An expensive watch, stolen on the streets of Milan, Italy a decade ago, is back with its owner.
Somehow, it ended up at a watch repair shop in Clearwater.
The watch repair shop traced the serial number and worked with the watch maker to find him.
That owner flew into Miami and drove to Clearwater to get it back.
A lot of time has passed since Alberto Laboni has seen his $21,000 Audemars Piguet Royal Oak watch.
“I’m very happy to have the watch back,” said Laboni.
He remembers the day in 2008, in Milan, sitting in his car, when a man on a scooter hit his mirror.
It was a coordinated heist.
“The other guy behind come and take my watch. Take my watch. In one minute, they stole my watch,” said Laboni.
Laboni reported the painful theft to Italian police. He didn’t think he’d ever see the watch again.
“No, no. In fact, I bought another watch,” he said.
On Friday, Laboni got an early Christmas gift.
Clearwater Police, working with the watch shop, found him in Italy.
He and his family came to the police department for the long-awaited reunion.
“We have never been here in Clearwater and maybe if it doesn’t happen, this, [we’d] never been here,” said Alberto’s wife, Ilaria Laboni.
News of its recovery didn’t sink in at first.
“I think it a joke of my friend. Italian friend. Always make a joke always,” said Alberto.
He now has his watch back, and hopefully, he’ll enjoy it for a long time.
Clearwater police and Laboni and believe the watch was sold over and over again, to many people.
He and his family return to Miami on Saturday, and back to Italy after the new year.