Ottawa Lt. Col. reunited with stolen memento watch after nearly 7 years

A Canadian military member has been reunited with his Omega wristwatch nearly seven years after it was stolen. As CTV’s Josh Marano reports, it’s a watch with r

It took nearly seven years, hundreds of online searches, and a lot of hope, but Lt. Col. Chavi Walsh, with the Office of the Judge Advocate General, has finally been reunited with a watch that means far more than its price tag.

The first-generation Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean was stolen from his car in June 2019. Walsh bought it to celebrate his promotion to Major and wore it during multiple deployments in Afghanistan.

Over the years, it became more than a timepiece; it was a talisman, a marker of milestones, and a constant companion through some of the most challenging moments of his military career.

“It kind of, like, survived a bunch of close calls and bomb blasts with me,” Walsh says. “For me, losing it was super significant. It was like a talisman for me, you know, that was really close to my heart. So more than just a watch.”

The watch was stolen after thieves broke into his car and took his gym bag, which contained the valuable timepiece.

Walsh began scouring local pawn shops and online marketplaces, checking almost every day.

“I’ve always been searching for it since I lost it back in 2019,” he says. “I’d do the Wordle and then check Facebook Marketplace or Google to see if it might pop up somewhere.”

For nearly seven years, the search was fruitless. Walsh saw several similar watches, but nothing matched the unique first-generation model he owned.

“This one has a bigger face, a 45-millimeter Planet Ocean, first generation… they don’t make them like this anymore,” he says. “The chances were slim, but I thought it was at least worth checking the serial number.”

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Earlier this year, shortly after returning from a deployment in Riga, Latvia, Walsh spotted a listing at a pawn shop on Rideau Street.

“I was really missing the watch, it was like having something missing and part of my kit,” Walsh says.

“I thought, wow, that really looks like my watch,” he adds. “I still had the serial number, so I knew it was worth checking. This is the first time I’ve ever actually attended to go see one in person.”

Walsh says he initially faced hurdles. The clerk couldn’t verify the number right away. That’s when he turned to Ottawa police, leveraging his familiarity with the system from a co-op placement he did as a teen with the break and enter unit.

“The officers were fantastic. They attended with me twice, made it easy on everyone, and helped negotiate with the shop,” he says. “And in the end, they came out with my watch and handed it over… it was just incredible.”

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Walsh says he never paid extra to receive the watch, though he was willing to offer a small finder’s fee. “I wasn’t going to pay to get stolen property back. The police negotiated and it was all resolved peacefully.”

Walsh, happy to be reunited with his watch, notes he won’t be taking it off anytime soon, other than getting it cleaned and serviced after a long-time apart.

“I think it’s had quite the journey over the last six years. So, that’s about the only time I’ll take it off.”