A one-of-a-kind timepiece created exclusively for legendary filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola is poised to headline the Phillips New York Watch Auction: XIII this December, with estimates exceeding $1 million.
The exceptional watch, known as the F.P. Journe FFC Prototype, was conceived by celebrated horologist François-Paul Journe and stands apart for its ingenious design — an articulated mechanical hand that displays the hours through the motion of five fingers. The minutes, meanwhile, are read from a rotating outer ring, creating a poetic blend of art, engineering, and symbolism.
Coppola, now 86, is parting with seven pieces from his private collection, including this masterpiece, as he seeks to offset the personal financial losses from his self-financed 2024 film, Megalopolis.
The creation of the FFC Prototype was a seven-year endeavour. Journe reportedly grappled with the intricate challenge of developing a movement complex enough to animate the hand display without compromising the watch’s power reserve. The result is a triumph of ingenuity — a mechanical wonder that merges storytelling and precision.
Presented to Coppola in 2019, the watch bears his name engraved on the case back, underscoring its provenance and exclusivity. Journe is known for his reluctance to sell or release prototypes, making this offering especially rare and highly coveted among collectors.
Leading the Phillips New York sale on December 6–7, the FFC Prototype represents not only a collaboration between two creative visionaries — one from cinema, the other from haute horlogerie — but also a remarkable intersection of imagination and mechanical mastery.
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