diff --git a/spring-data-mongodb/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/mongodb/core/convert/MappingMongoConverter.java b/spring-data-mongodb/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/mongodb/core/convert/MappingMongoConverter.java
index b1ab52916..e5d90c5a3 100644
--- a/spring-data-mongodb/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/mongodb/core/convert/MappingMongoConverter.java
+++ b/spring-data-mongodb/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/mongodb/core/convert/MappingMongoConverter.java
@@ -730,15 +730,19 @@ public class MappingMongoConverter extends AbstractMongoConverter implements App
 		Collection<Object> items = targetType.getType().isArray() ? new ArrayList<Object>() : CollectionFactory
 				.createCollection(collectionType, sourceValue.size());
 		TypeInformation<?> componentType = targetType.getComponentType();
+		Class<?> rawComponentType = componentType == null ? null : componentType.getType();
 
 		for (int i = 0; i < sourceValue.size(); i++) {
+
 			Object dbObjItem = sourceValue.get(i);
+
 			if (dbObjItem instanceof DBRef) {
-				items.add(read(componentType, ((DBRef) dbObjItem).fetch(), parent));
+				items.add(DBRef.class.equals(rawComponentType) ? dbObjItem : read(componentType, ((DBRef) dbObjItem).fetch(),
+						parent));
 			} else if (dbObjItem instanceof DBObject) {
 				items.add(read(componentType, (DBObject) dbObjItem, parent));
 			} else {
-				items.add(getPotentiallyConvertedSimpleRead(dbObjItem, componentType == null ? null : componentType.getType()));
+				items.add(getPotentiallyConvertedSimpleRead(dbObjItem, rawComponentType));
 			}
 		}
 
@@ -776,9 +780,12 @@ public class MappingMongoConverter extends AbstractMongoConverter implements App
 
 			Object value = entry.getValue();
 			TypeInformation<?> valueType = type.getMapValueType();
+			Class<?> rawValueType = valueType == null ? null : valueType.getType();
 
 			if (value instanceof DBObject) {
 				map.put(key, read(valueType, (DBObject) value, parent));
+			} else if (value instanceof DBRef) {
+				map.put(key, DBRef.class.equals(rawValueType) ? value : read(valueType, ((DBRef) value).fetch()));
 			} else {
 				Class<?> valueClass = valueType == null ? null : valueType.getType();
 				map.put(key, getPotentiallyConvertedSimpleRead(value, valueClass));
@@ -939,7 +946,7 @@ public class MappingMongoConverter extends AbstractMongoConverter implements App
 			if (conversions.hasCustomReadTarget(value.getClass(), rawType)) {
 				return (T) conversionService.convert(value, rawType);
 			} else if (value instanceof DBRef) {
-				return (T) read(type, ((DBRef) value).fetch(), parent);
+				return (T) (rawType.equals(DBRef.class) ? value : read(type, ((DBRef) value).fetch(), parent));
 			} else if (value instanceof BasicDBList) {
 				return (T) getPotentiallyConvertedSimpleRead(readCollectionOrArray(type, (BasicDBList) value, parent), rawType);
 			} else if (value instanceof DBObject) {
diff --git a/spring-data-mongodb/src/test/java/org/springframework/data/mongodb/core/convert/MappingMongoConverterUnitTests.java b/spring-data-mongodb/src/test/java/org/springframework/data/mongodb/core/convert/MappingMongoConverterUnitTests.java
index 49b96072b..2132bdea5 100644
--- a/spring-data-mongodb/src/test/java/org/springframework/data/mongodb/core/convert/MappingMongoConverterUnitTests.java
+++ b/spring-data-mongodb/src/test/java/org/springframework/data/mongodb/core/convert/MappingMongoConverterUnitTests.java
@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@ package org.springframework.data.mongodb.core.convert;
 
 import static org.hamcrest.Matchers.*;
 import static org.junit.Assert.*;
+import static org.mockito.Mockito.*;
 
 import java.math.BigDecimal;
 import java.math.BigInteger;
@@ -34,6 +35,7 @@ import java.util.Set;
 import java.util.SortedMap;
 
 import org.bson.types.ObjectId;
+import org.hamcrest.Matcher;
 import org.joda.time.LocalDate;
 import org.junit.Before;
 import org.junit.Test;
@@ -58,6 +60,7 @@ import org.springframework.test.util.ReflectionTestUtils;
 
 import com.mongodb.BasicDBList;
 import com.mongodb.BasicDBObject;
+import com.mongodb.DB;
 import com.mongodb.DBObject;
 import com.mongodb.DBRef;
 
@@ -1100,6 +1103,73 @@ public class MappingMongoConverterUnitTests {
 		});
 	}
 
+	/**
+	 * @see DATAMONGO-424
+	 */
+	@Test
+	public void readsPlainDBRefObject() {
+
+		DBRef dbRef = new DBRef(mock(DB.class), "foo", 2);
+		DBObject dbObject = new BasicDBObject("ref", dbRef);
+
+		DBRefWrapper result = converter.read(DBRefWrapper.class, dbObject);
+		assertThat(result.ref, is(dbRef));
+	}
+
+	/**
+	 * @see DATAMONGO-424
+	 */
+	@Test
+	public void readsCollectionOfDBRefs() {
+
+		DBRef dbRef = new DBRef(mock(DB.class), "foo", 2);
+		BasicDBList refs = new BasicDBList();
+		refs.add(dbRef);
+
+		DBObject dbObject = new BasicDBObject("refs", refs);
+
+		DBRefWrapper result = converter.read(DBRefWrapper.class, dbObject);
+		assertThat(result.refs, hasSize(1));
+		assertThat(result.refs, hasItem(dbRef));
+	}
+
+	/**
+	 * @see DATAMONGO-424
+	 */
+	@Test
+	public void readsDBRefMap() {
+
+		DBRef dbRef = mock(DBRef.class);
+		BasicDBObject refMap = new BasicDBObject("foo", dbRef);
+		DBObject dbObject = new BasicDBObject("refMap", refMap);
+
+		DBRefWrapper result = converter.read(DBRefWrapper.class, dbObject);
+
+		assertThat(result.refMap.entrySet(), hasSize(1));
+		assertThat(result.refMap.values(), hasItem(dbRef));
+	}
+
+	/**
+	 * @see DATAMONGO-424
+	 */
+	@Test
+	@SuppressWarnings({ "rawtypes", "unchecked" })
+	public void resolvesDBRefMapValue() {
+
+		DBRef dbRef = mock(DBRef.class);
+		when(dbRef.fetch()).thenReturn(new BasicDBObject());
+
+		BasicDBObject refMap = new BasicDBObject("foo", dbRef);
+		DBObject dbObject = new BasicDBObject("personMap", refMap);
+
+		DBRefWrapper result = converter.read(DBRefWrapper.class, dbObject);
+
+		Matcher isPerson = instanceOf(Person.class);
+
+		assertThat(result.personMap.entrySet(), hasSize(1));
+		assertThat(result.personMap.values(), hasItem(isPerson));
+	}
+
 	private static void assertSyntheticFieldValueOf(Object target, Object expected) {
 
 		for (int i = 0; i < 10; i++) {
@@ -1265,6 +1335,14 @@ public class MappingMongoConverterUnitTests {
 		Person person;
 	}
 
+	static class DBRefWrapper {
+
+		DBRef ref;
+		List<DBRef> refs;
+		Map<String, DBRef> refMap;
+		Map<String, Person> personMap;
+	}
+
 	private class LocalDateToDateConverter implements Converter<LocalDate, Date> {
 
 		public Date convert(LocalDate source) {