initiative to help jewellers, pawnbrokers and police to identify and trace stolen watches is being launched in January by intelligence sharing organisation, SaferGems. 

Acting as a central database of watches’ serial numbers, the SaferGems Watch Register will enable jewellers and pawnbrokers to check the provenance of second-hand items with a single phone call or email.

In 2014 alone, over £9m worth of watches have been stolen from individuals and jewellery stores, often inadvertently being sold on through the UK’s wide network of pawnbrokers and secondhand jewellery traders.

Research gathered by SaferGems shows that watches are among the items of personal property most targeted by thieves, with jewellery shops also frequently targeted by ‘smash and grab’ opportunists and organised gangs.

Simon Gardner, SaferGems’ intelligence officer, said: “Demand for the Watch Register service was highlighted to us by the jewellery industry and Police, in light of the growing number of stolen pieces now unknowingly being offered to jewellers and pawnbrokers.

“Storing serial numbers on a central database enables those working in the jewellery industry to make informed decisions about buying second-hand watches, by enabling them to check whether the item has been reported stolen in the past.”

The Watch Register is hosted by the British Security Industry Association (BSIA) and operated by SaferGems and is a joint initiative established by BSIA and prominent organisations including TH March insurance brokers, the National Association of Goldsmiths (NAG) and the British Jewellers Association (BJA).

The initiative will start on January 1 2015. Jewellers and pawnbrokers wishing to check the provenance of a second-hand watch can do so free of charge by contacting the SaferGems Watch Register team on 0845 389 0740 or by email at [email protected].