Breaking News: Swiss Court Finds John Lennon’s Patek Philippe 2499 Belongs To Yoko Ono
Today, Switzerland’s top court rejected an Italian watch dealer/collector’s appeal to claim ownership of John Lennon’s Patek Philippe reference 2499. As has been covered on these pages before (right here), the watch was originally a 40th birthday gift from Lennon’s wife, Yoko Ono. Now, once again, the watch is legally the property of Ono after the Italian dealer has been ordered to return it to her immediately. The verdict is final and marks the end of a years-long legal battle over the watch after it was stolen from Ono years ago.
Should it eventually sell, John Lennon’s 2499 would likely become the most expensive watch in the world. The history of the watch is long and convoluted but ultimately it remains a true grail in the sense that so many watch lovers simply want to lay eyes on the thing. Rumors of the Lennon 2499 being in a Geneva safe swirled within insider watch world circles for years, it almost became a legend. Until news broke last year and Jay Fielden dove deep into the story for The New Yorker.
Today is the latest chapter in this tale, hopefully a chapter towards the end of the book. At this point, it matters little if the Lennon 2499 sells publicly for a record price. More importantly, the watch will soon be back in the hands of Ono, who can rightfully decide to do with it as she pleases. All I ask is for a high-quality photo or two, maybe even an exhibition! I’d travel anywhere to see this watch and know I am not alone.
And about that Italian watch dealer/collector? Julian de Simone, the son of Maurizio de Simone, posted a video to the Instagram account @watchesinrome earlier today. In it, he officially identifies himself and his father as the Italian collector referred to as “Mr. A” in the legal documents. “To stop all of the rumors and misinformation we have been hearing around, we are ready to share the truth about this case,” de Simone states. The post promises the full story soon.
Stay tuned for more as this story continues to develop.
Update: Julian de Simone published a “part one” video to YouTube describing a version of the watch’s history since his father purchased it in January of 2014 for €600,000. This is the de Simone version of the story. You can watch the video for yourself but my above request was answered, in it are new photos of the watch (which looks outstanding). Per the video, shortly after his purchase of the watch, de Simone contacted Christie’s asking to be put in contact with Yoko Ono to confirm the watch’s provenance. Previously, it was thought that “Mr. A” brought the watch to Christie’s with the intention of selling it. Either way, it was this visit with Christie’s Geneva and the ensuing contact of Yoko Ono that started the legal battle in the first place.
Hodinkee