Italian tourism chief believes hotel-provided plastic watches are the solution to the threat of watch theft

Zach Blass

Last week, CNN Travel reported that a tourism chief in Naples had proposed a solution for prospective visitors who were worried about visiting the region. The comment came in the wake of French actor Daniel Auteuil having his Patek Philippe watch stolen during his recent stay.

CNN Travel writes: “Italian news agency ANSA reported last week that Auteuil had a 39,000-euro ($41,250) Patek Philippe watch stolen from his wrist by two people riding scooters while he was traveling in a taxi with the window open.”

Cesare Foà, the president of the tour operators’ association Aidit, has since responded to the incident with an intriguing solution, to say the least. Rather than attempt to further prevent criminal activity, Foà believes the answer is to have tourists wear supplied cheap alternatives rather than the luxury watches they have brought along for their stay.

Foà detailed his proposal to CNN: “It’s important that tourists in Naples can enjoy tranquility and peace in the city, so hotels and the council could help to ensure that these guests feel safe and relaxed by giving them a plastic watch.” This assumes visitors with their own watches would not be vulnerable to the theft of their timepiece if it was left in the safe in their hotel room. But even hotel safes are not a 100 per cent foolproof solution at the end of the day.

The silver lining of Foà’s plastic watch solution, he believes, is that visitors would be able to leave with a souvenir at the end of their stay. “The watches could be decorated,” Foà told CNN. “They could carry a symbol of Campania (the region in Italy where Naples is the capital) and could be given as a gift to family members and friends.” According to CNN, Foà believes this could be done in a cost-effective manner — with each watch costing no more than 10 euros.

While a cute solution — one that has not necessarily been proposed in any formal manner just yet — ultimately, luxury watch owners would likely much rather sport their own timepieces. Maybe hoping for a world where watch theft is not a threat is too idealistic, and Foà is actually taking a more realistic or creative approach. It would certainly be more favourable to have a 10-euro plastic watch stolen than a watch that costs thousands of dollars. But, at the same time, what is the point of purchasing a watch if you can’t wear it when you would like?

I know I strategically select my watch or watches to take along for my travels, opting for more discreet pieces when entering areas I am less familiar with or are known for having a significant number of watch thefts. This is a common practice among watch enthusiasts with multiple timepieces in their collection, and, in some instances, a timepiece is purchased for this very reason in mind.

Ultimately, all we can do now, in a world where watch theft reports are on the rise, is remain vigilant and be strategic — if possible — with the watches we wear abroad. Whether or not provided plastic watches to tourists is a suitable solution, however, remains to be seen.