In Italy, a construction foreman learned the hard way that concrete and luxury watches do not mix. Back in May 2016, while overseeing a concrete pour, he lost his prized Rolex Daytona, a gleaming symbol of success valued at about €16,000 (about $18,500). The culprit, according to him, was a rebellious pump line that suddenly whipped with the force of a startled python after a blockage cleared. His wrist flicked, his balance wobbled, and the Rolex vanished forever into a layer of quick-setting concrete. Despite a frantic search through the fresh pour, the timepiece was never seen again.
What followed was less about construction and more about litigation. The foreman sued his employer, claiming the machinery had malfunctioned and the company should cover his loss, as reported by Corriere della Sera. The case first went before a court in Parma, where he argued that he was simply doing his job and that faulty equipment had caused the accident. The judge disagreed. Undeterred, he appealed in Bologna, only to meet the same fate. The appellate court not only upheld the earlier verdict but also ordered him to pay roughly €2,500 (about $2,900) in legal costs.
The ruling was sharp and clear: a person exercising reasonable care would not be directing a concrete hose while wearing a €16,000 watch (Rolex Daytona’s sell for upwards of $25,000 now). The judges’ message could not have been plainer. Concrete hoses, they implied, are not compatible with haute horology. The court noted that he had failed to use basic prudence for that kind of task, something every site worker is expected to know.
In practical terms, what likely happened to the hose was textbook physics. When wet concrete clogs inside the pipe, it creates back-pressure. The moment that blockage breaks free, all that pent-up energy rushes out the discharge end, causing a violent lash. Operators who hold the hose too close can easily be thrown off balance, and anything loose on the body, like jewelry or an expensive watch, can be sheared off in an instant.
Standard site safety practices exist for exactly this reason. Workers are advised to remove rings, watches, and any accessories that might snag, scratch, or sink into wet concrete. Italian construction safety manuals are quite clear about it, and so are the PPE toolboxes on every site. In the end, the judges leaned on that same common-sense duty of care. The Rolex may have kept perfect time once, but in the courtroom, the foreman’s timing could not have been worse.
