Second Most Expensive Watch Ever Sold at Auction is This Coppola-Owned F.P.Journe FFC Prototype

• Coppola’s personal F.P. Journe FFC Prototype sells for US$10.76 million.
• Second-most expensive wristwatch ever auctioned, and record for independents.
• Prototype features articulated hand display born from Coppola–Journe 2012 collaboration.
• Six other watches from Coppola’s collection also far exceeded estimates.
• Auction proceeds barely dent losses from Coppola’s self-funded film Megalopolis.

The director of “The Godfather,” Francis Ford Coppola, has added an unlikely milestone to his illustrious career—not with a new film, screenplay, or vineyard, but with a wristwatch. The legendary director’s personal F.P. Journe FFC Prototype has just sold at Phillips New York for US$10.755 million (approximately AU$16.2 million), making it the second-most expensive wristwatch ever sold at auction.

It finds itself behind the USD$17.8 million Paul Newman Rolex Daytona, which sold at Sotheby’s in October 2017. The result is also a significant achievement for horology, setting a new auction record for a timepiece made by an independent watchmaker.

The eight-figure watch was born from a simple question in 2012. Over a glass of wine at Coppola’s Inglenook estate in Napa Valley, he asked one of modern watchmaking’s most respected minds, François-Paul Journe, “Has anyone ever used a human hand to tell the time?” What followed was an unlikely collaboration that would take nearly a decade to reach his wrist.

What Makes This FFC Prototype So Special?

Completed in 2021 and gifted to Coppola, the platinum FFC Prototype features an articulated metal hand that indicates the hours, with each finger shifting position as time passes.

The design draws inspiration from 16th-century prosthetics, giving the watch a sculptural, almost medieval character. Beneath the dial, it is pure Journe: a refined Octa-based movement with a constant-force mechanism, all housed in a slim, wearable case.

Only two prototypes exist: one is retained by Journe, and the other is engraved with Coppola’s name and worn privately by the director. Aside from a unique charity version created for Only Watch in 2021, no other FFC has ever appeared at public auction.

The watch led the Phillips New York Watch Auction: XIII, where Coppola also offered six other watches from his personal collection. The lineup included pieces from Patek Philippe, Breguet, IWC, Blancpain, and an emotionally significant F.P. Journe Résonance gifted by his late wife, Eleanor.

Together, they offered a rare glimpse into his taste across more than three decades.

Every Watch From Francis Ford Coppola’s Collection, Lot by Lot

By the time Francis Ford Coppola began collecting watches, his career in cinema was already well established. The pieces he acquired over the following decades point to a practical curiosity about watchmaking, with choices shaped more by design, mechanics, and personal significance than by trend or status.

Here’s how each lot performed at auction.

Lot 17: F.P. Journe FFC Prototype

Estimate: USD$1 million+
Sold: USD$10,755,000

The centrepiece of the sale. This platinum prototype was gifted to Coppola by François-Paul Journe in 2021 and features the articulated hand display that sparked their collaboration.

• ManufacturerF.P. Journe
• Year: Circa 2021
• Case No“Francis Ford Coppola”
• Model NameFFC Prototype
• MaterialPlatinum
• CalibreAutomatic, cal. 1300.3, 63 jewels
• Bracelet/StrapCrocodile
• Clasp/BucklePlatinum and 18K white gold F.P. Journe deployant clasp
• Dimensions42mm Diameter

Lot 18: F.P. Journe Chronomètre à Résonance RN 40 mm

Estimate: USD$120,000 – 240,000
Sold: USD$584,200

A platinum Résonance gifted to Coppola by his late wife, Eleanor. It was this watch that first introduced him to Journe’s work and ultimately led to the creation of the FFC.

• Manufacturer: F.P. Journe
• Year: Circa 2009
• Case No.: No. 458-RN
• Model Name: Chronomètre à Résonance “FFC”
• Material: Platinum
• Calibre: Manual, cal. 1499.3, 36 jewels
• Bracelet/Strap: Crocodile
• Clasp/Buckle: Platinum F.P. Journe pin buckle
• Dimensions: 40mm diameter
• Signed: Case, dial, movement, and buckle signed

Lot 78: IWC Schaffhausen Portugieser Chronograph Ref. IW3714

Estimate: USD$3,000 – 6,000
Sold: USD$21,590

A stainless-steel Portugieser with a black dial, chosen for its clarity and everyday practicality rather than complication or rarity.

• Manufacturer: IWC
• Year: Circa 2014
• Reference No.: IW3714
• Movement No.: 3’852’797
• Case No.: 5’371’313
• Model Name: Portugieser Chronograph “Property of Francis Ford Coppola”
• Material: Stainless steel
• Calibre: Automatic, cal. 79240, 31 jewels
• Bracelet/Strap: Crocodile
• Clasp/Buckle: Stainless steel IWC deployant clasp
• Dimensions: 41mm diameter

Lot 79: Breguet Classique Ref. 5140BA

Estimate: USD$4,000 – 8,000
Sold: USD$60,960

An 18k yellow gold Classique with a grand feu enamel dial, reflecting Coppola’s appreciation for horological history and traditional design language.

• Manufacturer: Breguet
• Year: Circa 2010
• Reference No.: 5140BA
• Case No.: 4726 AQ
• Model Name: Classique “Property of Francis Ford Coppola”
• Material: 18K yellow gold
• Calibre: Automatic, cal. 502.3 SD, 35 jewels
• Bracelet/Strap: Alligator
• Clasp/Buckle: 18K yellow gold Breguet pin buckle
• Dimensions: 40mm diameter

Lot 80: Patek Philippe Calatrava Ref. 3919

Estimate: USD$6,000 – 12,000
Sold: USD$87,630

A white-gold Calatrava with a clous de Paris bezel, added to Coppola’s collection early on for its restraint, elegance, and mechanical purity.

• Manufacturer: Patek Philippe
• Year: Circa 1990
• Reference No.: 3919
• Movement No.: 1’852’360
• Case No.: 2’985’635
• Model Name: Calatrava “Property of Francis Ford Coppola”
• Material: 18K white gold
• Calibre: Manual, cal. 215, 18 jewels
• Bracelet/Strap: Crocodile
• Clasp/Buckle: 18K white gold Patek Philippe pin buckle
• Dimensions: 33.5mm diameter

Lot 81: Patek Philippe World Time Ref. 5130G

Estimate: USD$15,000 – 30,000
Sold: USD$88,900

A practical companion for Coppola’s years of international travel, featuring a guilloché dial and classic world-time layout in white gold.

• Manufacturer: Patek Philippe
• Year: Circa 2008
• Reference No.: 5130G
• Movement No.: 3’640’358
• Case No.: 4’410’545
• Model Name: World Time “Property of Francis Ford Coppola”
• Material: 18K white gold
• Calibre: Automatic, cal. 240/228, 33 jewels
• Bracelet/Strap: Crocodile
• Clasp/Buckle: 18K white gold Patek Philippe deployant clasp
• Dimensions: 39.5mm diameter

Lot 82: Blancpain Répétition Minutes No. 1

Estimate: USD$15,000 – 30,000
Sold: USD$91,440

An early example of Blancpain’s modern minute repeater revival, powered by a movement descended from the influential calibre 35.

• Manufacturer: Blancpain
• Year: Circa 2010
• Movement No.: No. 1
• Model Name: Répétition Minutes “Property of Francis Ford Coppola”
• Material: 18K white gold
• Calibre: Automatic, cal. 35, 39 jewels
• Bracelet/Strap: Alligator
• Clasp/Buckle: 18K white gold Blancpain deployant clasp
• Dimensions: 37mm diameter

Despite Coppola’s seven watches selling for more than US$11.6 million (around AU$17.5 million) at auction, the haul barely covers a tenth of his personal investment in Megalopolis.

Released in 2024, Megalopolis was a passion project Coppola both directed and largely self-financed, with approximately US$120 million (around AU$180 million) of his own money poured into its production. Despite a cast that included Adam Driver, Aubrey Plaza, Shia LaBeouf, Laurence Fishburne, and Dustin Hoffman, the film struggled at the box office, grossing just US$14.3 million (around AU$21.5 million) worldwide.

Speaking on Rick Rubin’s Tetragrammaton podcast in March, Coppola was candid about the toll. “I don’t have any money because I invested all the money that I borrowed to make Megalopolis,” he said. “It’s basically gone.”

And now, so are his watches.

But if you’re wondering why Coppola was willing to risk so much in the first place, the answer is one he has given before: “When I do work, I try to make it the greatest it can be, the most ambitious it can be. If I fail, so what? If I don’t try to make it the most wonderful it could be, I fail anyway.”