John Lennon's Stolen $4.5 Million Dollar Watch to Be Reunited with Yoko Ono

A rare watch that once belonged to John Lennon is making its way back to his wife Yoko Ono.

According to 'Reuters,' the Patek Philippe watch was a 40th birthday gift to Lennon and was given to him in 1980. The outlet claims that the watch has the inscription "(JUST LIKE) STARTING OVER LOVE YOKO 10·9·1980 N.Y.C." on it.

The watch is worth a hefty sum of money. The outlet notes that it's estimated worth is $4.5 million and includes an 18-carat gold face.

The piece of jewelry has had a long journey on its way back to Ono. It is said to have changed hands and countries several times after it was taken by Ono's Turkish chauffeur in 2006. At the time, he claimed that he had permission to take the watch from her.

After the watch had made its way to Turkey, it had changed hands again and was eventually sold to a German auction house who sold it to an Italian national living in China.

The court heard she only discovered that it had been stolen in 2014 after a Geneva-based company, commissioned by the Italian to assess its value, tipped off her lawyer.

On November 14, a Swiss court ruled that the watch did not belong to the Italian and was to be retuned to Ono. It is currently being held for safekeeping in Geneva by the lawyer of the appellant.

Ono and Lennon had a storied romance that is still spoken about to this day. In the new book titled, We All Shine On: John, Yoko and Me, written by Elliot Mintz, he detailed the aftermath of the musician's death and how it affected his wife and his two sons, Sean and Julian.

In an excerpt from the book that has been obtained by 'The Times,' Mintz alleged that Ono had become suspicious of those around her and was even warned that Lennon may have been a target of an attack.

"Yoko, let me ask you something. If these advisers are as good as you believe they are, why is it that none of them saw what was going to happen to John? Why was there no warning?" he said.

"Elliot, how do you know I wasn't warned? Did you ever ask me if there were warnings? OK, I'll ask you: Did any of your advisers warn you about John being in danger?" Ono responded.

"Yes. I was told he was in danger in New York and that he should be removed immediately. That's why I sent him to Bermuda over the summer [...] But I couldn't keep him away forever. He had to come back at some point," Ono said back.

Lennon would go on to be assassinated by Mark David Chapman on December 8, 1980, as the singer arrived to his apartment in New York City. He was shot four times in the back.

In August 1981, Chapman was sentenced to twenty years to life — five years less than the maximum sentence of twenty-five years to life. He's currently incarcerated at the Green Haven Correctional Facility.

Tags

John Lennon, Yoko Ono