Watch Boxes - the awful truth

This is inspired by a 12 or 15 slot tower style watch box sold yesterday on ShopNBC.
It struck me as I was watching the pitch - and actually considering buying one - do watch boxes just make it earlier for burglars/thieves to rob you blind?
I decided the answer is yes since they just have to look in one place or pick up one box to make their play.
So I rejected the tower since it would take up too much room in the gun safe.
Despite insurance, I urge all of you with extensive (or expensive) collections to get a safe. Not that expensive at Costco and will save you heartache.
For the record, I use flat watch boxes in my safe.

I agree, my collection is not all that expensive, but there's no need to make it easy for some Crankster gangster to haul off. I use plastic cases that make it easy to see the watches and they don't take up a lot of room.

where do you get those cases, mark?

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boscoe wrote:

where do you get those cases, mark?

Don't recall, they are just standard storage cases-nothing fancy. Walmart or someplace like that would have them. I cut closed cell foam (pipe insulation or pool toys) to size and the watches are held in place in their little bins.

Thanks. I'll look. No sense in buying fancy watch boxes if you don't have to.

That is a pretty interesting point you make about watch boxes Boscoe !
Many times people want to store or display their watches so they and
others can look at them. However, this probably could make them
vulnerable to insidious outside forces ! I think the safe idea is a
smart one ! It's a good way of storing your watches and they will be
"safe" in the safe ! The only other thing I can think of is using
some type of cloaking device like in Star Trek to hide the watches !
Just kidding !..Your idea is a good one sir !

Am I the only guy that has his watches out in the open in a case? It is a nice leather bound case that my wife bought for me a few years ago. Fits nicely on one of the shelves in my closet.

Did I mention that my alarm is on whenever we are not home and we have a wild African dog as a pet? Seriously, my dog is 20 lbs and we used to put it in daycare. One day we got a call to pick her up early...she beat up an Akita and would not get off of its head until we got there...good stuff!

I have my watches in a 24 watch case and my autos in a 6 watch winder. I also have 2 pit bulls and a Colt 1911 ACP....nuff said

andrema wrote:

Am I the only guy that has his watches out in the open in a case?

Nope, my winders set out.

I like whaty mark has done with those plastic cases and the pipe wrap, very inexpensive and works better than most watch cases!!!

cali kid wrote:

I like whaty mark has done with those plastic cases and the pipe wrap, very inexpensive and works better than most watch cases!!!

Yep, with that many; very ingenious.

Shopnbc gave me a $10 coupon so I picked one up. I love displaying things.

Made me think about theft though, my watches are the only material thing that would devastate me if stolen.

No guns here yet but we have an alarm and a pit bull.

FreeDive wrote:

Shopnbc gave me a $10 coupon so I picked one up. I love displaying things.

Made me think about theft though, my watches are the only material thing that would devastate me if stolen.

No guns here yet but we have an alarm and a pit bull.

Pit bulls can be a better deterent than a firearm!

I understand the whole argument for a safe. But if it's a motivated burglar(s), what's to stop him and his buddies from making off with the safe? I just helped a friend move a gun safe last weekend. Couple of strong guys and it doesn't take much effort.

My mother-in-law bought me an awesome 10-display watch case last Christmas. So that's where mine reside.

andrema wrote:

Am I the only guy that has his watches out in the open in a case?

Nope. I'm with you, Mark.

I keep my collection very small . . . at this moment the whole thing is in a Heiden 6-watch display box (with one empty slot) that's not exactly cleverly hidden. If burglars showed up, they'd just laugh at my tiny collection and then head straight for Trevor's house.

bodypeersur1 wrote:

I have my watches in a 24 watch case and my autos in a 6 watch winder. I also have 2 pit bulls and a Colt 1911 ACP....nuff said

The dogs and Colt are good, but a safe is better. Learned that the hard way

AO wrote:

I understand the whole argument for a safe. But if it's a motivated burglar(s), what's to stop him and his buddies from making off with the safe? I just helped a friend move a gun safe last weekend. Couple of strong guys and it doesn't take much effort.

My mother-in-law bought me an awesome 10-display watch case last Christmas. So that's where mine reside.

Just bought a bigger safe about 9 weeks ago. Took 3 guys, a special dolly and special flooring to get it in. The flooring was so the monster didn't crack the tiles. The safe is bolted into our concrete floor (through the tile) and the bolts are only accessible from the inside. Per making off with it, they're darn heavy and you can't run very fast (or be too stealthy) carrying one.

I'm sure you could blow torch it open with 45 minutes of work if you dragged all the equipment in, but why bother taking the hard way. There are guys who leave their watches in boxes right on the dresser or in the closet!

Really, bos, how many of us have the financial means to purchase a safe, install special flooring and have it bolted to concrete?

Just sayin ...

AO wrote:

Really, bos, how many of us have the financial means to purchase a safe, install special flooring and have it bolted to concrete?

Just sayin ...

Not I. I'll opt for the pit bulls and Colt.

AO wrote:

Really, bos, how many of us have the financial means to purchase a safe, install special flooring and have it bolted to concrete?

Just sayin ...

I didn't install special flooring, the gun safe company used special flooring when they were moving the safe into the house so they spread the weight and didn't crack our tile floors. They took it with them when they left. Per drilling into concrete, the safe is designed to do that. Not really anymore complex than bolting down a door jam. Delivery and installation were included in the price

The safe was $2800, not counting my trade in. Not chump change, I agree. But Costco has nice safes for about $800 if I remember right. My watches, guns etc. are worth many multiples of the $2800.

You can't use a gun if you're not there. And dogs can and are shot/poisoned etc. Is a dog a great deterrent? Yup, probably better than an alarm. But I've been robbed with pitbulls and Neopolitan mastiffs (look 'em up) in the house. A safe provides me with peace of mind, which is priceless

I've got a couple of safes, only one holds watches and both are bolted to the floors and walls. Its not just my meager watch collection but also precious metals stored in it. Knock on wood, I've never been burglarized and its not a bad neighborhood. I think most property crimes are a result of meth heads needing money. No point in making it easy on them. Nothing is really foolproof, but burglars are'nt going to spend a ton of time trying to crack a safe or break it loose from the floor. Its just peace of mind mainly-especially when noone is home. I'm loaded for bear but an alarm or guns are'nt much good when noone is there. I live in a small town with no grocery store-I'm not about to depend on the local cops/county sheriffs response time. If I ever custom build a house, I think I would rebar the heck out of a concrete room in the basement and buy a vault door for a few thousand bucks.

I'm with Andrema and Sooner. Easy pickens'. I've just never been concerned with personal safety or property protection I suppose.

My watches sit on the dresser, closets and shelves with my guns. Some of the more expensive ones are hidden.

Aqua Homer wrote:

I'm with Andrema and Sooner. Easy pickens'. I've just never been concerned with personal safety or property protection I suppose.

I live in a city ranked the safest in the Southeast. You live in DC. Maybe a safe isn't such a bad idea after all.

I use a safe that's bolted to the floor. We actually just had a robbery a week or 2 ago where thieves made off with a 2600 lb safe from a goldsmiths store. It was loaded with gems, diamonds and of course lots of gold and of course his customers jewelery that he was working on. he figures he is going to go out of business because he didn't have an appropriate amount of insurance due to the high premiums. he was in the same location for 27 years.

Most home burglaries are "snatch n grab", and the thieves are in and out in minutes. They go through drawers and closets getting stuff that's easy to pick up, carry and go. Our home was burglarized in 1985 in Jacksonville, FL, and they got a camera, boombox, a Seiko watch and a ring, and not much else that I recall.

I bought a Sentry Safe for about $150 from Walmart 2 years ago which is bolted to the floor in my wife's closet. I suppose someone could get it, but it would take some effort and would not be easy to carry, especially for one person. I think it's probably a sufficient deterent.

I guess a safe is a good idea. If I could afford $800 or much less $2800 for a safe I could probably afford watches nice enough to need a safe. I just keep my most valuable hidden in the boxes they come in. The rest are in the croton 20 watch glass door display case on the desk.