Dune, part two: Hamilton watches conquer Arrakis
The filmmakers’ watchmaker strikes again. At the request of director Denis Villeneuve, the Hamilton brand was entrusted with a major mission: that of designing a “Desert Watch”, a tailor-made creation for the second part of Dune.
To understand how Hamilton finds himself creating a watch for the most anticipated sci-fi blockbuster of 2024, it’s necessary to go back in time. Founded in 1892 in a remote corner of Pennsylvania, nothing predestined Hamilton for the glamor of the 7th art: only railway employees, soldiers of the American army, or airline pilots used it. It was his first appearance on the big screens in 1932 in Shanghai Express which marked a turning point for the brand: Clive Brook and Marlene Dietrich respectively sported a “flapper” Hamilton Flintridge and a Hamilton Piping Rock. Since then, the house has become the favorite brand of cinema productions and has adorned the wrists of the biggest Hollywood stars. The iconic Ventura model, the world’s first electric wristwatch, was worn in 1961 by Elvis in Under the blue sky of Hawaii that in 1997 by Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones in Men in Black. And while Roger Moore’s James Bond uses a Hamilton Pulsar during his missions, George Clooney in Danny Ocean monitors his timing on a Hamilton Viewmatic. In the space of 90 years, Hamilton designs have been the star prop in more than 500 films. Just that.
Hamilton in the service of cinema
If the watchmaking company is so popular with filmmakers, it is because it knows how to adapt to their artistic visions. Sometimes, you just need to find a watch in existing collections, as was the case for the last installment of the adventures of Indiana Jones where Hamilton rummaged through his drawer and set his sights on the Boulton watch to complete the outfit. Harrison Ford. But the task is sometimes more difficult: to adapt to the 1940s reproduced in Oppenheimer, the brand had to unearth vintage watches in its archives and from its collectors. For Interstellar, Hamilton even dabbled in tailor-made by creating the Murph that Matthew McConaughey’s character gives to his daughter Murphy before flying off to the stars. For the purposes of the scenario, the house had developed a watch whose seconds hand could be manipulated remotely.
Dune, leap into the unknown
The collaboration between Hamilton and Dune, part two has, however, led to a new way of working. Certainly, the brand has already created accessories from scratch for the needs of a film, like 2001, A Space Odyssey and his futuristic watch commissioned by Stanley Kubrick. But it is quite unusual for Hamilton to have to invent a tool without having the slightest idea of its usefulness, like this mysterious “Desert Watch” for the Dune universe. What will it be used for? Who will wear it? Will its use be crucial? Questions to which Hamilton could not have answers… Instead, the designers were guided by Frank Herbert’s book, the vision of Denis Villeneuve, and the film’s props manager Doug Harlocker. A collaboration from which was born a device matched to Fremen armor, defying the norms of traditional watchmaking and resistant to the fiery sands of Arrakis. In parallel with this “Desert Watch” exclusive to the film, two limited edition watches will be launched: the Ventura Edge and the Ventura XXL Bright. Each with a luminous blue dial (a nod to the Fremen eyes turned blue by the Spice), the first has an angular case with a digital display reminiscent of the relief elements visible on the film’s prop, while the second includes a button that replicates the dial of the “Desert Watch”. The opportunity to feel like Muad’Dib for a moment.
