An exhibition of fine crafted Lange and Sohne platinum watches has been held in London, only to be upstaged hours later by a baffling burglary.

The Watch Gallery in Fulham Road, Chelsea, showcased some of its finest handmade pieces, including uniquely crafted platinum and gold watches.

Selling for between £6,000 and £100,000, the timepieces are recognised as some of the finest quality items, including watches designed by Cartier, Breitling and Jaeger.

Yet just hours after the show finished earlier this week, the store's owner, Neil Duckworth, realised that a huge haul of watches had been stolen as he explained to the Evening Standard.

"We had just had an event where we invited guests to view our new collection of Lange and Sohne watches.

Mr Duckworth went on to point out that the potential buyers in the store were a "select group of individuals", leaving him stumped as to how the theft occurred.

The burglary followed a celebration at the watch retailer, which had become only the fourth outlet in the UK to begin selling the items, which have their own unique "passport" number.

Arnd Einhorn, a spokesman for Lange and Sohne, said that the theft was on "a new dimension" but stressed that the relationship with the Watch Gallery would continue, and emphasised the tailored nature of the goods and their trade.

"We are very particular about our outlets. We take a long time to choose who we want to sell the watches. It is an exclusive item and we want to protect its exclusivity.

"Our relationship with the Watch Gallery will continue - a robbery like this is not their fault."