At a news conference at Cannes, Coppola discussed the tremendous amount of his own money that he had sunk into the film, saying that he \u201cnever cared about money\u201d and that his children \u201cdon\u2019t need a fortune.\u201d<\/p>\n
Among the Coppola timepieces also going under the hammer are examples from Patek Philippe, Blancpain and IWC. <\/p>\n
But the headlining piece is the F.P. Journe FFC Prototype that features a black titanium, human-like hand that resembles a steampunk gauntlet that articulates the hours when the fingers extend or retract. <\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Francis Ford Coppola\u2019s custom F.P. Journe FFC timepiece uses a single hand to indicate all 12 hours.<\/p>\n
(Phillips)<\/p>\n
The watch was a collaboration between Coppola and master watchmaker Fran\u00e7ois-Paul Journe that began following a conversation the pair had during a visit he made to the filmmaker\u2019s Inglenook winery in Napa Valley in 2012.<\/p>\n
Coppola asked Journe if a human hand had ever been used to mark time. That question sparked a years-long conversation during which the watchmaker grappled with how to indicate the 12 hours of the dial using just five fingers. <\/p>\n
Journe found his inspiration in Ambroise Par\u00e9, a 16th century French barber surgeon and an innovator of prosthetic limbs in particular, including Le Petit Lorrain, a prosthetic hand made of iron and leather that featured hidden gears and springs enabling the fingers to move, not dissimilar to a watch mechanism. <\/p>\n
\u201cSpeaking with Francis in 2012 and hearing his idea on the use of a human hand to indicate time inspired me to create a watch I never could have imagined myself. The challenge was formidable \u2014 exactly the type of watchmaking project I adore,\u201d said Journe in a statement.<\/p>\n
Journe eventually created six prototypes and delivered Coppola\u2019s watch to him in 2021. <\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m proud to fully support the sale of this watch through Phillips to fund the creation of his artistic masterpieces in filmmaking,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Coppola first became interested in the watchmaker when he gifted his wife Eleanor an F.P. Journe Chronom\u00e8tre \u00e0 R\u00e9sonance in platinum with a white gold dial for Christmas in 2009, prompting the director to extend an invitation to Journe to visit him at his Napa winery.<\/p>\n