(CNN) — A Japanese businessman had a watch worth more than $800,000 seized from his wrist outside a five-star hotel in Paris, police said.
The man had stepped out of the Hôtel Napoléon, near the Arc de Triomphe and Champs-Elysées, around 9 p.m. on Monday evening to smoke a cigarette, when a thief snatched the watch from his wrist, a spokesman for the Paris police told CNN.
More than 70 luxury watches stolen
Paris has seen a spate of luxury watch thefts in recent months. In the first eight months of the year, 71 cases were reported, according to BFMTV.
The luxury timepieces can be resold on the black market for 30% to 50% of their value, according to BFMTV.
Others will ask for a cigarette, a photo to be taken or for their way, before making off with the watch. Another ruse is to bump into a car mirror, prompting the driver to stick his or her hand out to set it straight.