![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/the-watch-was-recovered-by-police-in-2023-YPUTU6PJRREFHM7E72UMPOXMHY.jpg\")
<\/p>\nThe owner of a $90,000 Rolex, stolen in an Auckland burglary, has been reunited with his timepiece after an international search. <\/p>\n
The watch was recovered when officers raided the home of a “prolific burglar” in late 2023, police’s One Ten Magazine reports. <\/p>\n
While reviewing property held at the police exhibits store, North Shore frontline station officer Lisa Clark found the timepiece and decided to search for its rightful owner. <\/p>\n
Unable to find details in burglary reports, Clark spent months reaching out to Rolex dealers, service centres and retailers. <\/p>\n
The search spanned New Zealand, Australia and Hong Kong. <\/p>\n
“Everywhere I went, doors kept getting shut in my face,” Clark said. <\/p>\n
“But I couldn’t let it go. I knew there was someone out there who deserved to have this watch back, so I just kept following every lead I could.\u201d<\/p>\n
After five months, Clark found the owner, Matt Kim, in Australia. The watch was one of his first gifts to his wife. <\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The watch was recovered by police in 2023. (Source: Supplied)<\/p>\n
Kim’s family home on the North Shore was burgled in August 2023, an experience that left them “deeply shaken” and prompted them to leave New Zealand. <\/p>\n
On hearing his watch had been found, Kim said he would, “get on a plane right now and come and get it”.<\/p>\n
Several designer bags and a diamond ring belonging to his wife were also found and returned. <\/p>\n
Clark said Kim cried when he arrived to collect what was taken. <\/p>\n
“You could feel that emotion and relief. Three years after the burglary, they never thought they’d see any of it again.”<\/p>\n
After returning to Sydney, Kim messaged Clark: \u201cWhat you have done for us means so much more than I can explain. <\/p>\n
“My family and I will never forget you and what you did for us. You really are our hero.\u201d<\/p>\n
Clark said the result made the international search worthwhile. <\/p>\n
“I always knew it was there and I kept thinking, ‘How can I find the owner? How can I find the owner?'”<\/p>\n
Detective Sergeant Beth Bates praised Clark for her efforts. <\/p>\n
“Lisa’s perseverance, initiative and commitment to doing the right thing resulted in a fantastic outcome for this family.<\/p>\n
“She went above and beyond to track down the rightful owner, and her determination is a great example of the lengths our people will go to support victims and make a difference.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The owner of a $90,000 Rolex, stolen in an Auckland burglary, has been reunited with his timepiece after…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":581229,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[51,67,111,43,139,69],"class_list":["post-581228","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-new-zealand","tag-auckland","tag-crime-and-justice","tag-new-zealand","tag-news","tag-newzealand","tag-nz"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/581228","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=581228"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/581228\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/581229"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=581228"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=581228"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=581228"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}