A €55 Patek Philippe was robbed in Portofino, Italy, after being caught at a car rental shop in Florence.

A lightning-fast four-second heist in Portofino's main square, followed by a flight toward Florence, convinced they'd disappeared. The two experienced and skilled robbers, aged 29 and 25, ended up inside a garage in Peretola. They were stopped by the Carabinieri while returning the car they'd rented specifically for their criminal venture.

The events date back to the evening of August 10, when the two snatched a priceless Patek Philippe watch, estimated to be worth €55.000, from a tourist's wrist. The breakthrough in the investigation came the following day: thanks to an exchange of information between the Ligurian town's officers and their Florentine colleagues, the latter stationed themselves near the car rental office and intercepted the suspects.

When the police checked the case, they were surprised: one of the two young men was still wearing the watch stolen a few hours earlier, as well as the same clothes captured by the Portofino Garage's surveillance cameras and posted on his Facebook page after alerting investigators. Foreign documents of dubious authenticity were also found against the arrested men, both homeless.

The Court of Florence confirmed the arrests for snatching theft, ordering both men to be held in custody due to the real risk of repeating the crime. Investigations are continuing to determine whether the couple may have been involved in other similar incidents.