A TOURIST had his £7,500 watch stolen in the Oxford University Museum of Natural History after he took it off to dry his “sweaty wrist”.

Jaz Pabla, who lives near Kings Langley, was in Oxford for a day off “sightseeing” when his Rolex Oyster Perpetual Submariner with stainless steel bracelet and case was taken.

He was on the first floor of the museum in Parks Road when he took his watch off at about 1pm due to his wrist sweating from the “brisk walk” to the venue.

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“I put it on one of the display counter while my wrist dried,” he said. “At that moment my friend distracted me to look at a bird in one of the display counters and I went over to have a look.

“About 15 minutes later I realised that the watch wasn’t on my wrist and I went back to the counter but it had gone.

“It wasn’t handed in to front of house desk and CCTV didn’t cover that area.”

Police have since informed Mr Pabla that it hasn’t been handed in to the central Oxford station.

He is now offering a “substantial reward” for the watch or its location as it is a “much cherished item with sentimental value”.

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“It was a day out sightseeing which turned very quickly into a very disappointing day,” he said.

If you have information, contact Thames Valley Police quoting crime reference number 43220404913.

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Read more from this author

This story was written by Gee Harland. She joined the team in 2022 as a senior multimedia reporter.

Gee covers Wallingford, Wantage and Didcot.

Get in touch with her by emailing: Gee.harland@newsquest.co.uk

Follow her on Twitter @Geeharland

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