Hamilton is the only watch brand to showcase, on the Italian version of their official website, a page specifically dedicated to “Watches and Cinema.” It proves how active is the link between the brand and the film industry; I grew up when the brand had partnered with Stanley Kubrick‘s 2001 A Space Odyssey and just described, a couple of weeks ago, how significant was the Khaki Murph in the making of Interstellar.
However, Hamilton Watch first appeared in a movie more than eighty years ago when the Hamilton Flintridge and the Hamilton Piping Rock appeared in Shanghai Express. The Ventura is the last in a row of wristwatches not to simply appear in films or tv series but play an active role instead.
The Hamilton Ventura has this year doubled its presence, as did the brand when it created a new contemporary take on the Ventura alongside the classic one. They share the same signature case design, something you hate or love, that makes this timepiece unique.
The former, technically more refined, is the Hamilton Ventura Skeleton, appeared in Iron Man and showing up later in Spiderman: Homecoming, the last chapter of the saga.
The latter is instead the Hamilton Ventura Quartz, standard equipment to agents M and H in the sequel to Men in Black, the first ironic take on the alien-invasion genre, where Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones, wearing a Blues Brothers‘ outfit like, have been replaced by two new actors, on of them being the American actress Tessa Thompson.
Let’s be frank: the Ventura is unusual. It is not the kind of watch that’s sitting on top of your list if you’re ready to buy your first one unless you specifically desire a Ventura. Tony Stark is, for example, a perfect character for the Skeleton as are fashion trendsetters, even though the Ventura has a large following already.
The first to have ever wrapped it around his wrist was Elvis Presley, who turned this odd watch into a status symbol. Kudos to Hamilton watch for often conceiving out-of-the-box products that add to core collections like the Khaki.
If we compare the Skeleton to the original version, we reckon the brand has transformed a thin and triangular-shaped edgy timepiece into a more modern, smoother, technically advanced, and avant-garde product. The skeletonized dial mimics the Spider logo visible on our hero’s suit and is black as the PVD-treated steel case. Is it just a design exercise? It is not, since it guarantees at least 80 hours of power reserve too. It is one of the best-crafted Hamilton watches I have ever seen, and one of the most comfortable I have ever worn.
When Will Smith played in the original “Men in Black” released in 1997, he was wearing a Hamilton Ventura Quartz chronograph. That film became a cult, and agent M, one of the two agents starring in Men in Black: International, played by actress Tessa Thompson, wears a Hamilton Ventura Quartz.
Compared to the Skeleton, the Hamilton Ventura Quartz is a whole different watch. Although the movie takes place in the future, Tessa wears an almost exact re-issue of the 1957 original watch.
Though Hamilton watches are dated back in 1893, the story of the Hamilton Ventura watches hit the air in the 1950s, few years before the brand had cut off its operations in America. With the help of their consultant designer, Richard Arbib, the company was able to create a revolutionary caliber. Which could run by the power of a mechanical movement, as well as an electrical battery. Following the modernization that was across diverse regions, Hamilton Ventura was forged to help instill the uniqueness of the Rock ‘n’ Roll music genre, which everyone believed had to follow a rare classic style and, very distinctive from the rest.
In 2015, while commemorating what would have been the 80th birthday of American singer Elvis Presley, the Swiss watch company brought out their new collection of the Ventura, Hamilton Ventura Elvis. A collection which has been warmly welcomed by men, following its inherent triangular-shaped design and the iconic attributes which it still holds.