Hamilton, a historic presence in Hollywood with watches featured in over 500 major films since 1932, is entering new realms of collaboration with the artisans behind ‘Dune: Part Two.’
Unlike previous collaborations, where Hamilton either selected existing watches, delved into archives, or created entirely new designs, the world of Dune demanded a different approach—one that draws on multiple influences from the 1950s science fiction, pop culture, and watchmaking innovation.
Dune’s main setting is the hellish world of Arrakis—a sandswept, desolate place coveted for spice, a valuable drug that gives its users sustained vitality, awareness, psychedelic powers, and through a secret prophecy, the power to control the fate of the world. Across Frank Herbert’s original six novel saga, we’re exposed to some of the richest sci-fi anthropologies ever put to paper. From technologies to fashion, cultural milieu and more, putting Dune on film was never going to be an easy task; even celebrated auteur David Lynch’s 1984 effort failed to make a mark on the box office, with Lynch describing his work as ‘selling out’.
In 2021, Denis Villenueve's attempt, however, became a critical, commercial, and cinematic success, winning six Academy Awards and pulling nearly half a billion dollars at the box office. In order to do this, Villenueve invested heavily on making the best props possible—a task that drew the attention of veteran Hollywood propmaster Doug Harlocker. Aside from the weapons, personal effects, décor and thousands of other elements that make up the Dune films’ sets, Villenueve sought a wrist device for the Fremen—blue-eyed, hardy natives of planet Arrakis—who are central to Dune's century-spanning storyline. Harlocker and Hamilton joined forces; producing concept sketches and prototypes that drew on our second 1950’s highlight—the Hamilton Ventura, an iconic timepiece well-known for being Elvis Presley’s favourite wristwatch.
The final product was an eye-catching blend of asymmetrical casing and industrial finishing that feels somewhere between cyberpunk and Star Wars; dotted with plenty of texture, bold angles and in a nod to the Fremen’s cerulean gaze. Keeping in with Hamilton’s limited-edition releases for 2020’s Tenet, the watchmakers have chosen to opt for two different designs based on the Ventura template for those looking to replicate the film’s ‘Desert Watch’ design, and the results look promising.
Spec-wise, both designs render a minimalist and maximalist interpretation of the original prop. The XXL Bright offers a 52x46.6mm case in black, PVD-coated stainless steel, a thickness of under 12mm, 50m of water resistance and a quartz movement—all affixed to a plain black rubber strap. The casing edges are relatively simple as well, with most of Hamilton’s attention being directed to the deep black dial, which offers a stripped-down take on the film prop’s asymmetric form, offering a blue backlight when activated by a pusher on the left side of the case. The hands are finished in ‘or noir’ brass, with a light application of lume on the Dauphine-style hour, minute and second hands.
The Ventura Edge model kicks things up a notch with slightly different dimensions at 51x47.2mm and just under 14mm in thickness, but a much-busier dial, boasting a vertically arranged seven-segment LED display and light ring in faint blue, both of which glow in a soft rise and fall on activating the pusher. This watch ups the ante with Dune’s various aesthetic influences—flanking the numerals with a 3D circuit board effect, adding angles to the Ventura case edges, and a bit of raised texture to the rubber strap. The movement remains the same and so does the stainless steel-PVD coating.
The XXL Bright is limited to 3,000 pieces, while the Edge is more exclusive with 2,000 examples in production. The XXL Bright will retail at USD 1,750 (Rs 1,45,031) while the Edge costs more at USD 2,500 (Rs 2,07,187).
Image Credits: Hamilton International Ltd.