Mr. Mcelherron noted that someone should be on their guard to buy an expensive timepiece at an auction without first investigating: “The problem is that we do not know in which condition these watches are and the images are really bad . “
Dirty laundry
A month before the auction, various officers gathered around a conference table in the Chief Officer Gubbin office in Dublin to unpack some designer handbags, shoes and watches that were connected with things that still went through the courts. (As soon as the assets are seized, they are appreciated by independent experts and then put in storage to wait for definitive judgments, he said.)
For example, a Cartier watch littered with diamonds was appreciated at € 8,000 to € 15,000. But Chief Officer Gubbins noted that it would be difficult to estimate an auction price because the precious stones were added after the first sales “Iced out” in hip-hop jargon that would actually reduce the value of the watch.
And there was one Rolex Datejust With a diamond-pavé-guide plate that was so fiercely blinded, it was difficult to read the time. If the diamonds were added to the factory, the watch would probably sell more than € 100,000, Chief Officer Gubbins said. But “it’s not the real deal,” he continued. “The movement and the crown are from Rolex, but everything else does not seem to be that.” (It was appreciated at € 3,000.)
The officers noted that, at least in Ireland, few criminals had such expensive accessories until in recent years.
“In the 80s and 90s I don’t think I have ever seen bling on criminals,” said Detective Sgt. Tony Brady, 55, who came to the office in 2002 and is now supervising his office management agency. “Most you would see would be a fast car, but there were never chic hairstyles, cosmetic surgery, high -quality clothing, jewelry and watches.”
