Summary
- Phillips will auction Francis Ford Coppola’s one-of-one FFC Prototype
- Six additional watches from Coppola’s collection, including a platinum Chronomètre à Résonance, will also be offered at The New York Watch Auction: XIII in December
Phillips in Association with Bacs & Russo has announced a landmark highlight for its upcoming New York Watch Auction: XIII. Leading the sale is Francis Ford Coppola’s one-of-one F.P. Journe FFC Prototype wristwatch, a remarkable timepiece born from a pivotal 2012 conversation between Coppola and master watchmaker François-Paul Journe, during which Coppola posed the question of whether a human hand had ever been used to tell time.
The FFC Prototype is defined by its groundbreaking mechanism: a sculpted automaton hand that uses its five fingers to indicate all twelve hours. Journe drew inspiration from Ambroise Paré, the 16th-century surgeon and pioneer of prosthetic design, whose articulated iron hand informed the watch’s futuristic, almost steampunk aesthetic. Despite the complexity of the mechanism, the watch is powered by Journe’s Octa caliber 1300.3 with remontoir d’egalité, resulting in a movement that measures just 8.1mm thick.
Coppola’s prototype, engraved with his name, features steel bridges, a rotating white minutes ring and a black-treated titanium hand, distinguishing it from Journe’s own example and later production models. Alongside the unique FFC Blue created for Only Watch 2021, these remain the only FFCs assembled by Journe himself, underscoring the rarity and significance of the offering. Estimated to achieve in excess of $1 million USD, the FFC Prototype is profoundly unique as the first watch in history to employ a human hand automaton to indicate the hours.
In addition to the FFC Prototype, six other watches from Coppola’s personal collection will also be presented at auction. Among them is a platinum F.P. Journe Chronomètre à Résonance, gifted to Coppola by his wife Eleanor in 2009 — a piece that first connected the filmmaker to Journe and ultimately inspired the FFC project. Other highlights include models from Patek Philippe, Breguet, Blancpain and IWC, with estimates ranging from $3,000 – $240,000 USD.
Together, the collection reflects Coppola’s deep appreciation for mechanical artistry and his broader commitment to preserving legacies, whether through cinema, winemaking, or horology. Following a world tour to London, Geneva and Hong Kong, the FFC Prototype and Coppola’s collection will be offered at The New York Watch Auction: XIII on December 6 – 7, 2025.
