Which Watches to Wear

its worth asking peoples opinions , if it helps.
for a 'different' take on this. we have looked at watches as things to buy while travelling. my son and I bought inexpensive Swatch watches in Times Square NY as mementos. ( get the "connection")
and when in Switzerland we bought him another swatch ( a more expensive one) that was 'exclusive' at the time. it was what he wanted and we wear them all to this day.
I wear the swatch I bought in NY when travelling in europe and elswhere, as it is not expensive to loose but it reminds me of the good time we had in NY and to enjoy travelling.

so 'maybe' you just buy one you like when you get there?

My honest opinion is never take any thing you can't afford to lose.. I leave my engagement ring at home and just wear my wedding band.. and the rest of my jewerely is costume.

Its not just about theft.. you will be moving a lot.. it would be easy to forget it by the sink in some hotel room and be broken hearted.. if you were only going for a week or two and staying in one or two places I would think it would be easier to keep track of.. but 10 weeks of changing rooms every week or so.. well.. its just increased risk.

As for your daughter.. purse slashing is more of an issue in some countries or cities than others... its not a big risk in Paris , London , Switzerland , Nederlands , Germany.. but more of a risk in Barcelona or Rome.. however.. the risk is not a great one.. you are far more likely to simply be pickpocketed.

I have a cheap Timex I bring.

*

A Rolex Yachtmaster is worth about the same amount of Morocco yearly income per capita. It could be too big a temptation. I am worrying too much? Sure, but I would still leave it home.

Great points from Pat: it's best just not to take anything that you can't afford to lose. It is all too easy to leave things behind when re-locating a lot.

You probably know this already but tell your daughter not to carry her cash, cards and passport in that purse. I wouldn't sightsee with a phone in it either.

I never take or wear any jewelry of value while traveling, even diamond stud earrings.

Never travel with ANYTHING you'd be upset if lost or stolen. Buy a Timex for the trip.

Yup, if you don't want to loose it and it's not strictly necessary, don't bring it. I have super-cheap jewelry that I happen to love and I don't bring it. It's not a theft risk (we are talking costume jewelry here!), but loss. Moving every few nights means more opportunities for stuff to be left behind.

The purse - I hear this happens, I have never experienced it. Pickpocketing is more common. I wouldn't worry too much over this, but that's me. If she's walking on the street, keep the purse to the inside - not on the shoulder facing the street (I've heard of thieves on motorcycles slashing a strap and then driving off).

We wear el-cheapo watches from Kmart when traveling since we just want to know the time and not worry about loss / theft.

Thank you for all the people who kindly graciously answered my question. As to the other two rather rude comments, my husband is 61 and i am 54 and we have worked hard all our lives and for the first time we are getting to go to Europe. I have no diamond wedding ring like most people, I wear a simple gold wedding band and so does he. But we did both splurge on a nice watch when we turned 50. We live very conscientiously excuse me if I offended you with my question. We have neither too much time or money, so you might want to think before you jump to hasty generalizations.

If you splurged for those watches, even more so - you wouldn't want to lose them no matter how you lost them, would you?

I think that you actually knew the answer as you posted your question.

I'll validate your conclusion and say that you should leave them at home in the safe deposit and spend $20 each for simple watches that tell you the time, tell you the date and day, and can sound alarms.

You won't be worrying.

Dear Nigel,
I did know my answer to my questions since I am planning on wearing a Swiss Army watch: but my husband does not want to be moved by fear and seems determined to wear his. I am hoping the answers on this forum will persuade him otherwise. My thinking is why make yourself a target for theft or worse unnecessarily. I call it caution not fear. Thank you for your validation Nigel.

Hi, I grew up on a Kmart budget so I was one of the skeptics when I first read your question. Your husband will do what he wants, but I don't think fear should be a motivator--common sense should. The watches mean a lot, but no one in Europe, no matter their nationality, is going to look at your watch, cares what it is or gives a hoot if you even have a watch on EXCEPT for a thief or pickpocket. Nigel has some good advice.

Every year I am torn by the watch question--I wear a lovely vintage Hamilton watch that is very dear to me--and just feel better taking a different watch that isn't as valuable. My other jewelry isn't flashy, and I don't bring anything I couldn't stand to lose.

As for purses, a cross-body with a sturdy strap is always my choice.

I normally do not wear a watch at all. But for traveling, particularly to Europe and beyond, I buy a cheap Timex or something similar. Then I lose the directions on how to reset it. So I now have an Ireland watch and a Spain watch that I just leave set to the appropriate time for those zones. Maybe when the batteries die I can reset them to local time again. :)

ss,

I'd suggest taking the cheapest watches that you have, as that way it won't be a huge problem if you lose them during the trip. While it is possible that you won't be victimized during your trip, you also have to acknowledge the fact that you may encounter some very proficient pickpockets. Given some of the countries you'll be visiting, the worst case scenario is that you could be mugged rather than pickpocketed.

You may wish to read the U.S. State Dept. pages regarding the destinations you'll be visiting, especially the Safety & Security sections. Here's one page to start with.....

https://travel.state.gov/content/passports/en/country/morocco.html

If your husband insists on wearing his Rolex Yachtmaster, you might tell him that you don't want to hear any whining if it's stolen or lost during the trip. I wear a $20 Casio digital and it does the job just fine.

Hopefully you will all be wearing Money Belts? If your daughter is really worried about losing her new camera, she could use a PacSafe cross-body bag, rather than a fancy purse with a flimsy strap.

On the surface the question did seem a little presumptuous. Apply some common sense. I wear a fairly expensive watch for me (Tissot -$1200) but not in the league of a Rolex. A pickpocket is not going to get the watch. Only in the movies do they bump you and get your watch, billfold, and a gold tooth in one move. The watch would only be an issue in a mugging and true muggings in Europe are very, very rare. The only issue I see is that the Rolex might tag you as potential having some wealth and sets you up as a mark.

IMO and from our experience pickpockets do not hit people randomly with the hope of scoring something. For the most part pickpockets are professional in their own way, have developed a sixth sense about who is a good mark, and who has something that is worth getting. A Rolex watch might draw some attention but it still does not guarantee that you will have a problem. We are spent nearly a year in Europe over the past 20+ and have never had a problem and even close (we think) to a pickpocket situation. BUT, we try not try have anything of value showing, blend with the crowd, and stay very aware of our situation. Doesn't mean we cannot have a problem on the next trip but so far have maintained a low profile.

Is your daughter able to wear her new purse cross-body? If so, I think she'll be fine. But, if it has to be worn just over the shoulder I would personally leave it at home and get a different one.

"My thinking is why make yourself a target for theft or worse unnecessarily"

I dislike drawing attention to myself in my hometown. To do it in a foreign land is simply asking for a problem. I believe smart travelers try to blend in a bit; it certainly can't be done completely, but there's no benefit to walking around with a neon sign that says rob me.

The only issue I see is that the Rolex might tag you as potential
having some wealth and sets you up as a mark.

Right. That's really the only caution aside from forgetting it in a hotel room. We've never been bothered by pickpockets but we also look like slim pickings not worth bothering with! :O)

The Pacsafe bag is a pretty good deterrent too.

Dawn good point, if daughters purse can only be worn hanging off one shoulder it would be a big no from me too, if she can lengthen strap and wear it cross body then it should be ok. This assumes its got a proper closure and an inside zipped pocket.

But I still wouldn't put anything of value (cards/cash/passport) in it.

You've gotten some good advice on the watches, especially about leaving them at home in a safe-deposit box. It sounds like this is your first trip to these places, or at least a lot of different places, which means a lot of distractions. They fewer things you have to keep track of, the less stress you have. You'll be hearing lots of different languages,getting your bearings in new places and keeping track of passports and travel documents. Not worrying about stuff allows you to concentrate on enjoying what you're seeing.

As to the purse, I'm guessing it's one of Fossil's cross-body bags. They have some that look good for traveling, just don't let your daughter use it for her passport and credit cards. Money belt and neck wallet are safer. Last year on Las Ramblas in Barcelona it seemed like every female was wearing a cross-body with her hand on the bag. And, if it's the model with the zippers in front, have her turn it around so the zippers are next to her body.

Have a great trip!

Let me voice a contrarian opinion. The thin strap is a plus; should the purse be torn off in a mugging, a thick strap could be a way to get injured in the process. When I was a boy this was a concern in Italy (much less so now).

Thank you everyone for your advice. I really appreciate it.

I wouldn't be as worried about theft as I would be about simply losing it or damaging it.
My biggest fear would be scratching or breaking the crystal while climbing inside a stone tower or knocking it up against something when navigating a crowded museum, store, or street.
Theft would require you leaving it in your hotel room or someone sitting on you or knocking you over the head while unfastening it from your wrist! Thieves in Europe don't generally operate this way as it would draw too much attention to themselves. They are more stealthy than that and will be more prone to slip things out of pockets and bags in crowded trains and metro cars.
Purses with thin straps can indeed be more easily stolen. Mine has a thin strap but it's a cross-body purse that I can easily clutch in crowded places. It also has latches at the end of the straps, where it attaches to the purse, that can easily be undone if someone is trying to yank it off of me. Hasn't happened in 20 years of travel with it though!

Never say never. My mom had her purse stolen in Florence. She was with her nieces at the time. She is always careful. They ran by, yanked it off her and broke the straps. My mom was hurt, but nothing serious.

Paul

Anita,

"or someone sitting on you or knocking you over the head while unfastening it from your wrist!"

That's not always the case, as shown in this video.......

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W1_BpNAeeX0

This video may be entertainment, but it's indicative of the skill of professional pickpockets. They typically operate by distraction and misdirection, and it can happen anywhere. The guy in the video has practiced with world-class pickpockets in Naples and other places, and he's very good at it.

Timex Ironman. I had my Timex watch battery die in Oslo. A watch repair kiosk in Oslo replaced the battery in 5 or 10 minutes while I waited at an un-memorable reasonable price.

And yes to "If you can't afford (financially or emotionally) to lose it, don't take it".

Does anyone else remember President Bush getting his watch stolen while shaking hands in a crowd? I think it was Albania. And he had Secret Service protection. I always get a cheap digital one, Timex Ironman, Casio, Armitron, etc. Mostly because I can use the alarm, multiple time zone features, 24 hour clock, etc. May not need them but often useful.

True statement - A pickpocket isn't going to take your watch, and muggings are still rare in Europe.

But it's also true that pickpockets use clues, such as jewelry and watches, to identify potential targets. They believe, most likely correctly, that the person with a Rolex on their wrist will also have more money in their wallet and more valuables on or about their person.

A pickpocket might also look for people with too many shopping bags to keep track of, especially if those bags are from high-end shops.

They might even target someone with a map and disoriented look, because tourists typically walk around with more valuables than locals.

My advice is keep things simple - simple inexpensive jewelry, valuables in a money belt, shopping items reduced to only one bag to keep track of. If you need to pull out a map, don't do it in the middle of a crowded train station; find a pleasant place to sit away from the crowds. Even if it means putting on a brave face, try not to look overwhelmed or disoriented.

Thank you Brad. good advice.

If you are going to wear a Rolex and other flash, walking around with Chinese and other Asian tourist will give you the sort of protection afforded schooling fish:

"...the third – and primary – reason why fish school is for protection. By grouping into a tight, regimented pattern, the fish minimize their chance of being picked off by generating a sensory overload to a predator’s visual channel. The swirling mass of twisting silvery fish creates a blending effect where the predator struggles to track a single target and becomes confused." [http://www.howitworksdaily.com/why-do-fish-live-in-schools/]

"Thefts targeting Chinese and Asian tourists have grown hugely over the past two years. The French police don't register the nationality of victims of crime, but there is no shortage of eyewitness accounts.... One explanation is that Chinese tourists often carry large amounts of cash. Chinese and Japanese tourists are also known to spend freely, with an average of between €800-€1,200 ($1,000-$1,500), mostly in luxury Champs Elysées boutiques. With expensive brand names on their shopping bags, they are an easy prey for thieves, especially in the suburban hotels where many stay. On at least two occasions, organised gangs attacked tourist minibuses. They wait for the bus to reach a standstill, break the windows and snatch bags from terrified occupants." [http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/jul/30/paris-thieves-target-chinese-tourists]

ss,

This story may be of interest to your husband......

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/world/british-man-choked-unconscious-20g-rolex-theft-article-1.2537144

The perpetrators had to work a bit as shown in the video, but they were very intent on getting that watch!

I wear an inexpensive Casio watch with a compass. The compass has come in very handy.

Debunked: the Prez's watch wasn't pickpocketed. See here:
http://thelede.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/06/12/was-bushs-watch-stolen-in-albania/?_r=0

Folks, if you are traveling overseas, I would seriously advise that you don't wear any any expensive or sentimental watches while vacationing overseas. You'll stick out like a sore thumb and will be targeted especially in congested alleyways and cities. I recently came back from my first European cruise trip and some massive guy twice my size tried to yank my father's rolex watch off of my wrist in this congested alleyway in Naples, Italy. This city is known for being one of the poorest cities in Europe and some of the folks there don't give a s*** who they rob from. I was lucky to have traveled with a group of eight people and one of our group members along with a local samaritan had fought off the robber. But, I learned an important lesson that day not be so flashy in poor cities like this.

-Matt