12/22/2021

Resurrected: Going Into The Matrix With The Hamilton PSR MTX

This limited edition digital watch is the year’s best movie tie-in.

By Rhonda Riche

Editor-At-Large

I don’t know about you, but the memory of seeing the 1999 film The Matrix for the first time still feels very fresh in my mind. Lilly and Lana Wachowski's movie changed cinema forever by its visual language – the slow-mo bullets, the minimalist costumes, the digital "green rain."

Almost 30 years before The Matrix hit the screens, Hamilton premiered the Pulsar Time Computer, the world's first watch with an LED (light-emitting diode) display. The technology lit a fuse that exploded the watch industry.

The Matrix Resurrections Movie

Now The Matrix and the Pulsar are back in the zeitgeist. In 2020, Hamilton revived its revolutionary digital watch as the PSR. And this December, the fourth film in the series, The Matrix Resurrections, hit movie theatres. If you’re a science fiction and a watch fan, you could only get more excited if there was a Matrix watch.

Get ready to have your mind blown.

Reloaded

The new Hamilton PSR MTX is a retro-futuristic tribute to the cinematic universe of The Matrix. Limited to 1,999 pieces in homage to the year the original premiered, this timepiece pays stylistic tribute to the movie's art direction. It's all black, just like Carrie-Anne Moss' shiny trench coat. It replaces the PSR's with a red LED display with green numerals that recall the lines of code representing the Matrix's program (the digital rain motif is also engraved on the case back). And it comes in special packaging that will no doubt thrill any fanboy or girl.

The New Hamilton PSR MTX

Why are The Matrix and the PSR MTX still so relevant today? The original film’s themes felt very novel, and the story was set in a world that felt very relatable in 1999. Instead of silver jumpsuits and flying cars, The Matrix had grey suits and cubicles. That sensation of crossing a line between the real and virtual worlds has become even more pronounced since the movie came out.

The New Hamilton PSR MTX

Revolutions

Hamilton has a long history with Hollywood – the original Pulsar was first ideated for Stanley Kubrick’s 1968 epic 2001: A Space Odyssey. According to Vivian Stauffer, Hamilton’s CEO, “With over 500 movie and TV appearances to date, our work with filmmakers has become a key part of Hamilton’s story. This connection is apparent when we discuss projects like creating the ‘Murph’ for Interstellar, or the enhanced BeLOWZERO seen in Tenet.”

The New Hamilton PSR MTX

In the case of Interstellar (2014) and Tenet (2020), where the watches had vital roles in the story, the Hamilton team worked with the art department to get the timepieces ready for their closeups—learning the intricacies of cinematic storytelling (rather than just loaning out a watch) provided indirect inspiration for the PSR MTX.

The New Hamilton PSR MTX

“While it isn’t worn in The Matrix Resurrections, we see such a clear link between the story of the world’s first digital watch and the digital universe of the Matrix,” Stauffer said. “Therefore, we decided to create this limited edition.” This edition also gives its creators a chance to comment on our current, chaotic present.

Engraved Caseback Of The New Hamilton PSR MTX

Stauffer added, “As our digital-centric world continues to evolve with the focus moving from tangible devices to virtual and augmented realities, the PSR serves not only as a reminder of where we began but also as a symbol of what we might achieve next.”

How To Buy

The Matrix Resurrections goes into wide release in theatres and HBO Max on December 22. The Hamilton PSR MTX is limited to 1,999 pieces, is available now, and is priced at $995. For more information, visit the Hamilton website.