The auction of Francis Ford Coppola’s personalized watch marks a new benchmark for high-end watch collecting in the United States.
Coppola’s $10.8 million watch
The director Francis Ford Coppola saw his personalized watch fetch the extraordinary sum of $10.8 million (including fees) at an auction organized by Phillips in New York on Saturday, December 6.
The piece, a unique F.P. Journe Ffc Prototype, co-designed by the American director, was sold to an anonymous buyer after 11 minutes of intense bidding, according to the auction house.
The watch had been estimated with a minimum value of at least one million dollars, but competition among collectors quickly pushed the final price far beyond initial forecasts. Additionally, the unique nature of the model and its direct connection to the famous author of The Godfather increased its appeal.
How this sale fits into the history of American auctions
The result represents the highest price ever achieved by a watch at an auction in the United States since the Rolex ‘Paul Newman’ Daytona owned by actor Paul Newman. The latter was sold by Phillips in 2017 for $17.8 million, setting a world record for a wristwatch at the time.
Moreover, the new American record confirms the leading role of the auction house in the high-end watch collecting segment, in a market context that remains selective but lively on iconic lots. Compared to other recent sales, the amount obtained for Coppola’s piece stands out for its magnitude and media resonance.
Why is this Coppola F.P. Journe watch considered historic?
The F.P. Journe Ffc Prototype has been described as a “historic” achievement by Paul Boutros, vice president and head of Phillips’ watch department for the Americas. According to Boutros, “the importance of this timepiece, the result of a creative collaboration between two brilliant minds of cinema and watchmaking, cannot be underestimated.”
The watch is not only a unique piece but also embodies a rare dialogue between different creative languages, combining Coppola’s vision with the know-how of F.P. Journe. However, what makes the piece even more recognizable is its public exposure at key moments in the director’s recent career.
The connection with Cannes and the film Megalopolis
The prototype was worn by Coppola at the premiere of Megalopolis at the Cannes Film Festival in May 2024, a detail that contributed to increasing its symbolic value in the eyes of collectors. On that occasion, the watch appeared on the director’s wrist during the presentation of the most ambitious and personal project of his recent career.
That said, the film’s outcome in theaters had a significant impact on the filmmaker’s financial situation, turning this high-end watch into a crucial financial asset. The transition from the iconic red carpet to an auction catalog thus marks a radical change of function for the timepiece.
How did Megalopolis affect Coppola’s finances?
The sale of the watch comes at a particularly delicate moment for the 86-year-old author of Apocalypse Now. After the release of Megalopolis in 2024, Coppola suffered a severe financial setback. The film, which cost $120 million and was entirely financed with personal capital, grossed only $14.4 million at the global box office.
In an interview last March on the podcast Tetragrammaton, the director admitted his precarious situation, explaining that he no longer had liquidity after investing everything in the project. He also stated that he believes the film will be reassessed in 15 or 20 years, but he cannot wait for the potential economic returns in the present.
Coppola’s other assets for sale
In recent months, Coppola has already disposed of several assets to rebalance his accounts. Among these is an island in Belize, sold for $1.8 million, which was one of his most significant assets outside of his film activities.
The sale of the watch, one of the most valuable pieces in his personal collection, thus appears as a further step in a targeted liquidation strategy. However, compared to other sales, this operation combines economic necessity with strong interest from the collecting market, attracted by both the rarity of the timepiece and its biographical connection to the director.
What does this sale indicate for the high-end watch market?
Overall, the $10.8 million sale confirms the appeal of watches closely linked to iconic figures in cinema and popular culture. Furthermore, the comparison with the case of the Rolex ‘Paul Newman’ Daytona suggests that the combination of technical rarity and strong personal narrative remains one of the main drivers of value in the sector.
The sale organized by Phillips in New York on December 7, 2025, thus follows in the footsteps of the great auctions of recent years, highlighting how the high-end watch market continues to reward exceptional lots, especially when they tell a story that intertwines creativity, personal risk, and cinematic memory.
PHOTO CREDITS: THE NEW YORK TIMES
As expert in digital marketing, Amelia began working in the fintech sector in 2014 after writing her thesis on Bitcoin technology. Previously author for several international crypto-related magazines and CMO at Eidoo. She is now the co-founder and editor-in-chief of The Cryptonomist and Econique.
She is also a marketing teacher at Digital Coach in Milan and she published a book about NFTs for the Italian publishing house Mondadori, while she is also helping artists and company to entering in the sector. As advisor, Amelia is also involved in metaverse-related project such as The Nemesis and OVER.
