The intersection of artistic vision and horological mastery rarely manifests as literally as it did in the F.P.Journe FFC Prototype—a 42 mm platinum wristwatch commissioned by Francis Ford Coppola that just sold for USD 10,755,000 at Phillips New York Watch Auction: XIII on December 6, 2025. This watch shattered world records for both F.P.Journe and any independent watchmaking brand.

The History of the Watch

The genesis of this extraordinary timepiece reads like one of Coppola's own scripts. It began with a Christmas gift in 2009: Eleanor Coppola presented her husband with an F.P.Journe Chronomètre à Résonance RN in platinum. The director of The Godfather became so captivated by Journe's work that three years later, he invited the master watchmaker to his Napa estate. Their conversation turned to an intriguing question: could a hand—a literal sculpted hand—indicate the hours?

The mechanical challenge seemed insurmountable. How does one represent twelve hours using only five fingers? Yet Journe and Coppola persisted, mapping out a system where digits one through five came naturally, while six through twelve demanded genuine ingenuity. The result was part automaton, part sculpture—a complete twelve-hour cycle executed through articulated metal fingers.

For the hand's design, Journe drew inspiration from Ambroise Paré, the French barber-surgeon considered the father of modern surgery. Paré's prosthetic "Le Petit Lorrain" featured articulated fingers powered by hidden gears and springs. Journe adopted this aesthetic foundation, creating overlapping titanium plates finished in black that evoke a medieval knight's gauntlet—an almost gothic presence on the wrist.

The Movement

Mechanically, the FFC embodies pure Journe sophistication. The watchmaker adapted his trusted automatic Octa calibre 1300.3, a 63-jewel movement known for its five-day power reserve, integrating a remontoir d'égalité to deliver constant energy to the hand mechanism. Every hour, ten cams visible through the dial animate in sequence, shifting the fingers to their next position. Despite this complexity, the movement maintains a remarkably slim 8.1 mm profile—testament to Journe's engineering mastery.

Provenance & Rarity

Only two prototypes exist, as François-Paul Journe himself retained one for his personal collection. The other, completed circa 2021 and secured to a crocodile strap with a platinum and 18K white gold F.P.Journe deployant clasp, represented the only FFC prototype to ever appear at public auction. The platinum case, dial, movement, and clasp all bear Journe's signature, while the case is additionally engraved "Francis Ford Coppola" as the unique serial number. Distinguished by steel bridges, a white minute ring rather than grey, and that striking black titanium hand, Coppola's watch came to auction accompanied by a F.P.Journe Certificate of Authenticity confirming its status as one of only two prototypes, along with a fitted presentation box, outer box, FFC book, envelope, and travel sliding box.

Record-Breaking Sale

Together with the unique FFC Blue from Only Watch 2021, these are among the very few watches assembled entirely by François-Paul Journe himself.

The USD 10.755 Million result establishes new world auction records for F.P.Journe and for any wristwatch by an independent watchmaker. It represents the highest price achieved for any timepiece sold at auction in the United States since Phillips' sale of Paul Newman’s very own Daytona in 2017. The anonymous telephone bidder prevailed after eleven minutes of spirited competition.

Immediately following, Coppola's original F.P.Journe Chronomètre à Résonance—Eleanor's gift that started it all—achieved USD 584,200, nearly five times its low estimate. That the provenance and personal significance of these watches resonated so profoundly with collectors speaks to the enduring power of both Journe's craft and the narrative that binds watchmaker to collector.

For those of us who collect at the highest levels, the FFC Prototype represents something beyond mere horological achievement. It's a singular collaboration between two masters of their respective arts, a timepiece where cinema's greatest storyteller posed an impossible question, and independent watchmaking's most uncompromising talent delivered an answer that will endure in horological history.

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