For the release of the second movie of the Dune trilogy, Hamilton teamed up with Legendary Entertainment and Warner Bros. Pictures. At the special request of filmmaker Denis Villeneuve, the brand created a special “Desert Watch” featured in the movie. So, to celebrate the release of the Dune: Part Two and the brand’s part in it, Hamilton is now releasing the futuristic Hamilton Ventura Edge Dune and Ventura XXL Bright Dune. These two limited editions are inspired by the watch from the movie. They make for a remarkable duo that proves once more that Hamilton does big things as part of the movie industry.
My first introduction to Dune dates back to the late 1990s when I became a big fan of a hardcore band called Shai Hulud. It’s not a very obvious name for a band, so I had to find out what it was all about. That’s when I discovered that the Shai Hulud are large sandworms that live on the fictional planet Arrakis, the home of the Fremen people and where the Dune books take place. It’s a weird way of getting familiar with Frank Herbert’s science-fiction novels. But by choosing that band name, I suspect many people unfamiliar with Dune were introduced to the remarkable series. I have to admit, though, that I never finished it. I started passionately but quit for some reason while reading the fourth part and never came back to it. It’s one of those things that I would have done differently now.
But luckily, we now have the movies. While the Dune trilogy on the silver screen can never be as detailed and impressive as the books, I was genuinely excited about the release of the first Dune movie. Over the decades, the series of books had always been deemed impossible to transfer to the silver screen but not necessarily because it is unfilmable. Many of the books’ iconic passages make for great cinematic moments. Rather, it was due to the sheer volume, the different narrators, and how much individual character development would need to be crammed into one movie. Still, the first movie set the stage for the story perfectly. Hopefully, the second and third parts will further deepen the story in a way that does the Dune novels justice.
For Dune: Part Two, Dennis Villeneuve requested to have a watch specially made. This led to Hamilton working with the movie’s prop master Doug Harlocker. The goal was to create a watch that defies the shapes and functions of a traditional one. It was to become an instrument that did not have a specific set of functions.
But inspired by Frank Herbert’s books and Dennis Villeneuve’s artistic vision for the movies, the Hamilton design team developed the “Desert Watch.” The result is a distinctly Fremen device fitting Harlocker’s creative ideas and getting Villeneuve’s blessing to be used in the movie.
The Desert Watch inspired Hamilton to create two limited editions based on the watch from the movie. Because the movie watch is not a working timepiece with traditional functions, the Hamilton designers needed to find a way of integrating the style of the Desert Watch into a more traditional canvas. And what better canvas than the brand’s Ventura? This Hamilton classic lends itself perfectly to two futuristic watches inspired by the Desert Watch prop.
The first is the Ventura XXL Bright Dune, featuring a curved, oversized version of the characteristic Ventura case. It features a black PVD coating and measures 52mm wide, 46.6mm long, and 11.8mm thick. Technically, it also has a 23.5mm lug spacing, but the proprietary strap’s diagonally cut ends render standard aftermarket straps a no-go anyway. Nevertheless, this black rubber strap contributes to a rather low-key appearance, allowing the dial to take center stage.
At its core, it is a traditional black dial with regular white markers and brass hour, minute, and second hands that have received special black treatment. But the special blue pattern on the dial stands out immediately. The blue color takes inspiration from the eyes of the Fremen, the people who play a pivotal part in the Dune stories.
With a movie like Dune: Part Two, that potential is huge. That’s why I do not doubt that Hamilton will sell all 5,000 pieces in no time. Plenty of dedicated fans would gladly pay for a watch like these two. They are the perfect reminder that I should finish the books. Realistically, though, I’ll probably watch the movies first, especially with Dune: Part Two coming out soon. The film debuts on the 29th of February here in the Netherlands. Other countries have different release dates, so check for that and spot the cool Desert Watch that inspired these two limited editions on the silver screen.
For more information, visit the official Hamilton website. Let us know your thoughts on these two timepieces in the comments section. Are you a fan of Dune, and can you relate to these two limited editions? I would love to find out.