After a decade of legal wrangling, the ownership of John Lennon’s treasured Patek Philippe 2499 perpetual calendar chronograph has been definitively settled. A Swiss court has confirmed that the watch, originally a gift from Yoko Ono to her husband for his 40th birthday, remains under her ownership, bringing an end to a lengthy and contentious battle.
The saga of the Patek Philippe 2499, which has captivated the watch world and Beatles fans alike, began shortly before Lennon’s tragic death in December 1980. Ono had presented the yellow gold timepiece—engraved with a personal message—as a symbol of her affection for the musician. However, the story took an unexpected turn following Lennon’s murder, leading to a series of legal disputes over the rightful owner of the watch.
The watch, which has been at the center of a legal storm, was controversially sold in 2014 to Italian dealer Maurizio De Simone through an auction arranged by the now-defunct German firm Auctionata. De Simone, who purchased the watch in a barter deal involving other items from his personal collection, has long maintained that he acquired the timepiece in good faith. However, the courts have now ruled otherwise, affirming Ono’s status as the rightful owner.
The Long Road to Legal Resolution
The legal dispute surrounding the Patek Philippe 2499 hinged on whether the watch was stolen by Ono’s chauffeur in the early 1980s or simply lost in the aftermath of Lennon’s death. A Geneva court initially ruled in favor of Ono’s ownership in 2023, but De Simone’s team pursued an appeal, citing the murky circumstances surrounding the watch’s acquisition, as well as the decades-long gap between Lennon’s passing and Ono’s legal claim.
Ono’s legal team argued that the watch was never sold or otherwise transferred from her ownership and should never have been involved in the controversial transaction. The appeal sought to have the watch returned to Ono, based on the premise that it had been unlawfully taken from her. The watch’s high value—estimated at over CHF 10 million today—only added to the stakes of the legal proceedings, as it was feared that the watch could fetch an even higher price at auction, possibly surpassing the record-breaking $17.7 million fetched by Paul Newman’s Rolex Daytona in 2017.
Swiss Court Rules in Ono’s Favor
This week, Switzerland’s highest court—the Court of Justice for the Republic and Canton of Geneva—issued its final ruling, decisively affirming Ono’s ownership of the iconic watch. The court declared that the Patek Philippe 2499 had indeed been stolen by Ono’s chauffeur, who had taken the timepiece following Lennon’s death, and not given as a gift, as had been suggested by some parties.
In a public statement, Julien De Simone, Maurizio’s son, shared his perspective on the ruling in a YouTube video, displaying the engraved case back of the watch. The inscription, “(Just Like) Starting Over Love Yoko 10.9.1980,” confirmed that the watch had been a personal gift to Lennon for his milestone birthday, cementing Ono’s claim to its ownership.
What’s Next for John Lennon’s Patek Philippe 2499?
While the legal battle has now been resolved, the watch’s future remains uncertain. It is believed that the timepiece is currently in the possession of De Simone’s legal representatives. Whether the watch will be returned to Ono, now 91 years old, and when that might happen, is still up in the air.
Given its immense value and the ongoing legal complications, it is unclear when the watch will make its public debut again, or if it will ever be sold at auction. For now, the iconic timepiece remains at the heart of a decades-old story of love, loss, and legal turmoil.
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