A man in Tokyo allegedly returned a stolen $292,000 Audemars Piguet watch with an apology note just three days after taking it from a store. As reported by Dexerto, the man, who has not been identified, reportedly asked to try on the rare watch at a store in Tokyo’s Nakano Ward on Oct. 29 and then allegedly fled with it while two employees were working.
The theft took place around 8:00 PM at a store on the third floor of the Nakano Broadway shopping complex, according to The Japan Times. Neither employee was injured.
On Nov. 1, the watch made its way back to the store. The man allegedly sent it back via a courier along with an apology note, and the store confirmed it was the same watch by checking its serial number.
The watch came back, but the man is still unidentified
The apology note reportedly included a name and address, but employees at the store believe those details are fake. The returned package was sent from Aichi Prefecture, and police also believe the sender details listed on it are false.
The investigation is ongoing, and CCTV footage reportedly shows the man traveling by train and taxi during his getaway. Stolen luxury pieces do not always stay missing for long, as the case of a man accused of swallowing a Fabergé pendant showed.
The same building had already been targeted. Four luxury watches worth a combined ¥200 million were stolen from another store on the complex’s first floor, and two Chilean citizens were later charged on suspicion of theft in that case.
Tokyo police are still searching for the man on suspicion of theft, as IOL reported, citing the Asahi Shimbun. The outlet described the man as posing as a customer before leaving the store with the watch still on his wrist.
Published: Nov 3, 2026 07:30 pm