A TOURIST had his £7,500 watch stolen in a museum after he took it off to dry his “sweaty wrist”.

Jaz Pabla was sightseeing when his Rolex Oyster Perpetual Submariner with stainless steel bracelet and case was taken.

He was on the first floor of the Oxford University Museum of Natural History when he took his watch off at about 1pm due to his wrist sweating from the “brisk walk” to the venue.

The Argus: The stolen Rolex The stolen Rolex (Image: n/a)

“I put it on one of the display counter while my wrist dried,” he said. “At that moment my friend distracted me to look at a bird in one of the display counters and I went over to have a look.

“About 15 minutes later I realised that the watch wasn’t on my wrist and I went back to the counter but it had gone.

“It wasn’t handed in to front of house desk and CCTV didn’t cover that area.”

Mr Pabla - who lives near Kings Langley, in Hertfordshire - is now offering a “substantial reward” for the watch

The Argus: Oxford University Museum of Natural History Oxford University Museum of Natural History (Image: Google)

He says it is a “much cherished item with sentimental value”.

“It was a day out sightseeing which turned very quickly into a very disappointing day,” he said.

If you have information, contact Thames Valley Police quoting crime reference number 43220404913.