You are a pickpocket's dream. You think they're going to announce that they're going to try to pickpocket you? There are a million tricks to get inside someone's personal space without setting off any alarms.
Funny, I'm sure that if I actually inquired about watch robberies around here (very large city); I'd have a very very small number. Yet, people here are seemingly all "worried" about such things.
Yes, crooks can steal your expensive toys, just like they can steal all other watches or jewelry out there and just about all smart phones, without fear. This is a big duh...
Also, while there are maybe 100000 tricks, they most often use 2-3...
Because why do it complicated when a simple works so well... And also, you overestimate the skill set of most of the crooks who do this.
Most use the natural environment instead of creating a situation.
Crowded spaces, distracted people, lots escape routes, obstacles to pursuit.
- Terraces bordering sidewalk, pedestrian malls, public transit, rush hour sidewalk crowd, malls during holidays, amusement parks, beaches, waiting lines of any sort, large crowds in tight spaces of any sort.
Most phone thefts are snatch and grabs.
Stealing from bags can be done by pick-pocketing in tight quarters, or simply using a sharp knife and cutting your bag open and stealing from it. Not very subtle.
Carrying your valuables in front of you, or being your back to a wall, usually helps with these.
In any case, a very small number of those kind of thefts are watches. Stealing a watch is usually more work. You undoubtedly could cut the sport band off the wrist of someone with a slash, but you'd also risk injuring the owner seriously and going to prison for a major assault. If your more subtle and unclasps it (only works well if hand is hanging down), in many case you have to slide the watch over the hand to take it off (not easy to do without noticing). I usually hold something in my right hand (the one with the watch) or hold my right hand forward over my purse, pretty bad position to remove a watch.
Of course, there are tag teams (one who does the big crazy gesture, like say grab your butt...) as a distraction for a smaller, yet significant gesture (put hand on wrist/forearm). Those would probably steal not just your watch but your underwear too... But, those are the true "artists" and are thankfully rare.