Search
Auctions

Francis Ford Coppola’s Custom Watch Sells for Over $10.8 Million at Auction

The FFC Prototype was one of seven on offer from the legendary filmmaker's personal collection

By Alexandria Sillo
Two luxury wristwatches on black leather surface, showcasing detailed mechanisms and elegant leather straps.
The FFC Prototype and the F.P. Journe Chronomètre à Résonance are headed to auction.

It was an offer they couldn’t refuse. A one-of-one F.P. Journe wristwatch made for Hollywood’s Francis Ford Coppola broke a world auction record on Saturday after it sold to an anonymous buyer on the phone for $10.8 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.

Close-up of a luxury watch mechanism with a black skeletal hand design over intricate gears and cogs.
The FFC Prototype. Photo: Courtesy of Phillips
Man in a dark suit leaning against a wall on a narrow cobblestone street with parked motorcycles in the background.
Francis Ford Coppola in Rome, in 2025. Photo: Courtesy of Phillips
Luxury wristwatch with visible mechanical gears, black strap, and intricate design against a blurred colorful background.
The FFC Prototype. Photo: Courtesy of Phillips

“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.”

Close-up of an intricate wristwatch back with visible gears and engravings on a leather surface.
The FFC Prototype. Photo: Courtesy of Phillips
Luxury F.P. Journe Chronomètre à Résonance watch with dual dials and black leather strap against gradient background
The F.P. Journe Chronomètre à Résonance, which Coppola’s wife gifted him in 2009 and sparked the 2012 meeting between the filmmaker and Journe. Photo: Courtesy of Phillips

Following a tour through London, Geneva, and Hong Kong, the FFC Prototype led the auction house’s New York Watch Auction: XIII, which was hosted in association with Bacs & Russo on December 6-7. Other watches on offer included 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.

Vintage gold wristwatch with white face, blue hands, and brown leather strap against a blurred blue background.
Breguet Classique ref. 5140. Photo: Courtesy of Phillips
Luxury wristwatch displaying multiple time zones with a silver dial and black leather strap against a warm blurred background
Patek Philippe World Time ref. 5130G. Photo: Courtesy of Phillips
Luxury chronograph wristwatch with a black dial and leather strap on a purple and blue abstract background.
IWC Portugieser Chronograph. Photo: Courtesy of Phillips

The sale, which occurred after 11 minutes of bidding, marks the highest result for a timepiece sold at auction since Phillips’s sale of Paul Newman’s Rolex “Paul Newman” Daytona in 2017.