Turning down the master, you find an open watch box on the desk with a mechanical watch inside, stopped, and a diamond earring on the carpet by the bed. Neither belongs to you, neither is your business to fix, and exactly what you do in the next five minutes is the difference between trust and a very serious accusation.
The rules for guest valuables
- Never wind, set or start a watch. A stopped mechanical watch is not a problem you solve. Winding a perpetual calendar or setting a date within the wrong hours can cost thousands in a service.
- Never clean jewellery, watches or gemstones without explicit instruction. Ultrasonic cleaning shatters emeralds and loosens stones; a cloth can scratch a soft finish; silver dip strips plating.
- Do not move a valuable to make it safe. Moving it makes you the last person who touched it. Where possible, leave it, and report it.
- If an item must be moved (a ring on the floor, an earring under a chair), do it in front of a witness, place it visibly in the cabin or offer the safe, and log it.
Handling and placement
| Item | Correct handling |
|---|---|
| Mechanical watch | Handle by the case and strap, not the crown or bezel. Place on a soft tray, dial up. Keep away from magnets and speakers |
| Jewellery | Handle minimally, gloves if provided. Return to its own box or pouch; do not mix pieces |
| Spectacles | Lenses up, never face-down on the lens. Clean only with the guest own microfibre cloth and lens spray, never a tissue |
| Cash and documents | Do not handle. Offer the safe, escalate |
The safe
- The guest sets and holds their own code. Crew do not know it and do not open it.
- If the yacht receives a valuable for safekeeping, document it: description, condition, date, time, who received it, and where it is held. Two signatures where possible.
- Return it the same way, with the guest acknowledging receipt.
Minor repairs
Within scope: a loose button, a hem tack, a popped hook and eye, a broken shoelace, a re-tipped drawstring, a stray thread trimmed (cut, never pull).
Out of scope: anything on couture, beaded work, leather, fur, a watch strap, a jewellery clasp, a broken zip on a designer bag, or any garment where an amateur repair will devalue it. These go back to the guest with an honest report and an offer to arrange a specialist.
Onboard Notes
- Sending an item ashore is a real risk: you lose the chain of custody. Never send a guest garment or item ashore without the chief steward(ess) approval, a written record, a reputable vendor and the guest agreement.
- Never wear, try on, or photograph a guest item, for any reason.
- If you find something valuable in a pocket during laundry, stop, do not continue processing, and hand it upward immediately with a witness.
- Document everything you touch that has value. Records protect the guest and they protect you.