Francis Ford Coppola’s Custom Watch Is Expected to Fetch Over $1 Million at Auction
The FFC Prototype is one of seven on offer from the legendary filmmaker's personal collection
It’s time to make an offer they can’t refuse. A one-of-one F.P. Journe wristwatch made for Hollywood’s Francis Ford Coppola is headed to the auction block this December, where it is expected to sell for upwards of $1 million. The watch, one of seven from Coppola’s personal collection to go on offer at Phillips, was born from a meeting between the legendary filmmaker and François-Paul Journe in 2012, when Coppola asked if a human hand had ever been used to indicate time.
From there, Journe set off on a mission to figure out how to best feature the hours while clearly indicating the time using a single hand. According to the auction house, he sought inspiration from techniques used by16th-century barber-surgeon Ambroise Paré, an early innovator of prosthetic limbs. He spent seven years refining the design to best configure the movements, and ended with two prototypes. One of the prototypes went to Coppola, known for funding his own ambitious projects, and Journe kept the other for himself.
“Speaking with Francis in 2012 and hearing his idea on the use of a human hand to indicate time inspired me to create a watch I never could have imagined myself,” Journe told the auction house. “The challenge was formidable—exactly the type of watchmaking project I adore. After years of collaborating directly with Francis in the development process, it was a great pleasure to deliver this FFC prototype to him in 2021. I’m proud to fully support the sale of this watch through Phillips to fund the creation of his artistic masterpieces in filmmaking.”
Following a tour through London, Geneva, and Hong Kong, the FFC Prototype will lead the auction house’s New York Watch Auction: XIII, which is being hosted in association with Bacs & Russo on December 6-7. Other watches on offer include Coppola’s platinum F.P. Journe Chronomètre à Résonance, two Patek Philippe pieces, a Breguet Classique, a Blancpain Minute Repeater, and an IWC Portugieser Chronograph.
