It almost sounds like the start to a weak, music-based joke, but it seems that the enigmatic musical icon Tom Waits decided to play a prank on Jack White recently, stealing the latter’s watch at a live performance.

Jack White has currently been doing the rounds in support of his latest album, Boarding House Ranch, performing shows all around the US in recent weeks.

Just a few days ago we happened to hear (poorly-recorded) audio of White’s cover of Pearl Jam’s ‘Daughter’ in Seattle, just days after the grunge icons covered a classic track by The White Stripes in the same city.

However, it was Jack White’s San Francisco concert on Thursday night that managed to make the headlines, with music legend Tom Waits attending the gig, and taking off with one of White’s timepieces.

Taking to Instagram recently, Jack White’s official account shared a brief recount of the San Francisco gig.

“Tom Waits came to Jack White’s performance in San Francisco and made all the musicians in the band confirm and pay testament to their love of the religion of music,” it read. “He also stole Jack’s watch.”

“A million thanks and tributes to Saint Tom from Jack and the band.”

So while it doesn’t exactly sound as though this was a case of grand theft that’s left Jack White holding a grudge, it does sound similar to that time Russian president Vladimir Putin stole the Superbowl ring from New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft back in 2005.

However, considering the enigmatic and reclusive nature of Tom Waits, this sounds as though its precisely in line with his almost mythical behaviour at this point.

The legendary Tom Waits has been a bit of a recluse for quite some time now, however he was recently confirmed to be starring in the new film by the Coen brothers, The Ballad Of Buster Scruggs.

While we’re sure he’s going to be a brilliant actor in that film, we’re sort of holding out on the thinnest of hopes that Waits might decide to make his long-awaited return to Australia for the first time since 1981 at some point. Who knows what sort of watches he might end up with if he ever comes back Down Under.

Check out Tom Waits’ ‘Big In Japan’: