French Gang Flew to Australia for $10m Luxury Heist
It’s not every day Canberra finds itself cast in a plot worthy of Lupin, but October delivered an art-crime drama that could make even seasoned collectors clutch their Patek Philippes a little tighter.
Police say a team of four French nationals flew into Australia with the precision of a touring show—except the only things they intended to exhibit were their skills in relieving Australians of rare antiques and luxury valuables.
According to ACT Policing, the quartet arrived on 7 October 2025, hired a Mitsubishi Outlander, and quietly began moving in and out of the ACT—just enough to avoid suspicion, but not quite enough to avoid CCTV.
The target, detectives later revealed, was a Canberra residence holding an astonishing private trove: more than 70 luxury and antique items valued at around $10 million. This wasn’t a smash-and-grab. It was a collector’s hit list.
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$10 million luxury goods heist
Inside that home were pieces that sit at the apex of modern collectible culture: Hermes Chaos and Gavroche rings, a Van Cleef & Arpels Seoul necklace, and multiple Hermes handbags—artefacts coveted as much for their craftsmanship as their scarcity.
More significantly, two Patek Philippe Nautilus 5711 watches, including the elusive Tiffany-dial version and the even rarer 40th Anniversary edition. And then there was the horological unicorn: a Richard Mille RM88 “Smiley,” a watch so exuberantly complex it might as well grin at thieves as they lift it.
These aren’t just valuables. They are portable museums—antiques-in-waiting—pieces that, in the right circles, appreciate faster than blue-chip stocks. In the wrong circles, however, they are radioactive. Too famous to fence, too catalogued to hide.
On 15 October, two of the Frenchmen allegedly broke into the home and removed the collection with clinical efficiency. Police say they were already halfway to disappearing the pieces into international channels—an antiques black market that, like a stubborn antique chair, still creaks along despite modern surveillance.
But the plan faltered in a fast food restaurant in Western Sydney. Working in lockstep with NSW Police and the AFP’s Eastern Command, investigators tracked the men to Wentworthville, where they were arrested not in some glamorous safehouse but in a fast-food restaurant.
It was an anticlimax worthy of a punchline: millions in antiques and luxury goods, undone by the call of a late-night burger.
A search of their short-term rental the following day uncovered some of the stolen property, including several Hermes bags—a triumph for detectives, and a small relief to collectors who know how quickly rare handbags vanish into the world’s reselling labyrinth.
Meanwhile, across the world, French authorities intercepted items believed linked to an earlier break-and-enter in Vaucluse. That earlier crime, committed on 12 October, is now believed to be part of the same operation—a coordinated antiques-theft tour across Australian wealth corridors.
Some packages had already been shipped overseas, a reminder that in the high-stakes world of luxury collectibles, borders are mere suggestions.
By 21 October, all four men were extradited to the ACT and charged with aggravated burglary—intent to commit theft—and joint commission theft. It’s a mouthful, but so is the allegation: police say they flew halfway around the world purely to plunder the private antiquities and luxury items of Australian collectors.
Authorities are now continuing their international chase, working with French police in an attempt to recover the remaining missing pieces. The problem, of course, is that these treasures are designed to be unforgettable. A Richard Mille RM88 doesn’t exactly lurk quietly at a flea market.
ACT Policing has issued an appeal to the public—particularly collectors, dealers, auction houses, and anyone who knows their Tiffany-dial yellow from their goose-egg blue—to help locate the outstanding items:
- Richard Mille RM88 “Smiley”
- Hermes Chaos and Gavroche rings
- Van Cleef & Arpels Seoul necklace
- Patek Philippe Nautilus 5711 Tiffany-dial
- Patek Philippe Nautilus 5711 40th Anniversary
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Why These Pieces Are the Holy Grail of Collectors
Richard Mille RM88 “Smiley” Watch
The Richard Mille RM88 “Smiley” Watch is a horological fever dream. Richard Mille pieces are already the Formula One cars of the watch world—light, hyper-engineered, and breathtakingly expensive. The RM88 “Smiley” is a limited-production kinetic sculpture worn on the wrist. With a grinning yellow face, micro-animated charms and a notoriously difficult-to-produce calibre, it’s so recognisable that wearing it in public is the horological equivalent of walking a pet tiger down George Street.
Collector appeal: Extreme rarity, eccentric design, and sky-high auction results.
Black-market appeal: Essentially zero—too famous to sell and too photographed to hide.
Patek Philippe Nautilus 5711 Tiffany-Dial
The Patek Philippe Nautilus 5711 Tiffany-Dial isn’t just a watch; it’s a cultural event. The Tiffany-dial 5711 was released in 2021 as a farewell to the world’s most sought-after stainless-steel watch. Only 170 were made. One hammered at auction for over US$6 million. The turquoise dial is instantly recognisable—no forger has even come close.
Collector appeal: Mythic rarity + Patek prestige.
Black-market appeal: Trying to sell one quietly is like trying to smuggle a lighthouse.
Patek Philippe Nautilus 5711 40th Anniversary Edition
The Patek Philippe 5711 40th anniversary watch was created to celebrate one of the most influential designs in modern watchmaking. This limited release features a sunburst dial engraved with anniversary text that splits collectors into two camps: “love it” or “auction-frenzy love it.” Either way, prices regularly soar.
Collector appeal: Scarcity and signature design.
Black-market appeal: Low—serial numbers are meticulously tracked.
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Hermes Chaos & Gavroche Rings
Hermes jewellery represents the same scarcity and craftsmanship as their handbags, only in smaller, more stealable packages.
The Hermes Chaos ring has become a cult object among jewellery connoisseurs—a sculptural tumble of precious metal that looks effortless but is fiendishly difficult to produce. The Hermes Chaos is produced in very limited quantities.
Its asymmetric curves echo the spontaneity of hand-formed art pieces, giving it a modernist edge that appeals to collectors who prefer their luxury with a whisper of rebellion.
The Hermès Chaos ring traces its origins to 1937, when Robert Dumas was inspired by the anchor chains along the Normandy coast, giving rise to the now-iconic Chaine d’Ancre motif.
Celebrated as an expression of Hermès’ “intelligence of the eye,” it balances practicality with beauty. The Maison crafted its first silver Chaine d’Ancre bracelet in 1938, and the motif has since been reinvented countless times—each variation preserving the strength and rhythm of that original maritime design.
The Kelly Gavroche ring, meanwhile, channels Hermes’ equestrian heritage in miniature form, transforming a simple motif into a wearable heirloom with impeccable Parisian restraint.
The Hermes Gavroche draws inspiration from the clasps and hardware of the famous Hermes Kelly handbag.
The story begins in the 1930s, when Robert Dumas designed a trapezoidal “small women’s bag with straps,” notable for its clever, functional detailing.
By the late 1950s, that silhouette had transformed into the now-iconic Kelly bag, propelled to fame by Grace Kelly herself.
Since the 2000s, Pierre Hardy has drawn inspiration from the Kelly’s legendary lines, translating its clasps, straps, and bells into sculptural jewellery crafted in silver and gold. Each new piece adds another chapter to the Kelly’s evolving legacy—an enduring icon that never stops moving forward.
This Hermes Kelly Gavroche ring sold for GBP 27,720 in 2023 at Christie’s London auction house.
Both pieces regularly disappear from boutiques before they even hit display cabinets, often circulating quietly among VIP clients and high-tier collectors. In the secondary market, they fetch prices that make even seasoned jewellery dealers raise an appreciative eyebrow—proof that in the right hands, a little Hermes “chaos” becomes pure order on a balance sheet.
Collector appeal: Rising-value contemporary jewellery; strong crossover demand from handbag collectors.
Black-market appeal: Difficult—Hermes keeps tight records, and the clientele tends to know exactly what they own.
Van Cleef & Arpels Seoul Necklace
Van Cleef is the aristocracy of the jewellery world. Their Seoul edition pieces are both culturally significant and technically exquisite, often featuring intricate motifs, precision gem-setting, and extremely limited release.
Collector appeal: Museum-grade craftsmanship, international desirability.
Black-market appeal: Minimal—auction houses and boutiques are alert to stolen pieces, and VCA’s archives leave no room for impostors.
Hermes Handbags (Multiple)
Birkin, Kelly, or rarities—Hermes handbags are their own asset class. The right bag can earn better returns than a decent stock portfolio. They’re tracked, photographed, and traded in circles where provenance is everything.
Collector appeal: Scarcity, craftsmanship, and global waiting lists.
Black-market appeal: Only viable if you enjoy being instantly caught.
These are not objects that slip easily through customs or onto someone’s wrist unnoticed. They are distinctive, traceable, and often photographed by their owners as lovingly as Victorian portrait miniatures.
Police say this was clearly a targeted, premeditated strike by international offenders who came to Australia specifically to hunt high-value collectibles. If there’s any comfort, it’s that such pieces are devilishly hard to sell—and often find their way home through the very networks thieves hope to exploit.
Anyone with information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers ACT and quote 8189788. Anonymous tips are welcome—because in the antiques world, provenance matters, but so does discretion.
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