Charles Leclerc’s very expensive Richard Mille watch, which was stolen in Viareggio earlier this year, has been identified in Spain.
The 24-year-old Monegasque, who is back in the winner’s circle with his third win of the season, had his exclusive Richard Mille timepiece stolen off his wrist at the Italian seaside resort of Viareggio in April this year.
Leclerc was with friends and his trainer Andrea Ferrari in the Tuscan city of Viareggio for Easter celebrations, where the Ferrari driver was recognized by fans asking for photos and autographs.
Amidst this, the alleged fans got a hold of Leclerc’s Richard Mille RM 67-02 and swiped it. Initially, he was not even aware that it had gone missing.
After everyone else left, he realized that someone had stolen his $320,000, Richard Mille.
According to the reports by an Italian newspaper, the watch was found by the Neapolitan police. They believed the thieves planned to sell the watch for one million. But the fact that it was clearly a stolen version made it impossible.
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Charles Leclerc’s watch, stolen by three Neapolitans, was sold to a Spanish entrepreneur
The newspaper further reported that a Spanish entrepreneur currently possesses the watch. It was sold to this entrepreneur for a tenth of its value.
That extremely rare chronograph, a Richard Mille Rm 67-02, was a gift with a special signature of the driver on it. The Swiss manufacturers produced very few of these watches. Therefore, only a few other watches have the signature of the rightful owner on them.
Although it is unclear from the message if the thieves are already caught, the local police have a good understanding of what happened.
According to the reports, the three thieves looked for a potential buyer for months, lowering the price each time. They would have made a possible stop in Naples before continuing on to Spain, where it may have been sold.
When the police intercepted elements useful for the investigation, they discovered that the three had turned to an expert fence dealing with stolen luxury goods for a buyer.
Even though the final sale price was just a tenth of the assessed worth, it is still a considerable sum for a simple heist. The reports also claim that just after the heist, the robbers indulged in a lavish lunch as a celebration.
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