A Closer Look at the Francis Ford Coppola x FP Journe Only Watch "FFC Blue" Prototype
A hand automaton tells the time with moving fingers.
F.P.Journe has just revealed a collaborative prototype watch with Francis Ford Coppola for Only Watch 2021.
Choosing to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the automatic Octa Calibre 1300, the watch is able to tell the time using a automaton that’s powered solely by the Octa movement’s mainspring. The automaton was directly inspired by the father of modern surgery, Ambroise Paré, where different fingers appear and disappear to indicate the hour; a rotating disk indicator at the 12 o’clock position reveals the minutes.
Named the FFC Blue, this prototype took two years to refine the idea followed by seven years of development. François-Paul Journe comments, “This watch was born in 2012 while having dinner at Francis Ford Coppola’s house in the Napa Valley. He asked me if it could be possible to tell time with a hand in a watch. I replied that the idea was interesting and required thinking about it. But how to display 12 hours with 5 fingers? It was not an easy matter and this complex challenge inspired and motivated me. Once I figured it out, Francis immediately sent the sketches for the fingers’ positions. After more than 2 years, I could finally focus on ‘Fecit.’ After 7 years of development, I am proud to present the FFC prototype.”
Made from Tantalum and 18K rose gold, the 42mm watch sees commemorative engraving, 396 components and an orange alligator strap. This is estimated to sell for CHF 300,000 – 400,000 ($324,000 – $432,000 USD), but as we’ve seen in the past, it will most likely well surpass that estimate.
In other watch news, Olive Green Patek Philippe Nautilus sells for nearly x11 retail at $376,000 USD.
