Family heirloom among valuables stolen in Happy Valley burglary

HAPPY VALLEY Ore. (KPTV) – The Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office is searching for the person or persons responsible for breaking into a home in Happy Valley and taking about $60,000 worth of jewelry and other items. Among the things stolen was a family heirloom, a watch that Rupert Fersch’s father gave him.

“It was a limited edition. It was a very special watch my dad gave me as a present,” Fersch said. “He lives in Switzerland and he is still alive and he’s 88.”

Fersch said the watch holds special memories with it and means a lot to him.

“I had found this watch in a watch store 20 years earlier and I really liked the model but I just couldn’t afford it,” he said. “He basically was like come on I’ll give you this watch as a present.”

Fersch and his wife were out to dinner and when they came home, they found their home in complete disarray.

“The burglars came in through the upper balcony with an extension ladder and smashed in the sliding glass door and went basically through all the drawers in the bedroom, the bathroom, the office, the closet, ripped everything out, pulled everything out and stole basically anything of value they could grab.”

The watch was last seen in their bedroom in its usual place.

“We must have walked in on them, we came home at 9:00 maybe three minutes after 9:00 and I heard glass raining down in the bedroom so I went in the bedroom and looked and they must have just gone out and down the ladder,” Fersch said.

The watch is worth about $35,000 and on the back of the watch, ‘194 of 300′ is engraved on it showing that it is only one of 300 pieces ever made. It was made by the oldest watch manufacturer in the world.

“When I bought this watch there was one left in the United States and one left in Europe,” Fersch explained. He called 911 when the burglary happened and he said deputies arrived within minutes.

“You put your whatever, your watch like it was in the watch winder you want to see it, it’s pretty and you think it’s safe, it’s at home, so no problem and yeah that’s gone,” he said.

Along with his watch, Fersch said he feels like his family’s sense of security was also stolen.

“It is very upsetting when you know somebody came in your house and walked around and ripped everything out and you don’t feel safe anymore,” he said.

He is now offering a reward for its return. If you have information or know where the watch is, please email bridget.chavez@kptv.com.

“It’s not about the monetary value as much as it is a special gift from my dad. It’s a special watch I’ve been following for years,” Fersch said.

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