Watch Once Stolen from John Lennon Rightfully Belongs to Widow Yoko Ono, Court Rules

11/14/2024 05:32 PM

The widow of the Beatles singer purchased the Patek Philippe 2499 as a birthday gift months before Lennon's assassination

Yoko Ono has officially been ruled the rightful owner of one of John Lennon's final birthday gifts. 

On Thursday, Nov. 14, a Swiss court ruled that the yellow gold Patek Philippe 2499 wristwatch the Japanese multimedia artist and singer, 91, bought for her husband when he turned 40, does not belong to the person who later purchased it at an auction, Reuters reported.

Ono purchased the gift for $25,000 in 1980, months before Lennon's assassination. Though that amount would equal roughly $95,500 today, it now holds an estimated value of 4 million Swiss Francs ($4.51 million).

Engraved in the timepiece is a sweet message from the Beatles singer's widow that reads: "(JUST LIKE) STARTING OVER LOVE YOKO 10·9·1980 N.Y.C ."

Before Lennon was shot and killed in December 1980 outside of his expansive apartment complex at New York City's Dakota Building, he recorded a demo of a new song he'd written called "Life Begins at 40."

Related: Inside John Lennon's Last Birthday and the Strange Saga of His Lost Gift from Yoko Ono 

That same year, he'd also begun working on his first album in five years, entitled Double Fantasy. The lead single was called "(Just Like) Starting Over." Lennon and Ono had worked on the song together, Reuters said, citing court documents.

According to the outlet, the Federal Tribunal shared news of the ruling, which included two prior judgments by Geneva courts in 2022 and 2023.

Per Reuters, the Italian man who previously purchased Lennon's watch could not be reached for comment, because his identity was censored in filings. However, it was said that he had been a resident of 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," the news agency said. 

In addition to the rare Patek Philippe 2499, Ono had also purchased a couple of other sentimental gifts for her former husband's milestone birthday before his death. 

Ono bought the "Here Comes the Sun" singer an American flag lapel pin made of diamonds and rubies — a tribute to the English icon's hard-won immigration battle. While the exact price of the pin is unknown, it's rumored to have cost Ono upwards of $75,000 (or $287,000 in 2024).

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Another gift bought by his wife for Lennon's 40th was a "Happy Birthday John and Sean, Love Yoko" skywriting message written nine times (his lucky number) by planes. 

Together, Lennon and Ono were parents to one son, Sean Tara Ono. The "All You Need Is Love" singer also shared an older son, Julian Charles John, with his ex-wife Cynthia Lennon. Ono also has a daughter, Kyoko Chan Cox, with ex-husband Anthony Cox.