Had these " stories " been true,he'd have been arrested at the airport. The watches would have been fakes. I bought a fake Rolex for 149 AUD in the 80's and they look very authentic.They're churned out by the thousands in China so I imagine that what were bought were fakes as to the untrained eye they look the part,even down to the trademark logo of the crown on the face of the watch.
As for swapping diamonds for zircons,the story gets even more unbelievable.
This far-fetched " episode " didn't get an airing at trial either.