Japanese man robbed of $1.2m watch outside Paris hotel
PARIS: A Japanese man who stepped out of his Paris hotel for a cigarette was robbed of his US$840,000 (S$1.2 million) Swiss watch by a thief who snatched it off his wrist.
The 30-year-old victim was approached outside the five-star Hotel Napoleon near the Arc de Triomphe late on Monday by a man who asked for a cigarette.
The thief then grabbed the man's arm and fled with the rare Richard Mille timepiece, a Tourbillon Diamond Twister.
Mille timepieces, with their bulky cases that reveal the intricate inner mechanisms, are highly prized by aficionados - and instantly recognisable to thieves targeting wealthy tourists.
The Parisien newspaper published a map on Tuesday pinpointing some two dozen high-value watch nabbings in the "Golden Triangle" and other glitzy areas near the Champs-Elysees avenue so far this year.
It noted at least four other Richard Mille watch robberies, all valued from at least €100,000 (S$152,000), among 71 such robberies in Paris and nearby suburbs between January and last month.
But the Japanese victim may be luckier than most. Police sources said the assailant dropped a mobile phone as he fled, which has been handed over to the police. - AFP
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