A man managed to recover his €13,500 Rolex after being sprayed in the face with pepper spray by two young suspects who had arranged to view the watch at his home.
The incident took place on 28 July 2025 after the victim advertised the Rolex for sale on several websites. He was contacted by a potential buyer via Facebook and arranged to meet two young men at his address.
The pair examined the watch and briefly placed it on one of their wrists. Growing suspicious, the victim's wife secretly filmed the meeting on her mobile phone.
The two men were heard speaking to each other in a foreign language. At one point, they put on sunglasses and one of them pulled a canister of pepper spray from his pocket, spraying the victim directly in the face before attempting to flee with the watch.
Despite being temporarily blinded, the victim gave chase and managed to wrestle to the ground the suspect carrying the bag containing the Rolex.
The bag tore during the struggle, and the watch fell out, allowing the victim to retrieve it. The two suspects then escaped in a small white car parked nearby.
Investigators later established that the suspects had been driven to and from Brussels by a third individual in the same white vehicle.
The two men were reportedly picked up at around 17:00 near Josaphat Park in Schaerbeek and dropped off after the robbery near Brussels-North railway station.
The driver has since been identified and arrested by police. He was brought before an investigating judge and released on bail.
The first suspect is believed to be between 18 and 20 years old and speaks French. He was wearing a black Burberry T-shirt with brown check detailing on the sleeves, blue jeans, a Gucci cap and sunglasses.
The second suspect is thought to be in his twenties, also French-speaking, and has a small goatee beard. He was wearing a white T-shirt, a light blue jacket, a Gucci cap and sunglasses.
