He is stingy with the details he shares. It follows, as it explains, the rules of confidentiality and discretion. He describes how, in early 2019, five unknown burglars managed to break into a three-story maisonette in Thessaloniki. They went down to the basement, broke open the security door and found in the safe a rare collectible watch from the Swiss company Richard Mille. Christopher Marinello, an American lawyer who specializes in recovering stolen art and paintings looted by the Nazis, has taken it upon himself to track them to the ends of the earth.

He has been called “the Sherlock Holmes of artistic crimes” and also “the detective of the stolen watch”. Tributes to his work have appeared in The New York Times, Guardian and GQ magazines. In 2015, he successfully represented the heirs of Jewish art dealer Paul Rosenberg in their quest to return to them Henri Matisse’s Seated Woman, stolen by the Nazis during World War II. In 2012, the painting was one of approximately 1,500 valuable works of art seized by German authorities from the home of art collector Cornelius Gurlitt.

For about two decades, Marinello specialized as a lawyer in the resolution of disputes in the field of art, before turning professionally into the search for stolen goods. He founded Art Recovery International in 2013 and claims to have recovered over $500 million worth of art to date, representing museums, collectors, dealers, artists, governments and insurance companies on a case by case basis.

However, he is now increasingly called upon to find a stolen watch of great value. A few years ago, he managed to return a $145,000 Richard Mille RM030 Carbon Argentina. This is a limited edition model, one of only 30 produced internationally. According to international reports, it was stolen in London in 2017 and allegedly ended up in Hong Kong and then Dubai. In January 2020, it was sent for maintenance to a local dealership, after which the alarm was raised, as it was identified as stolen, registered in international databases. The insurance company instructed Marinello to return it.

“It’s easier to find a rare watch than a Picasso painting. The watch has a unique serial number in the world. For a painting, it is necessary to prove its authenticity, establish its origin, and also whether it was acquired in good faith, ”Marinello says in a telephone conversation with“ K ”from London.

According to him, about two years ago, the lawyer of the victim of a robbery in Thessaloniki turned to him for help. With partners in various countries, whom he often consults, Marinello is able to investigate similar cases all over the world. The network he has created includes, as he explains to K, lawyers in Germany, an art historian and lawyer in Paris and New York, and private investigators who help him even in distant Hong Kong. From here, an interesting element allegedly appeared for the case in Thessaloniki.

In 2021, Marinello says he became aware of an Instagram profile that posted photos of expensive watches, often with a footnote that they were in Hong Kong. “K” viewed this profile. Most of the images do not contain evidence that the watch is for sale. In some, however, the price is also mentioned. “RM055, 2017 date, $165,000. [email protected]”, says one post revealingly. From time to time, some social media users post comments under photos, asking if the watch is still available or how much it costs, but usually they do not receive a public response, except for a few cases. Any arrangements are possible in “K” is unable to determine whether the approximately 200 profile photos are genuine watches or replicas, and whether they are actually in the possession of a potential thief or attempted online scam.

According to Marinello, there are good reasons to believe that the Richard Mille stolen from Greece could end up in Hong Kong. The lawyer posed as a data collector and sent a private message to the Instagram account manager. “Are you posting watches for fun or are you actually selling them?” – he asked. She told him that she was interested in a rare Richard Mille RM56-01 watch. He also asked about its condition, as well as the presence of the box and other accompanying authenticity documents. “Tell me if this watch is for sale,” he wrote in one of his messages, which came into the possession of “K”.

In response, the potential seller sent two photos of the watch. One of them has apparently been publicly posted on Instagram since at least April 2021, but is currently unavailable. In one of the images, he wears a watch on his wrist, and in another, he is holding it in his hands, with his glasses the only object in the background.

In 2021, Christopher Marinello found via Instagram in Hong Kong a seller of a model stolen from Greece in 2019 who asked him for $3.1 million.

Identification

In one of these photos, Marinello says that in one of these photos, the transparent sapphire crystal on the case of this particular model allowed him to read the unique number on the case back and identify the watch he was looking for. The Instagram account manager asked for $3.1 million in cash. He refused to cooperate when Marinello wrote to him that the item should be inspected at a Richard Mille dealership so that a certificate of authenticity could be issued and the necessary maintenance carried out. “The clock is fine. You can check it anywhere after paying,” the Instagram account manager replied.

The lawyer says he contacted the Hong Kong authorities, shared everything he knew, but in the end the case did not move forward. “Unfortunately, without cooperation with the police, we will not go far,” he notes. No one knows exactly where these watches might be today, even if at some point the police authorities prove that they actually once reached this corner of Asia.

“From the moment he shows the watch on his wrist and realizes it’s a stolen item. It’s complicated. Whoever owns it cannot sell it openly to some international auction house such as Sotheby’s or Christie’s. It doesn’t have a certificate of authenticity. He can only make it available to those who are willing to pay and don’t want to ask too many questions,” Marinello emphasizes.

In an attempt to corroborate information from the Greek side, “K” reported on a convoluted case of the theft of an expensive watch in 2019 with related characteristics, which is still occupied by the police authorities of Thessaloniki. The case is in the hands of the prosecutor’s office for extortion. The man reportedly contacted the owner, first asking for €100,000 and then €350,000 to return the watch, saying he knew it had been sold in the United Arab Emirates. After all, we are talking about a petty criminal who was identified and arrested in Athens for extortion.

According to police sources, the declared value of the watch is 300,000 euros. However, a quick internet search reveals that the few available parts of this particular model are selling for almost 1.9 million euros. The case is considered unsolved, as the clock was not found, and there was also a corresponding correspondence with Interpol.

When called on cases like this, Marinello says he frequently looks through the FBI and Interpol databases of missing art and other stolen goods, and cooperates with local law enforcement when necessary. “It is inevitable that at some point the item will either have to be sold or kept. And then we notice it. If something comes up and I get the relevant information, I contact the police and give them the opportunity to investigate the case and make arrests. However, in many cases, so much time has passed, works of art could have changed hands, and traces of the perpetrator could have been lost long ago,” he says. Then he takes action.

But how do you convince someone to return an expensive item to you? Marinello doesn’t want to share too many details or reveal his secrets, as he jokingly says. However, he indicates that he is acting with the knowledge of the authorities. We ask him if he paid the ransom in any of the cases he handled. He flatly denies it. “There are people who claim to return the art and pay a ransom. I do not do this. This is illegal and unethical and could be considered money laundering. Ransoms encourage crime,” he emphasizes.

However, he clarifies that there is a difference between paying a ransom and awarding a reward. “The ransom is given to someone who is known to ask for money for theft, and this is illegal. The award is given to the person who helps me recover the item, is not involved in the theft, and provides information that will lead to a successful outcome of the case.

The nature of his work is associated with a certain risk. In addition, he can in some cases communicate with criminals or spoil their work. While he doesn’t think he could be targeted by disgruntled scammers, he says he doesn’t publish the addresses of his offices in Italy and London to avoid unwanted visits.

He emphasizes that his work requires patience. It may take five or even ten years before the case is closed and the valuable thing is returned to its rightful owner. “But I never give it up,” he notes.