Court Orders Return of Stolen John Lennon Watch to Yoko Ono

Yoko Ono has now happily reclaimed one of the last gifts she bought her beloved Beatles husband, John Lennon, for the last birthday he celebrated.

Months before John Lennon would be assassinated, Yoko Ono gifted him one of the loveliest gifts for his milestone 40th birthday. The yellow gold Patek Philippe 2499 wristwatch would turn out to be one of the last gifts that the “All You Need Is Love” hitmaker would receive.

Through an unfortunate turn of events, the special watch became lost to its owner and got sold at an auction.

Court Deprives Auction Buyer Of Rare John Lennon Watch With Beautiful Message

On Thursday, Nov. 14, a Swiss court ruled that the yellow gold Patek Philippe 2499 wristwatch the 91-year-old Japanese artist bought for her husband for his 40th birthday does not belong to the person who purchased it at an auction.

Ono originally bought the gift in 1980, months before the dreadful assassination of John Lennon just outside of his expansive apartment complex at New York City’s Dakota Building.

While that amount would equal $95,500 in today’s value, it actually now holds the value of 4 million Swiss Francs ($4.51 million).

Ono lovingly inscribed the words, “(JUST LIKE) STARTING OVER LOVE YOKO 10·9·1980 N.Y.C ,” on the timepiece. The words are a representation of the song Lennon was recording prior to being shot to death in December 1980.

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He’d recorded the demo of the song titled, “Life Begins At 40,” alongside working on his first studio album in five years called “Double Fantasy.” The lead single was called “(Just Like) Starting Over.”

Reuters reported that the Federal Tribunal announced the ruling, which included the prior judgements made by Geneva courts in 2022 and 2023.

The outlet further revealed that the Italian man who bought the watch at an auction could not be reached for comment due to his identity being censored in the filing. One of the only information about the mystery man was that he once lived in China.

“The watch is currently being held for safekeeping in Geneva by the lawyer of the appellant, Swiss court documents show, and it was not immediately clear when or if it would be returned,” Reuters reported.

The watch was one of sentimental gifts Ono had gotten for her husband prior to his death. They shared son Sean Tara Ono. Prior to their marriage, they had both welcomed one child from prior marriages.

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