For the final six months, Troy Barmore has left a treasured souvenir at dwelling in Brooklyn when he rides the subway into Manhattan — a stainless-steel Rolex Submariner watch that when belonged to his father and was handed alongside to him as a university commencement reward.

“I outright stopped carrying it on the subway,” he mentioned, “not due to any particular incident per se, simply due to a basic feeling of, ‘I don’t need to draw consideration to myself in that manner.’”

Now Mr. Barmore, the communications supervisor for the RedBar Group, a watch collectors’ group, often wears considered one of his inexpensive timepieces, like a stainless-steel Brew Watch Co. chronograph that retails for $375. It exemplifies what he known as “a candy spot” that he mentioned many collectors are on the lookout for in the meanwhile: a timepiece that’s properly designed, however, as he put it, is “much less noticeable, much less dangerous in sure environments, much less ostentatious.”

For years, tales about road robberies within the prosperous neighborhoods of cities like London and New York — in addition to ritzy vacation locations, like Ibiza and the South of France — have circulated amongst watch collectors. The thieves, typically armed, ceaselessly velocity away on mo-peds or scooters with the stolen items.

“Everyone who’s paying consideration has some extent of concern about that,” Mr. Barmore mentioned.

Many watch house owners insure their treasured timepieces, however there’s additionally nervousness, along with loss, about probably turning into the sufferer of a violent theft.

However lately, as pandemic restrictions have eased in lots of areas of the world and journey has resumed, police departments are reporting an increase in this sort of crime.

In accordance with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Division, there have been 112 thefts involving at the least one watch valued at $5,000 or extra within the first six months of 2022, a rise of almost 50 % from the 75 thefts recorded in the identical interval in 2021.

And in London, the Metropolitan Police appealed to the general public final month for assist in catching watch thieves. The police reported there had been 67 watch thefts in central London between Might 31 and June 27, a rise of roughly 60 % within the earlier 4 weeks’ complete — and described incidents like a midmorning theft within the Chelsea space during which a machete-wielding thief on a mo-ped compelled a pair to give up their watches, an Audemars Piguet and a Patek Philippe.

A couple of years in the past Ashkan Baghestani, an artwork seller, was chased by a person with a knife in Chelsea, and that was solely a few week, he mentioned, after a pal’s Rolex had been stolen within the space, too.

He determined to purchase a darkish inexperienced Cartier Tank watch late final yr, across the time he moved to New York Metropolis. “That’s the one watch I’m snug carrying,” he mentioned. “I’m not carrying a watch that’s price greater than $5,000.”

And Timm Golueke, a Munich-based dermatologist and founding father of Royal Fern Skincare, mentioned tales about pals’ watches being stolen had made him determine that he would by no means deliver any of the precious watches in his assortment, like a Rolex Explorer, alongside on his frequent travels. Lately, he mentioned, he has been carrying an Apple Watch as a result of it makes him “really feel higher and extra relaxed.”

This time of yr — the season of short-sleeved shirts and sleeveless attire (at the least within the Northern Hemisphere) — watches are primarily on present. “As soon as you set that shiny, vibrant Franck Muller, Breitling, Rolex — no matter it’s that’s in your wrist — you’re going to draw consideration,” mentioned Stephen Helliwell, director of operations at Aldermans Safety Consultants, a British firm that works primarily with celebrities and excessive internet price people.

Inevitably, the manufacturers which can be most coveted by collectors are additionally robbers’ favorites.

“If somebody desires to steal a watch, they need to be sure that they’ll have the ability to promote it on black market fairly merely, so larger title manufacturers oftentimes are topic to a whole lot of these situations,” mentioned Marc Hajjar, the director of Hodinkee Insurance coverage, which was launched by the watch-focused web site in 2020. “The watches which can be probably the most recognizable, the watches which can be probably the most in demand, oftentimes are those that fall sufferer.”

Echoing Mr. Helliwell, Mr. Hajjar’s recommendation was to put on a watch that’s understated and never too costly.

“Something to mainly make what you’re carrying much less recognizable and extra discreet is a very good start line,” Mr. Hajjar mentioned.

Even Eugene Tutunikov, chief govt of the Atlanta-based luxurious reseller SwissWatchExpo, has been cautious about carrying his personal watches, which embody a rose gold Audemars Piguet Royal Oak.

“I don’t really feel snug carrying my A.P. out to a restaurant or a bar, or wherever apart from an in depth pal’s home,” he mentioned, for a personal occasion like a cocktail party.

“You by no means know who noticed you stroll in,” he famous, “or what’s going to occur if you go away the restaurant or go to the storage.”

He mentioned he tended to put on watches like his stainless-steel and white gold Rolex Sky-Dweller — admittedly nonetheless costly, because it was ceaselessly priced at round $30,000 at resale — however he felt it’s a bit much less showy than a few of his different timepieces. And for a deliberate journey to Italy, he’s contemplating shopping for a timepiece by Tudor that’s lower than $5,000 and would possibly select a canvas strap for an much more subdued look.

Mr. Tutunikov mentioned gross sales for luxurious watches had continued to be brisk, however he acknowledged that a lot of his purchasers had change into involved about theft. “We’re seeing lots of people which can be scared to purchase watches with diamonds, watches which can be manufactured from treasured metals, as a result of they actually bounce out at any potential criminals,” he mentioned.

With that in thoughts, over the last couple of months, he has targeted on providing extra watches that retail for $20,000 or much less, and which can be restrained moderately than over-the-top.

“I don’t need to inventory it if individuals are going to be nervous to purchase it,” he mentioned. “It’s safer to stay with inexpensive stock.”