A golden watch which was once a gift from the 28th president of the United States has been stolen from a north London antiques shop.
The 14-carat timepiece, worth between £17,000 and £20,000, is inscribed with a message from Woodrow Wilson, who led the US through the First World War.
It was swiped from the dealer in Pierrepont Arcade, Islington, at around 12.30pm on Saturday.
The suspect pretended he wanted to buy a vase before his payment was declined, police said.
As the sales assistant returned the vase to its display, the thief opened a cabinet and snatched the pocket watch.
On Tuesday, the Metropolitan Police released pictures of the watch as officers appealed for it to be returned.
Police also released a CCTV image of a man they wish to speak to.
Pc Joshua Brown, from Central North Basic Command Unit, said: “The owners of this watch are very distressed.
“The item had been in their family for a long time and I would urge the person who stole it to return it as soon as possible.”
Anyone with information is asked to contact police on 101 quoting CAD 1857/15Dec.
