Safe to wear Apple Watch in Italy?

My husband wears his Apple watch wherever we go in Europe, including Italy, and doesn't give it a second thought.

I wouldn't give it a second thought. My watch that I wear costs more than that and is quite flashy! I have several friends that wear Apple watches and they are Italian. I wear what I want and just stay alert.

Do you realize you'll see many italians wearing it, don't you? It's not exactly a "luxury" good here.

Ive worn mine all over- Its not really a "luxury" item. I wouldn't wear a Rolex or a diamond necklace- Apple watch- no biggie.

"Could you enumerate the usefulness of an Apple Watch while traveling?"
Seems like that was done: "boarding passes, apps for translation, maps and directions so you don't have to walk around with your phone out, Euro to Dollar converter, Apple Pay, etc. "
@ LLAinItaly: There is no greater risk with the Apple watch than there is with any other watch at that price point serving as an indicator that you might have some cash or credit cards on you. I don't think an Apple Watch is an obvious luxury good in Italy anyway.

Lots of Italians, and I mean lots, have them too.
I can just imagine those many Italians in the morning asking themselves: "should I go to work today downtown with this watch? Nah! It's safer to go to the beach instead".

Well you can use it to help steal signs in a baseball game.

I wouldn't wear a Rolex....

Don't take stuff that would cause you to worry if you don't want to worry. But a basic Apple watch is not a multi-thousand USD watch.

Not a good idea to wave a Rolex around in Naples:
The Napoli forward Lorenzo Insigne [soccer] was robbed at gunpoint as he was driving through Naples over the weekend.
Italian media said the masked robber got away with a Rolex watch, jewels and €800 in cash. “Lorenzo suffered a terrible experience and told me that it was a really bad moment,” said his agent, Antonio Ottaiano.
Read more at http://www.worldsoccer.com/news/napolis-insigne-robbed-at-gunpoint-368926#PIm20tqUtORWB1dp.99

jkc wins this one.

absolutely (Jkc wins this one, that is)

I occasionally wear an old gold Omega watch in Florence and I never have problems. I would not wear anything more expensive anyway - most Rolex watches look to me as bad taste and more appropriate to mobsters than gentlemen. As for the Apple Watch, I suspect it is a luxury item when you are buying it, but its resale value would be limited.

@JHK I have an Apple Watch (series 2) and I'm not familiar with some of the apps you are mentioning... would you mind listing a few of their names? I'd love to get optimal use out of it when we go to Europe in less than 4 weeks from now. Btw, I had every intention of wearing it.

Many thanks!

Cheers,
Vivian

I think by now the OP is feeling a bit deflated about his Apple watch.

We are currently in Italy with our iPhones and iWatches. Pretty well everyone we see is carrying/using a mobile phone which cost far more than our iWatches and probably a lot easier to grab than trying to undo the strap on an iWatch. As for utility, we love our watches for the map function - look up where you want to go on your phone and the watch guides you by tapping your wrist for each turn. It's so much easier than having to constantly pull out your phone to check where you are in relation to where you want to go.

I have wore a $1000 plus watch (not a Rolex) for years without a problem. But then we have never had a problem with pick pockets, either. I think the issue with jewelry and other obvious high end items is that it marks you as someone who might be carrying more than average cash. They are not going to steal the watch off your wrist or rings from you fingers but you may be displaying more effluence than the average tourist and therefore potentially a better target. Don't think the Apple watch does that.

I don't have to worry about a pickpocket getting my watch. My Timex Ironman has a (replacement) velcro strap that makes a distinctive when the strap is removed.

There are a lot of Seiko or Citizen watches that cost more than an apple watch. If you are wearing it, I see no reason for worry. If you leave it laying around, kiss it goodbye.

Would you ask this question if you were going to L.A. , Chicago or Detroit?

KAS-- Sounds like you have become a Borg. Technology is wonderful and a bit disconcerting. Not sure I would want ' big brother' knowing where I am to that extent. ( No I didn't see the asteroid that killed off the dinosaurs, but the story about it was in a supplement to the history book I used in school :-) ) I like people like you, helps Apple pay me a dividend every 90 days. Thanks!

Thanks, everyone. I really appreciate the insight. (and jokes -- good one, JKC!) I didn't think it would be too big of an issue, and I was fairly certain that it would be a common object, but just got all paranoid given all of the noise on the internets about property crime in the bigger cities. (And personal stories - my stepmom had her wallet lifted from a train in Rome, a friend's mother got her purse slashed at the Trevi fountain) @Vivian: here are the apps I'm finding useful. (and yes, JHK, it can translate things on the fly, iTranslate is the app. You speak what you want to translate into the watch, and it prints it out in the language you choose) American Airlines app for flight information, Elk - Euro to Dollar conversion, Wallet/Apple Pay - for boarding passes, Maps for directions, that's all I'm using. Anyone else got a great Apple Watch Travel App?

@Vivian, I don't wear an Apple Watch. Though I am neither a gangster nor a gentleman, I usually wear a Rolex or a FitBit. I was quoting the OP in response to the question requesting a list of the useful functions of an Apple Watch to point out that the OP had already stated the functionalities that he or she thinks are useful for travel.

And as soon as the new Apple watch hits the market yours will obsolete and not worth stealing.

Common object or not, tourists almost never look like "locals" no matter how hard they try. So it doesn't matter how many locals wear an Apple watch or carry a smartphone. You are not a local. If you look like a tourist and you wear expensive things on your body while you sightsee, you WILL attract certain unwanted attention.

In my youth, I was the victim of two separate mugging attempts in Italy. Both times took me completely by surprise, because, not only am I trained in self-defense, I consider myself a person who walks around with antenna-up all the time. Eventually, I had to face the truth: no matter what I do or how I present myself in public, no one in Italy is going to believe that I have any Italian in me (unless I'm near the Swiss border). Locals will always assume I'm a tourist, that is, until I speak Italian. Then they're not sure what I am, and I do enjoy their confused faces.

I was also mugged in NYC in my early years, and yes, the two muggers stole my brand new, beautiful Cartier watch that I purchased in Paris. I didn't have a whole lot of money back then, but after securing a financially lucrative freelance job, I decided to treat myself. After the NYC mugging, I never wore an expensive watch while walking the streets anywhere again.

I love beautiful jewelry, and I'm definitely a diamond girl. However, when I travel, I wear certain pieces only when I know I will be safe and protected. When I'm out and about sightseeing, I do not wear anything that shines or sparkles that might capture the eye of a well-practiced thief. You live and learn. (Hopefully.)

Where do you live in the US. Do you worry about it here????????????? Then don't do it when you are in Italy.

if you are happy enopugh to wear it at home be happy enough to wear it on your travel,

this person left on their trip the middle of September - just the off chance that they are back. Maybe, just maybe, they will come back and tell us how things went, and how the trip in Sorrento was.....

might still be trying to trace their apple watch

I think I saw her Apple Watch at the Porta Portese flea market, deeply discounted.