24 Hours Later: Hamilton Introduces a Duo of Ventura “Wrist Devices” Inspired by Dune: Part Two

The watchmakers and Warner Bros. Pictures have collaborated on two even more futuristic takes on the Ventura for the upcoming Dune: Part 2.

By Rhonda Riche

Editor-At-Large

Speculative fiction is a fancy name for sci-fi, but it seems a fitting way to describe Hamilton’s newest movie tie-in. The brand has just released two new timepieces – the Ventura XXL Bright Dune Limited Edition and the Ventura Edge Dune Limited Edition – inspired by the movie Dune: Part Two (opening in the US on March 1st).

Hamilton has deep ties to Hollywood, providing period-appropriate timepieces to classics like Men in Black, Interstellar, and current Best Film nominee Oppenheimer.

However, with Frank Herbert’s “Dune” series of books set in a futuristic, intergalactic feudal society, the opportunity for realistic product placement was, well, nil. So, instead, director Denis Villeneuve approached the brand to help design a “wrist device” for the film.

Luckily for fans of the books, films, and the brand’s Ventura collection, both teams collaborated on a pair of Dune: Part Two-themed watches for real life.

The new Hamilton Ventura XXL Bright Dune Limited Edition & Ventura Edge Dune Limited Edition

Desert Watch

It’s not the first time Hamilton has worked with filmmakers to create an imaginary watch. For instance, the brand produced a concept watch that had a compelling cameo in Stanley Kubrick’s 1968 epic 2001: A Space Odyssey .

Yet, despite Hamilton’s Hollywood bona fides, Dune: Part Two proved to be more challenging. Not only is the movie set in the future, but it’s also assumed that the story takes place in a society without watches.

Speculative fiction, at its core, is about world-building. So, even though Hamilton’s designers did not know how the on-screen device functioned, the brand worked with the film’s prop master, Doug Harlocker, to come up with a device that defied traditional watch language.

Denis Villeneuve chose, for Dune: Part One, Abu Dhabi’s Liwa Desert as a double for Arrakis © Variety

Before we continue, it must be noted that Villeneuve’s Dune (2021) was an aesthetically gorgeous film featuring plenty of desert opulence with sets representing the richness of colonial palaces. There was much beauty for the team to draw from for the Part Two collaboration. At the same time, there was a lot to live up to.

Part Two also takes place in the desert, where our hero Paul Atreides (played by Timothée Chalamet) goes to live amongst the indigenous Fremen on the planet Arrakis. Again, Villeneuve is a master of creating fully realized cinematic universes where even small details, such as the look of a wrist device, serve to draw the viewer in.

Hamilton Dune Desert Watch © Legendary Entertainment

Eventually, director Villeneuve signed off on the final design called the “Desert Watch.” Unfortunately, that watch is a limited edition available only on Arrakis. Earthlings can, however, get their hands on two spin-offs of the Desert Watch: the Hamilton Ventura XXL Bright Dune Limited Edition and the Ventura Edge Dune Limited Edition.

Bright Eyes

The asymmetrical Ventura is easily one of the most instantly identifiable timepieces in watchmaking history. Yet, despite its retro-futuristic silhouette lending itself so well to the science fiction genre, this duo doesn’t appear in the upcoming sequel. Still, fans of the books and the first movie will immediately notice many nods to the movie’s themes.

Hamilton Ventura XXL Bright Dune Limited Edition

For example, both Venturas feature a luminous blue design on the dial – a nod to the Fremen’s eye color after they partake in the “spice” – while the Ventura XXL Bright also includes a button that replicates the glowing blue lines of the prop “Desert Watch” dial design. With its prominent size (52 x 46.6mm) and black PVD coating stainless on the steel case, the XXL Bright also carries the gravitas of the prop watch.

Hamilton Ventura XXL Bright Dune Limited Edition

Other touches that hint at the tension between Atreides’ opulent upbringing and the harsher living conditions of the Fremen are conveyed via the “or noir” (black gold) treatment on the XXL Bright’s brass hour, minute, and second hands.

Hamilton Ventura XXL Bright Dune Limited Edition

Finally, as a tribute to the ruggedness of Arrakis, the 3,000-piece Ventura XXL Bright Dune Limited Edition ($1,750) is powered by quartz movement, protected by a sapphire crystal, has a 5 bar (50 m) water resistance, and comes on a durable black rubber strap.

On The Edge

Another cool thing about speculative fiction is that it can present modern-day issues from a different point of view.

For instance, just as you can read the “Dune” series as an allegory for anything from the environmental crisis to the rise of the modern oligarch, the Edge Dune Limited Edition, featuring a blue digital display, repositions the signatures of the Ventura by mimicking the relief elements seen on Desert Watch in the film.

Hamilton Ventura Edge Dune Limited Edition

Slightly smaller than the XXL Bright, the Edge’s angular 51x 47.2mm case is once again rendered in matte black PVD. Limited to 2,000 pieces, the Ventura Edge Dune Limited Edition is priced at $2,500.