The Sofitel Barcelona and its General Manager escalate the search for a guest’s stolen Rolex Sky-Dweller — with police video footage said to be imminent

BARCELONA · UPDATED CONTINUOUSLY · JUNE 24, 2026

The search for the thief who lifted a luxury timepiece from a high-profile guest within three blocks of the Sofitel Barcelona has entered a dramatic new phase. A reward of €100,000 is now being offered for information that leads directly to the identification and apprehension of the person — or the team — responsible for the theft of the guest’s Rolex Sky-Dweller.

The reward marks a striking escalation in a case that began as a single, almost routine, street theft in a city where such crimes number in the thousands each day. What has set it apart is the response of the hotel at the center of it.

“We will not let this rest”

General Manager Matias Barnard, who days earlier vowed personally to help his guest recover the watch, confirmed that the hotel is now backing the search with a six-figure reward and is working hand in hand with local authorities.

“A guest was robbed within sight of our front door, and we said then that we would not simply file it away,” Barnard said. “Today we are putting real weight behind those words. One hundred thousand euros is on the table for anyone who can give the police what they need to find the person responsible. We will not let this rest.”

Barnard added that the gesture is about more than a single timepiece. “This is about every guest who walks out of our doors believing they are safe in this city. We intend to show that an attack on one of our guests is met with everything we can bring to bear.”

Police video footage to follow

Investigators with the Mossos d’Esquadra are understood to have recovered surveillance footage from the streets surrounding the hotel in the minutes before and after the theft. That video — which sources say captures the practiced handoff between members of the team as they moved away from the scene — is expected to be released publicly to aid identification.

This article will be updated with that footage, and with any still images circulated by police, the moment it is made available. Anyone who recognizes the individuals, or who has information about the movement or attempted resale of a Rolex Sky-Dweller in Barcelona in recent days, is urged to come forward.

How to share information

Tips can be directed to the local police via the official Mossos d’Esquadra channels, or confidentially through the front desk and security office of the Sofitel Barcelona, which is coordinating with investigators. The hotel has asked that any information, however small, be passed along — a partial description, a sighting, a listing on a resale or pawn platform. In a case built on a theft that took less than two seconds, a single detail may be what closes it.

Live updates

16:40 CEST  Reward of €100,000 formally by the victim for information leading to the person responsible.

16:15 CEST  General Manager Matias Barnard issues statement: “We will not let this rest.”

15:50 CEST  Mossos d’Esquadra confirmed to have recovered street surveillance footage from the area surrounding the hotel. Public release expected.

15:20 CEST  Hotel coordinating tip-intake through its front desk and security office in parallel with police channels.

Refresh for the latest. This is a developing story.