The tale of a watch – and its surprising odyssey

This is a true story.

Not long ago, an adventurous English traveler ventured into our south seas – and found the beautiful island of Cebu. He checked into a quaint hotel in Mactan frequented by expatriates, finding it charming because of its cozy bar and delicious food.

That evening, while enjoying a few bottles of San Miguel beer and merrily gossiping with local "ex-pats" and tourists, he and his newly-found friends were joined by another foreigner who had been staying in the same hotel, he said, for the past few days.

The newcomer had a very dark complexion, and he explained that he was a refugee from Sri Lanka who had been forced to flee his country owing to political persecution.

Finally, the Brit decided he had had enough of San Mig, the seductive nectar of the gods (of the brewery), and staggered off to bed in his room, several yards from the bar.

Before he nodded off to sleep, to dream about his day on the beach, the traveler took off from his wrist his prized Rolex watch which was a special edition Sea Master used by professional divers, and emptied his trousers of the usual valuables – his wallet, containing money and credit cards, mobile phone, etc.

The following morning, when he awoke, he was shocked to discover that his Rolex watch, his cellphone and wallet with all its contents had disappeared from his bedside table.

He immediately rushed out to alert the owner and the local police. After an hour of fruitless search, it was discovered that the fellow from Sri Lanka had also mysteriously disappeared from the hotel. It turned out, after inquiries, that he had caught an early morning flight for Manila.

Our despondent traveler, after filing a complaint in the police station against the suspect, the mysterious Sri Lankan – a process which took a couple of hours, mind you – also departed by plane for Manila.

* * *

Late that same afternoon, having returned to our chief metropolis, the depressed Brit went to his favorite bar in Ermita, Manila, to drown his sorrows at the bar.

After about an hour of observing his steady drinking, the proprietor of the bar approached the traveler, asking him why he was so down in the mouth.

The traveler explained to the owner how, only 12 hours earlier, he had been robbed in Cebu. Now he was back in Manila, mourning the thought that he would never again see his watch, credit cards, cellphone, and wallet again.

The owner then brought out a watch, and asked the traveler whether he recognized it. To the amazement of the Brit, when he examined it, the watch turned out to be his own Rolex – which he had "lost" in Cebu only 12 hours earlier!

The owner then proceeded to relate to the astonished traveler how a man had come to his bar offering the Rolex for sale. As soon as the owner spotted the Rolex, he realized it was uncannily similar to the watch sported by his Brit patron. He reminded the traveler that on an earlier occasion, they had previously compared their Rolex watches – and he had not forgotten the Sea Master’s unique features.

The owner related that he had been able to convince the eager would-be seller that he (the bar proprietor) would have to take custody of the proffered watch so he could show it to prospective buyers. (He already realized the watch was "hot").

The bar owner then suggested to the irate Brit that they conduct a "sting" operation to entice the Sri Lankan to a meeting in a nearby shopping mall. The police were called in, of course.

As soon as the unsuspecting light-fingered Sri Lankan showed up at the meeting place, he was pounced upon by the cops and taken to the bar.

When the now cringing Sri Lankan was searched, on his person the irate victim, the policemen and the bar owner found the Brit’s purloined wallet, his credit cards, his cellphone – but not all of his money. The cash had been sadly depleted. But what the heck. What a stroke of fate it had been!

Not every tale of robbery has such a happy ending, of course. But this is as good enough a story to remind us that, sometimes – sometimes, the evil get punished and the good prevail.

As for the bar owner, I know him. So I know this story is true. He won’t let me identify him, however, "It’s bad for business," he winked. Then he offered me a beer on the house.

Spotting my timepiece, he cracked: "Max, is that a Rolex you’re wearing?"

I immediately stuck my hand back into my pocket.