Many watch companies enjoy film and television appearances, although Hamilton takes a far more collaborative approach to working with the entertainment industry. Rather than simply supplying existing models to costume departments, Hamilton will often work closely with the filmmakers to create bespoke prop timepieces that bring their unique visions to life. Since 1932, Hamilton watches have appeared in more than 500 Hollywood films and TV shows, and the Swiss (formerly American) brand has rightfully earned its nickname as the “Watchmaker of Filmmakers.”

The world of science fiction lends itself particularly well to the integration of unique watches, and for both Interstellar (2014) and Tenet (2020), Hamilton worked collaboratively with the filmmakers to create unique timepieces that played important on-screen roles. However, beyond just producing prop watches, Hamilton also uses its screen-worn timepieces as the aesthetic inspiration for commercially available models that are infused with details from their respective films. This practice has yielded limited-edition offerings like the Khaki Navy BeLOWZERO Tenet Special Edition and the Khaki Field “Murph” watch, which was based on the timepiece from Interstellar and proved to be so popular that Hamilton expanded the Murph into an entire sub-collection earlier this year.

Among the bigger Hollywood blockbusters to emerge in 2024 was Dune: Part Two, and similar to how Hamilton produced bespoke watches for both Interstellar and Tenet, the Swiss brand stepped in to play the role of prop maker and created a wrist-worn device that could be worn by characters in the film. I specifically use the words “wrist-worn device” because the wrist-mounted creation that appears in the movie isn’t actually a watch, and since the screen-worn device cannot tell the time, Hamilton is not producing a commercially available version of the movie prop. Instead, Hamilton combined the aesthetic of the otherworldly movie device with one of its most futuristic and recognizable models to produce two different limited-edition versions of the Ventura wristwatch.

While there will inevitably be some who wish Hamilton had maintained the ultra-bold styling of the movie prop and simply made a watch version of the screen-worn device, it is fairly understandable why the brand opted for something a bit more traditional and wearable. With that in mind, this modernized expression of the Ventura’s triangular case could almost be seen as a streamlined rendition of the device’s chunky asymmetric housing, and when seeing the commercially available watches alongside the movie prop, it is immediately obvious why Hamilton chose the retro-futuristic Ventura as the foundation for its Dune-themed models. While the first of the two watches (ref. H24614330) is a three-handed quartz piece, the second model featured here (ref. H24624330) is known as the Ventura Edge Dune Limited Edition, and it is a digital watch with a textured dial plate that recalls the appearance of the device from the movie.

Crafted from stainless steel with a matte-black PVD coating, the case of the Hamilton Ventura Edge Dune Limited Edition appears in the Ventura’s signature triangular profile, although it is a highly modern expression of this distinct style that is noticeably more angular and bold than what you get from traditional Ventura models. Protecting the dial is a curved sapphire crystal with a cambered edge, while the reverse side of the watch receives a solid screw-on caseback that is engraved with a planet emblem and each watch’s limited-edition number out of 2,000 examples. Sitting between two guards on the right-hand side of the case is a single push-button that sits within a housing adorned by a thin blue ring, and while water is a rare commodity on the fictional planet of Arrakis where Dune: Part Two takes place, the Hamilton Ventura Edge Dune Limited Edition still offers a rather respectable 100-meter depth rating.

The Hamilton Ventura Edge Dune Limited Edition has a total weight of approximately 109 grams (including its strap and buckle), although the rest of its on-paper dimensions require a bit more explanation. The case measures 47mm wide (counting its button guards) by 51mm in the lug-to-lug direction, and the total height of the watch comes in at 13.8 thick, including its domed sapphire crystal. With that in mind, these on-paper dimensions are rather deceiving due to the unique profile of the Ventura’s case, and the watch ultimately wears significantly smaller than the downright formidable numbers on its spec sheet. A triangle occupies less visual space than a circle or rectangle of similar outer dimensions, and while a traditional round watch with these same specs would be comically large on the wrist, the Ventura Edge Dune Limited Edition manages to be definitively bold yet surprisingly wearable.

The textured dial plate of the Hamilton Ventura Edge Dune Limited Edition features a three-dimensional structure that mirrors the appearance of the screen-worn prop, and while its surface is primarily finished matte black to match the case, some of the smaller elements are polished steel to provide additional visual intrigue and contrast. All of the various mechanics on the dial plate are purely for cosmetic purposes, although two apertures are cut into the left-hand side of the dial’s surface that reveal a pair of blue-colored digital screens. The hours are displayed on the upper screen, while the minutes appear on the lower one, and since the Ventura Edge Dune Limited Edition is a simple time-only watch, there aren’t any extensive modes or functions (beyond the setting mode) that need to be navigated with its minimalist one-button interface.

The two digital screens on the Hamilton Ventura Edge Dune Limited Edition feature blue numerals with an inverted appearance (meaning that the numbers are lighter than the background), although I find them to be far more legible than a significant portion of the other inverted screens that I have personally encountered. While the two screens offer a dim blue-on-black appearance in the daylight, pressing the button on the side of the case will light up the borders of the numerals with a bright blue light that also illuminates one of the cosmetic components in the center of the dial. A single press of the button will light up the watch for approximately five seconds, and the cosmetic component in the center of the dial glows with a subtle animation that gets brighter and then fades before all of the lights go out completely.

The Hamilton Ventura Edge Dune Limited Edition runs on a battery-powered Swiss digital quartz movement, with the one button on the side of its case serving as the sole way of interacting with its internals. Pressing the button once will illuminate the display; however, holding the button will engage the setting mode, which I found quite easy to navigate, even without reading the instructions. In the setting mode, the number being adjusted will flash, and while pressing the button once changes the value of that number, holding the button will change the number being adjusted, which sequentially cycles through the hours, minutes, and seconds, before exiting the setting mode and reverting to the time-telling screen. Completing the Ventura Edge Dune Limited Edition is a black rubber strap with a matching PVD-coated buckle, and the strap tapers from 23mm at the case down to 20mm on the underside of the wrist, with its ends shaped to form an integrated appearance with the case.

Beyond creating bespoke props for films and movie-themed watches that can be enjoyed by the general public, Hamilton truly integrates itself within the film and television industry, and since 2006, the Swiss brand has hosted the Hamilton Behind the Camera Awards to recognize the off-screen individuals who make our favorite cinematic experiences possible. Recipients of the awards specialize in everything from editing and animation to makeup and production design; however, all of the honorees are specifically united by their off-screen roles within the industry. While a talented cast is always an obligatory ingredient in creating a successful movie or TV show, it takes a collective effort to truly breathe life into a production, and the Hamilton Behind the Camera Awards aims to recognize standout individuals who play crucial but less publicly visible roles in creating our favorite pieces of cinema.

The 13th edition of the Hamilton Behind the Camera Awards took place this year in Hollywood on November 14th, 2024, and presenters included a star-studded list of names, such as Amy Poehler, Pamela Anderson, Elle Fanning, David Leitch, and Hans Zimmer. Since the recipients are specifically being recognized for their standout off-screen work, many of their names will likely only be familiar to those who are film and TV enthusiasts, and this is exactly why the Hamilton Behind the Camera Awards exists in the first place. With that in mind, among this year’s guests receiving awards was Ryan Reynolds, who was presented with the Screenwriter Award for his work on Deadpool & Wolverine.

2024 Hamilton Behind the Camera Awards Honorees:

• Editing: Joe Walker (Dune: Part Two)
• Stunts: Chris O’Hara (The Fall Guy)
• Animation: Kelsey Mann (Inside Out 2)
• Sound: Steve Morrow, Erik Aadahl, Ethan Ver Der Ryn, Tom Ozanich, Dean A. Zupancic (Joker: Folie à Deux)
• Production Design: Nora Mendis (Nickel Boys)
• Score: Jon Batiste (Saturday Night)
• Hair & Makeup: Julia Floch-Carbonel, Simon Livet & Romain Marietti (Emilia Perez)
• Cinematography: John Mathieson (Gladiator 2)
• Costume Design: Arianne Phillips (A Complete Unknown)
• Director: Gia Coppola (The Last Showgirl)
• Property Master: Kendra Eaves (Anora)
• Screenwriter: Ryan Reynolds (Deadpool & Wolverine)

A constant theme across all of the categories recognized by the Hamilton Behind the Camera Awards is the attention to detail that gives life to a cinematic production, and since the Ventura Edge Dune Limited Edition aims to be a more practical and wearable expression of the screen-worn movie prop, its packaging is where you will find many of the most obvious Dune-themed design elements that make it feel like a true movie-inspired timepiece. The exterior of the box is inspired by the “thumper” devices that are used to summon the giant sandworms on the fictional planet, while the interior is designed to look like one of the sets from the film, and inside the box resides a display stand that places the watch upon a sealed container of “spice” — the quasi-magical substance with the power to bend time and space that serves that as the origin of conflict within the Dune universe.

Part of me still wishes that Hamilton had made a third Dune-inspired model that was (more-or-less) an exact recreation of the movie prop, although had the brand adhered too closely to the design of the screen-worn device, the resulting model would have inevitably been a film-themed horological novelty, rather than a watch that someone could wear on a daily basis. Given that the Hamilton Ventura Edge Dune Limited Edition (ref. H24624330) is a Swiss-made timepiece with an official retail price of $2,500 USD, I can certainly understand the desire for the 2,000-piece limited edition to be an item that can organically be paired with more than just a Dune-inspired Halloween costume, and this unique digital expression of the Ventura strikes a nice balance of being visually similar to the screen-worn prop, while still being something that Dune fans can actually wear as their everyday watch. For more information on the Hamilton Ventura Edge Dune Limited Edition watch and the Hamilton Behind The Camera Awards, please visit the brand’s website.