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Mr. McElherron noted that anyone should be wary of purchasing an expensive timepiece at auction without examining it first: “The problem is we don’t know what condition these watches are in and the images are really poor.”
Dirty Laundry
A month before the auction, several officers gathered around a conference table in Chief Officer Gubbin’s office in Dublin to unpack some designer handbags, shoes and watches connected with cases that were still going through the courts. (As soon as assets are seized, they are valued by independent experts and then put into storage to await final judgments, he said.)
A diamond-studded Cartier watch, for example, was valued at €8,000 to €15,000. But Chief Officer Gubbins noted that it would be difficult to estimate an auction price because the gems were added after its initial sale — “iced out,” in hip-hop slang — which actually would reduce the watch’s value.
And there was a Rolex Datejust with a diamond-pavé dial that dazzled so brightly, it was difficult to read the time. If the diamonds had been added in the factory, the watch likely would sell for more than €100,000, Chief Officer Gubbins said. But “it’s not the real deal,” he continued. “The movement and the crown are by Rolex, but everything else seems not to be.” (It was valued at €3,000.)
The officers noted that, at least in Ireland, few criminals had such pricey accessories until recent years.
“In the ’80s and ’90s, I don’t think I ever saw bling on criminals,” said Detective Sgt. Tony Brady, 55, who joined the agency in 2002 and now oversees its Asset Management Office. “The most you’d see would be a fast car, but there were never fancy haircuts, cosmetic surgery, high-value clothes, jewelry and watches.”
