News broke (in fairness, more than a few days ago) that Francis Ford Coppola has made arrangements to have seven pieces of his watch collection placed at auction with Phillips. Most notable of these is this little wrist rocket -
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| Courtesy of Phillips |
Curious to relate, this story (as far as I can tell, but then again I am not always the quickest of bunnies) has not really been picked up by Watch Town's Fourth and Fifth Estates. That, in and of itself, is a wee bit curious. But more curious than that is the (I've got to be honest) levels of glee expressed by the press, not least of which can be read in Stuart Heritage's piece in the Guardian -
In the interest of full disclosure I have not seen his latest film, Megalopolis, so I can't really comment on the film's quality or possible lack thereof. But the buzz around the press (possibly planted by Coppola himself to generate interest) is that after investing $100 million of his money in what in hindsight has proven to be a failed venture, he needs the money. Well, maybe yes, maybe no.
I would be disingenuous if I did not admit my own bouts of schadenfreude when it comes to the mishaps suffered by certain denizens of Watch Town. And in all fairness, I know of at least one major luminary with his own ubiquitous brand, and a handful of journalists (active and no longer so) who would feel the same about me. We are after all, human.
But I want to propose another theory which characterizes my recent revelation that two things can be true at the same time. It might well be that Mr. Coppola is feeling the sting of essentially losing that large an amount of money. But at the same time, it might be that he has come to a point in his life where he realizes that he will have less and less control over the immediate future. He is 86 years old, and it is inevitable that at some point we all reprioritize what is important in our lives. In many ways, this ensures that his collection goes to (hopefully) a good home, and he will have some pocket money.
In addition to the star attraction, other pieces on the block include the F.P. Journe Chronomètre à Résonance that was a gift from his late wife -
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| Courtesy of Phillips |
If you are reading this, it is likely that you are at least at some level interested in watches. And perhaps this is just little me shouting into the void, but it's hard not to be romantic about watches. And regardless of the circumstances, this is an opportunity for folks out there who love watches and are fans of Mr. Coppola's work to own something special.
One final thought - and this is my own story. Back in 1992 I had been struggling for more than a year to find steady work and settle down after finishing university. I had moved to three states in less than a years time still hoping something was going to click. I was living in a room that I paid for by the week. I had sold almost everything of value I had left, save my grandmother's Omega watch. By some small miracle I was offered a teaching job in Japan. I leveraged literally everything I had left except my university ring, a few pairs of jeans, a pair of sneakers, some cds, and a bag to carry it all in. I bought a used suit for my new job, and needed a few hundred dollars more to be "safe" in my new job (I needed to buy my air ticket and have 1 month's living expenses). So down I went to the pawn shop, and my inheritance funded the last piece of my financial puzzle.
Since 1992 I have bought and sold countless watches hoping to get that same feeling that I had for a mid-sized Omega quartz watch that I wore maybe two times. I still haven't gotten there. But the idea that it is possibly still out there holds me in thrall.
In a long career Mr. Coppola has failed, recovered, prospered, and failed. And in fairness, doesn't that seem familiar to all of us?
