Watch theft

My lad went to the gym yesterday morning before work, put his watch and wedding ring in the locker. When he came back the padlock was missing along with his jacket, watch and wedding ring.

He’s gutted as the watch was bought with a small inheritance he received and had a lot of sentimental value.

The gym was a David Lloyd leisure centre with obviously strict entry rules. CCTV showed a guy signing in with a recently bought platinum membership, then sitting in the cafe but disappearing 2 or 3 times before leaving. It appears he used a false name and details to join and no picture on his profile.

The watch is a Rolex Datejust 41, black dial and white gold bezel, serial number 390079q3. Please keep an eye out if you get offered one.

Thanks

Neil

Always sorry to read this.

Where in the country was it ?

Report it to the Art Loss Register’s Watch Register —- make sure it is specifically that one — for the best chance of recovery.

Thanks Milton,

David Lloyd Leisure at Chorley in Lancashire.

Thanks for the advice, will get it registered

Sorry to hear of the loss.

I suggest also contacting Rolex if you haven’t already.

Below are the details Rolex required from me along with their email address.

Rolex UK Stolen Department, 1 Jubilee Way, Kings Hill, West Malling, Kent ME19 4NR or alternatively by email to report.stolen@rolex.co.uk.

Your full name, address and telephone number.
Serial Number and model reference of the watch.
Date of theft.
A crime reference NOT a CAD reference, and the name of the police force dealing.

Thanks

Just entering this watch on my own records. Is it a model 126334 ?

What a nightmare; sounds like their security is a bit slack if someone can gain premium membership without them taking any photo ID ... sounds like their "strict entry rules" are far from that ...

I'd take that up with them in addition to the Police.

That’s really bad luck and I feel for him. May be able to claim on insurance for his loss?

It’s for this very reason that I don’t wear any of my more valuable watches when going to the gym.

Terrible luck but sadly inevitable imho. I used to be a member of a David Lloyd club in Wimbledon 20 years ago and the lockers were often broken into regularly. My Submariner stayed on my wrist during my workout and shower, and my wedding ring stayed at home. Then I found the Submariner got uncomfortably hot on my wrist in the steam room, and even though the door of the room was 10 feet from my locker I never even remotely considered locking it in there, so switched to a G shock for the gym. And this at a time when a Submariner was easy to purchase and £2k at list. I don’t want to sound unsympathetic but lesson learned :( I hope he’s insured

Presumably the gym have either direct debit details or card details for the joining fee that the chap used could be of interest to the police to track him?
Those could well be false I guess.. but if so, that’s a further crime for them to follow up on.

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Originally Posted by gorrie

Presumably the gym have either direct debit details or card details for the joining fee that the chap used could be of interest to the police to track him?
Those could well be false I guess.. but if so, that’s a further crime for them to follow up on.

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This ... follow the money, I'm sure they don't give memberships out to people with no ID and who pay in cash ...

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Originally Posted by Montello

This ... follow the money, I'm sure they don't give memberships out to people with no ID and who pay in cash ...

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If you're the kind of devious, bottom-feeding scumbag who joins a gym in order to break into lockers I'm guessing you are probably using a stolen credit card or a preloaded disposable one. I don't know what ID they would look for, but you can sign up for a lot of things without showing any. It's to be hoped the Police will be following up on all this. Also to be hoped that in Chorley they are less useless than the Met.

Certainly devious. Either he got very lucky picking a locker that just happened to have a Rolex in it, or he was hanging around eyeballing people's wrists and then observing the young man's locker selection.

Your son may make a subject access request (SAR) to the gym for the CCTV on which he himself must have been captured. They must provide it within a month and at no cost.

If you're lucky, this may be provided in a form which allows you to grab an image of the suspect...

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Originally Posted by Fullbreakfast

Certainly devious. Either he got very lucky picking a locker that just happened to have a Rolex in it, or he was hanging around eyeballing people's wrists and then observing the young man's locker selection.

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Being a suspicious kind I’d be looking at staff collusion, if only one locker was opened that’s a special kind of luck?

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Originally Posted by Pitfitter

Being a suspicious kind I’d be looking at staff collusion, if only one locker was opened that’s a special kind of luck?

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Definitely thinking the same thing, if it was only his locker it's not pot luck for the thief.

Sent from a technical device.

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Originally Posted by sickie

Definitely thinking the same thing, if it was only his locker it's not pot luck for the thief.

Sent from a technical device.

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Thief saw him with the watch, doesn’t need to be staff collusion.

Not necessarily collusion but someone will be in trouble as David Lloyd t&c's stipulate a photograph being taken as a condition of membership (and apparently there wasn't one).

Hi, very sorry to hear this. I suggest taking it up with the exec team directly, and wording (politely), that you feel they are partly responsible etc. Why aren’t better checks in place, the photo element is huge as the police now will have not much to go on (if a known thief, and had a photo taken, would they still have done it? Or maybe police would have recognised straight away, etc). I would recommend that you say you will be left with no option but to write to the Saturday Telegraph or Sunday Times for help (the perceived bad publicity should have an effect, if not the paper element and actual bad publicity will). I say those papers as they’re widely read and, at £180 a month membership for DL, fit the demographic (they also both have designated money sections which answer queries etc).

some people here appear to assume that the perp is obvious, but there won't be any cameras in a locker room. presumably quite a few people entered and exited the room before the theft was discovered. all the individual who 'disappeared 2 or 3 times' has to do is shrug and deny it.

he could even continue using the same gym with impunity.

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Originally Posted by bitt3n

some people here appear to assume that the perp is obvious, but there won't be any cameras in a locker room. presumably quite a few people entered and exited the room before the theft was discovered. all the individual who 'disappeared 2 or 3 times' has to do is shrug and deny it.

he could even continue using the same gym with impunity.

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He's joined the gym with a false identity so I doubt it.

Extremely sorry to hear!
Hope they are able to trace and apprehend the person responsible

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Originally Posted by Montello

This ... follow the money, I'm sure they don't give memberships out to people with no ID and who pay in cash ...

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They will use a mule account - the trail will go cold with an 18 year who thinks they have an online job as a personal assistant or the like.

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Originally Posted by Neil

My lad went to the gym yesterday morning before work, put his watch and wedding ring in the locker. When he came back the padlock was missing along with his jacket, watch and wedding ring.

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Sorry to hear of your lad's loss. Questions for you: was it his own padlock or one supplied by David Lloyd - and if the latter was it key opening or a 4 digit combo lock?

R

Sorry to hear this. Did the CCTV capture the person arriving/leaving the car park or nearby offices/shops CCTV.

Fingers crossed for you.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Fullbreakfast

If you're the kind of devious, bottom-feeding scumbag who joins a gym in order to break into lockers I'm guessing you are probably using a stolen credit card or a preloaded disposable one. I don't know what ID they would look for, but you can sign up for a lot of things without showing any. It's to be hoped the Police will be following up on all this. Also to be hoped that in Chorley they are less useless than the Met.

Certainly devious. Either he got very lucky picking a locker that just happened to have a Rolex in it, or he was hanging around eyeballing people's wrists and then observing the young man's locker selection.

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Unfortunately the Police in Chorley are just as crap as the Met! Uninterested especially if they might have to actually do any work. You could give them the culprit, a signed confession, the stolen goods in his hand and they’d still say they had no evidence.

That is terrible, sorry this happened! I sometimes see people carrying their gym bag all around the gym, I guess this is why.

Sorry to hear this. Unfortunately it’s not unusual in gyms.

I use lockers in the work out area and avoid the ones in changing rooms and always wear my watch and carry my mobile whilst working out but unless you carry your bag/rucksack around with you (which gyms don’t allow) it’s very difficult not leave some personal items in a locker. I’ve read about users having wallets stolen and then finding out their credit cards were used whilst they had been working out. Even worse house keys have also been stolen.

Doesn’t seem difficult to mitigate against what seems fairly commonplace.

Don’t take valuables to the gym.
Or, wear your tool watch.
Only use gyms with suitable security.
Gyms put lockers in public areas with video surveillance.
Carry your valuables around with you (reading above this is and isn’t possible).

When a friend of mine had her watch stolen from the locker the gym eventually admitted liability. They paid for her replacement watch, probably through their insurance. I syuppose it depends on their t&cs.

Ah that’s crazy! I was thinking some budget gym but David Lloyd is usually decent in terms of security


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