Top Swiss court confirms Yoko Ono’s ownership of John Lennon’s watch

Yoko Ono is the owner of a watch given to her by John Lennon Keystone-SDA

Yoko Ono is the fully entitled owner of a watch given to John Lennon two months before his murder. The Swiss Federal Court has rejected an appeal by a collector against a decision by the Geneva court in 2023.

The collector had acquired the watch ten years ago in Germany. For the Federal Court, there is no doubt that Yoko Ono, the widow of the ex-Beatle after his murder on December 8, 1980 by Mark David Chapman, is the rightful owner of the watch.

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In its ruling, the Geneva court found that the watch had been stolen by one of Yoko Ono’s former chauffeurs. There was no indication that the Ono could have given the chauffeur such a personal object belonging to her husband.

As the watch had been stolen, the Federal Court ruled that the collector could not have legally obtained possession of it. According to the German law applicable in the specific case, the good faith of the buyer also plays no role, states the ruling published on Friday.

The watch, a Patek Philippe chronograph with a moon phase display, was purchased in New York in 1980. Yoko Ono had the words engraved on the back: “(JUST LIKE) STARTING OVER LOVE YOKO 10-9-1980 N.Y.C”. She gave the watch to John Lennon for his 40th birthday on October 9, 1980.

After the murder, the watch was kept in Ono’s apartment. It was listed in the musician’s estate. It later came into the hands of the man who had been Ono’s chauffeur between 1995 and 2005.

The watch was handed over by a third party to a German auction house for sale. The complainant bought it there in 2014 and then had it valued by a Geneva auction house. When Ono found out about this, she was unaware that the watch was no longer in her possession. When the collector filed a lawsuit to establish ownership, Ono contested it. The Geneva court of first instance and later the High Court of the Canton of Geneva found that Yoko Ono was the only legitimate owner.

Adapted from German by DeepL/ac

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