Russia Seizes Millions Worth Of Audemars Piguet Watches Due To Sanctions
Russian agents in Moscow have seized millions of dollars worth of Audemars Piguet watches in what is believed to be payback for Switzerland ditching its natural stance and imposing sanctions on the nation following its invasion of Ukraine.
The report, in which Bloomberg cited Swiss newspaper NZZ am Sonntag, said that the timepieces were taken from the brand’s Russian premises by the FSB security service this week.
According to Watch and Bullion, even an entry-level Audemars Piguet can set you back by north of US$20,000.
While Russia insisted “customs offenses” were the reason for the seizure of goods, officials in the Swiss Department of Foreign Affairs have posited that it was “most likely an arbitrary repressive measure in response to the sanctions,” as per the memo seen by journalists.
HYPEBEAST notes that the watches taken could have constituted the entire stock of the brand’s watches in Russia, though it had already shuttered operations in the country back in February.
[via The Guardian and HYPEBEAST, cover image via Claudio Stocco | Dreamstime.com]
