Switzerland’s Supreme Court docket has dominated that Yoko Ono is the rightful proprietor of a watch she gifted John Lennon in 1980, two months earlier than he was assassinated exterior his house in New York Metropolis.
For his birthday that 12 months, Ono had given her husband a very uncommon Patek Philippe 2499 watch. On the time, Ono paid round $25,000 at Tiffany — roughly $100,000 in the present day. On the again of it was an inscription: “(JUST LIKE) STARTING OVER, LOVE YOKO. 10 • 9 • 1980. N. Y. C.”
Following Lennon’s loss of life, Ono locked the watch away within the couple’s condo, the place it sat for a number of a long time. In 2007, a one-time worker of Ono and Lennon’s named Koral Karsan was charged with grand larceny following Ono’s accusations that he blackmailed her. Karsan was despatched again to his house nation of Turkey, reportedly taking many helpful objects from the house with him.
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A few of these objects finally turned up, however not the Patek Philippe 2499, which is estimated to be value hundreds of thousands.
“He took benefit of a widow at a weak time,” Sean Lennon advised The New Yorker earlier this 12 months. “Of all of the incidents of individuals stealing issues from my dad and mom, this one is probably the most painful.”
The Court docket’s Ruling
Partly due to reporting performed by The New Yorker, the watch was finally traced by way of a number of European auctions to the fingers of an unidentified man who claimed that he purchased the watch legally in 2014.
Regardless of this, Switzerland’s Supreme Court docket has now dominated that the watch belongs to Ono because it was initially taken from her illegally, stating that “there was no proof to indicate that Yoko Ono supposed to donate to the motive force one thing as particular because the watch.”
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Gallery Credit score: Allison Rapp
