A Watch Owned By Francis Ford Coppola Sold For Over $10 Million in New York

Under the hammer of star auctioneer and watch expert Aurel Bacs, the unique FFC (Francis Ford Coppola) model sold for $10.8 million on December 6. Co-designed by the American director and brand founder François-Paul Journe, the piece took nine years to design and features a mechanized blackened titanium hand on its dial. The hand opens and closes its five fingers to indicate the hours.

"With over 2,000 registered bidders, we proudly closed Phillips in Association with Bacs & Russo’s 10th anniversary year on an incredibly high note. Collectors responded enthusiastically to the opportunity to acquire Francis Ford Coppola’s personal timepieces, achieving stellar results for all seven watches consigned by the Hollywood icon," commented Paul Boutros, Vice President and Head of Watches for the Americas, and Isabella Proia, Head of Sales and Senior International Specialist.

The director of The Godfather and the controversial film Megalopolis announced some time ago that he was selling seven pieces from his luxury watch collection, including this unique model engraved with his initials FFC, to finance an upcoming film, he explained to the media. Estimated at $1 million, the piece sold for more than ten times its estimate, setting a world record for F.P. Journe and, more broadly, for a watch by an independent watchmaker

The second day of sales confirmed the enthusiasm for the brand, with the sale of the “Sincere Fine Watches” Resonance Chronometer for $3.7 million, more than ten times its minimum estimate, after more than ten minutes of bidding. The model also achieved a world record price. These results once again illustrate the appetite of major American collectors for exceptional timepieces, who are willing to invest without counting the cost.
In total, all 144 lots were sold over two days, for a cumulative value of $43.4 million. This sale, initiated by the American company Phillips, in association with Bacs & Russo, marks a turning point for the watch market in the United States, with the largest sale of watches ever made in the country. Seven lots exceeded $1 million.

In Geneva, Phillips, in association with Bacs & Russo, has just set a world record for watch sales with a total of CHF 66.82 million (approximately €71.2 million). In 2024, their annual total exceeded $212 million with 1,790 lots sold.