And they thought they could get away with it. How silly! French police have recovered a priceless watch collection stolen when thieves forced their way into watch museum in La Chaux-de-Fonds last Thursday. The booty was found under an oak tree, hidden amidst branches, south of Valdahon in neighboring France on Saturday. The robbers had snatched the watches after smashing display cases at the museum. The collection at the Villa Marguerite museum dated back to the 18th century and included several unique timepieces. All of the items, worth several million Swiss francs, were cataloged and would have been difficult to sell, experts said. Willy Schweizer, the museum curator, congratulated the Swiss and French police for their “superb work”.
The luxury timepieces, including a watch which had won a gold medal at the 1901 World Exhibition in Paris, were brought back to Switzerland and identified. However it is understood that watch heists are relatively rare in Switzerland.
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