By Jovan Krstevski
If there is one thing I have learned covering this beat, it is that sometimes the greatest watches originate from the simplest of questions. Once again, truth proves stranger than fiction. We are briefed that Phillips in Association with Bacs & Russo, is set to auction Francis Ford Coppola’s unique F.P.Journe FFC Prototype, the top lot of The New York Watch Auction: XIII, taking place December 6th and 7th. It is expected to realize in excess of $1 million.
Francis Ford Coppola
The watch’s journey began in 2012, born from a conversation at Coppola’s Inglenook winery. Coppola asked Journe if a human hand had ever been used to indicate time, and that single query became a multi-year project. The FFC is historic; it is the first timepiece to use one human hand to convey a twelve hour period, and the first Journe concept that originated from someone other than François Paul.
I’ve always admired how Journe doesn’t just think mechanically but historically. For this one, he went all the way to Ambroise Paré, the 16th century surgeon who created the prosthetic “Le Petit Lorrain”. You can see that influence right away. The watch looks like a hybrid of old armor and a sci-fi experiment, those plates and screws giving it that unmistakable hand built vibe that only Journe could make work.
This specific prototype is significant; it is engraved with Coppola’s name, features steel bridges and was assembled by Journe’s own hand. The auction also includes the platinum Chronomètre à Résonance, a 2009 gift from Coppola’s wife Eleanor, which first led to the fateful 2012 meeting. It all comes back to a thoughtful gift, really.
