Yoko Ono has officially been declared the rightful owner of one of John Lennon’s last birthday gifts.
On Thursday, November 14, a Swiss court ruled that the Patek Philippe 2499 yellow gold wristwatch the Japanese multimedia artist and singer (91) bought for her husband when he turned 40 does not belong to the person who later bought it at auction. Reuters reported.
Ono bought the gift for $25,000 in 1980, a few months before Lennon’s murder. While that amount would be roughly $95,500 today, it now has an estimated value of 4 million Swiss francs ($4.51 million).
John Lennon with his wife Yoko Ono, May 1971.
Dennis Stone/Mirrorpix/Getty
The watch is engraved with a sweet message from the Beatles singer’s widow that reads: “(JUST LIKE) STARTING OVER LOVE YOKO 10·9·1980 NYC.”
Before Lennon was shot in December 1980 outside his large apartment complex in the Dakota Building in New York, he recorded a demo of a new song he had written called “Life Begins at 40”.
Inside John Lennon’s last birthday and the strange saga of his lost gift from Yoko Ono
In the same year, he started working on his first album in five years under the name Double fantasy. The lead single was called “(Just Like) Starting Over.” Lennon and Ono worked together on the song, Reuters said, citing court documents.
According to a media release, the Federal Court shared news of the ruling, which includes two previous rulings by Geneva courts in 2022 and 2023.
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John Lennon and Yoko Ono, 1969.
Fox Photos/Getty
According to Reuters, the Italian man who previously bought Lennon’s watch could not be reached for comment because his identity was censored in the documents. However, he was said to have been a resident of China.
“The watch is currently being held in Geneva by the complainant’s lawyer, Swiss court documents show, and it is not immediately clear when or if it will be returned,” the news agency said.
Along with the rare Patek Philippe 2499, Ono also bought several other sentimental gifts for her ex-husband’s birthday before his death.
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John Lennon and Yoko Ono, June 1969.
Bettmann/Getty
Ono bought the “Here Comes the Sun” singer an American flag pin made of diamonds and rubies — a tribute to the English icon’s hard-won immigration battle. Although the exact price of the pin is unknown, it is rumored to have cost Ono more than $75,000 (or $287,000 in 2024).
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Another gift bought by his wife for Lennon’s 40th birthday was the message “Happy Birthday John and Sean, love Yoko”, printed nine times (his lucky number) on airplanes.
Together, Lennon and Ono were the parents of one son, Sean Tara Ono. The “All You Need Is Love” singer also has an older son, Julian Charles John, with ex-wife Cynthia Lennon. She also has a daughter, Kyoko Chan Cox, with ex-husband Anthony Cox.
Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education