Yoko Ono, the wife of the late John Lennon, has finally won the legal battle over a rare watch that was given to Lennon as a gift. The Patek Philippe watch, valued at 4 million Swiss francs, was a special present from Yoko Ono to John Lennon on his 40th birthday in 1980. The watch, inscribed with a message from Yoko Ono, was stolen after Lennon’s death.
After a 10-year legal battle, a Swiss court has ruled in favor of Yoko Ono, declaring her as the rightful owner of the watch. The court decision overturns previous judgments that favored an Italian man living in China who claimed ownership of the watch. Yoko Ono’s lawyer expressed her relief at the outcome, stating that the watch holds significant sentimental value for her.
The watch had changed hands multiple times after it was stolen in 2006 by Ono’s Turkish chauffeur. It was eventually sold to a German auction house, which then sold it to the Italian man in China. Yoko Ono only found out about the theft in 2014 when a Geneva-based company informed her lawyer about the watch’s whereabouts.
Currently, the watch is being held in Geneva for safekeeping by the Italian man’s lawyer, but it is uncertain when or if it will be returned to Yoko Ono. The legal battle over the ownership of this precious timepiece has finally come to an end, bringing closure to a long and complicated saga. Yoko Ono can now look forward to having the watch back in her possession after years of uncertainty and legal proceedings.
