A favourite pastime for us watch nerds is the detective work that comes with identifying wristwatches on the big screen (I promise we do get out much.) So while you’re all dutiful following the plot line, we’re following the props to see which horological stars made it to Hollywood. And hould the time come that you are one day asked in a pub quiz: which watch brand is known as the watchmakers of filmmakers? Just remember the epic sequel, Dune: Part Two, and know that Hamilton is bestowed with said accolade.
Calling all Chalamaniacs, as part two of Denis Villeneuve’s sci-fi epic returns for the next chapter. And while they’ve upped the ante with the cast (a warm welcome to Florence Pugh and Austin Butler), it’s the watches that really steal the performance. Boasting a historic presence on screen in over 500 films since 1932, Hamilton takes on the fictional desert of Arrakis in a manner they’ve never done before.
Take for instance Hamilton’s totemic role in Christopher Nolan’s films, from Tenet to Oppenheimer, offering vintage models from the brand’s archives for characters to sport. But for Dune: Part Two, at the director’s request, and wit the support of the film’s prop master, Doug Harlocker, Hamilton created a brand new model from scratch.
“We need your expertise to design a tool for the wrist,” recounts Hamilton’s CEO, Vivian Stauffer, on the early conversations with the director. “When it comes to prop watches, it’s not something that directly gives a return on investment if you have to talk about money. But the beauty behind that is the creativity. It puts no limits on the watch in terms of construction; you don’t have a resistance limit, you don’t have power reserve. All of these constraints from the watch industry are gone and you can just let go.”