VENARIA REALE, Italy — Three masked thieves broke into the Royal Palace of Venaria Reale near Turin overnight, smashing a glass display case and stealing 26 antique watches worth an estimated €150,000. The raid lasted about a minute, marking the first theft at the palace since it reopened in 2007 after a €300 million restoration.

The stolen timepieces, 18th-century English and French creations crafted from gold and enamel, were donated in 2012 to the Consortium of the Royal Savoy Residences by the heirs of Giorgio Accornero.

Investigators believe the heist was meticulously planned and carried out by professionals. The thieves struck early Monday, apparently taking advantage of the Palace’s closure that day in the hope of encountering fewer security personnel. They nevertheless had to contend with a sophisticated alarm system protecting the former Savoy residence, which covers 240,000 square meters.

Shortly after 2:30 a.m., motion sensors were triggered and an audible alarm sounded. The system was connected to a control center operated by All System, the security company responsible for guarding the palace.

The display case from which the watches were stolen.

A security guard rushed to the exhibition room near the Great Gallery, a masterpiece by Architect Filippo Juvarra, where the display case had stood. The watches were gone. The thieves left untouched a separate case containing 24 antique snuffboxes. Perhaps the items did not interest them — or perhaps they simply had no time to break another shatter-resistant case.

The investigation has been entrusted to the Carabinieri in Venaria and Turin, together with specialists from the Cultural Heritage Protection Unit.

Surveillance cameras monitoring the former Savoy hunting lodge and ceremonial residence around the clock captured the entire raid. The footage shows three people dressed in black, wearing hoodies and gloves. They arrived on foot, entered the exhibition room, smashed the display case with what appeared to be a hammer and fled into the darkness.

Investigators, coordinated by the Ivrea prosecutor’s office, suspect the watches may have been stolen to order, though this remains only a line of inquiry.

The thieves appeared to have been very familiar with the Palace. They likely entered the grounds by climbing over a wall or fence some distance from the main entrance, then forced open a door leading to the Caffè degli Specchi, near the Rondò. From there, they made their way to the display case along the visitor route.

Investigators believe the thieves may have inspected the palace beforehand, perhaps making one or more visits to scout the premises. Another possibility is that they received detailed information from an insider familiar with the route to the display cases. One or more accomplices may also have been waiting outside as lookout in case police arrived.

These remain hypotheses. Throughout the day, Carabinieri Officers searched the palace and seized footage from cameras monitoring the exterior of the Savoy complex, which attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors each year.

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