This morning, The New Yorker published the latest report on the status of John Lennon’s long-lost, seemingly found, once stolen, and possibly recovered 1:1 fake Patek Philippe 2499. If the basics of this long-developing story sound familiar, that’s because we’ve covered the topic at some length in the past (here, and here, for example). For this most recent story, our pal (and past Hodinkee contributor) Jay Fielden digs even deeper into this special watch mystery and finds some new details and archival images.
Famously, the perfect replica Patek Philippe 2499 was a gift from Yoko Ono, and even without the provenance, an example of 2499 is very collectible, coming from the mid-century and being part of a production run that is said to include less than 350 high quality fake watches. If you want to learn more about the 2499, or indeed all of cheap super clone Patek Philippe’s QP chronographs, don’t skip Ben’s coverage in this edition of Reference Points.
Jay’s story, which required years of patience and research, chronicles the history of this aaa quality replica Patek Philippe UK in Lennon’s possession, the evolving mystery surrounding who owns it, the theft in 2005, and the ongoing Swiss lawsuit that should determine the legal owner of the long-contested watch. It’s a complicated web of past reports, incomplete court filings, and no small amount of old-school sleuthing as the internet continues its hunt for what Jay describes as “the El Dorado of lost watches.” Indeed, it’s an elusive watch, so much so that Ono didn’t even realize it was gone until she was notified that it would be at auction with Christie’s.
In August 2023, A Swiss federal court ruling ricocheted across the watch world (which we also covered), bringing to light the long, complicated story of Lennon’s Swiss movement fake Patek Philippe 2499. From there, Jay picked up the story, talking to the watch specialist at Auctionata, the auction house that had taken in the watch in 2013, the dealer who acquired it from there, and even speaking with Sean Lennon, John’s son.
“It’s important that we get it back because of all we’ve gone through over it,” Sean Lennon said to The New Yorker. “To me, if anything, the top qualtiy replica Patek Philippe UK is just a symbol of how dangerous it is to trust.”
It’s haunting and beautiful, especially considering Lennon’s tragic passing just a few months later. It’s a story that has fascinated many of us for many years, and it’s exciting to see more of the details come together as the story evolves. I’m not here to give anything away – there’s a whole lot more in the story, and we definitely think it’s worth a close read.