While watch brand Hamilton has enjoyed a long relationship with Hollywood – its watches have appeared in films including Oppenheimer, Interstellar, and 2001: A Space Odyssey – its experience with Dune: Part Two was a little different.
For the first time, Hamilton worked closely alongside prop master Doug Harlocker, at the request of filmmaker Denis Villeneuve, to create a device suitable for the movie’s distinctive world. ‘When Denis Villeneuve and his team reached out to us, with the request to help them design the wrist device for Dune: Part Two, we were very proud,’ says Hamilton CEO Vivian Stauffer. ‘This really underlines Hamilton’s standing as the watchmaker of filmmakers.’
Dune: Part Two inspires new Hamilton watches
The resulting work is suitably futuristic and hard-wearing. The watch designers, for whom the piece’s function was unknown, concentrated instead on the aesthetic, creating a device that could seamlessly integrate into Villeneuve’s vision. ‘This collaboration was very inspiring and challenging at once,’ adds Stauffer. ‘For the first time, we were asked to design something that is not a watch. Getting this trust is very rewarding.’
While the Desert Watch featured in Dune: Part Two is a one-off, Hamilton has created two limited-edition Ventura watches to mark the collaboration. Both feature a bright blue on the dial, a nod to the eyes of the Fremen people in the film, with the Ventura Bright echoing the blue lines on the Desert Watch dial.
Says Stauffer, ‘When we saw the final wrist device, we knew that we must bring it to life by creating a Hamilton timepiece that is inspired by the Desert Watch.’
Ventura Edge Dune limited edition, £2,235
Ventura XXL Bright Dune limited edition, £1,585
