In Europe, where I live, movie theaters have been open for several months. My city has three large theaters, and two things have become quite clear about them post-lockdown:

1. Very few people are allowed in at one time, and even fewer people actually go.

2. So far the theaters have only been playing old movies (that’s been a treat – The Shining, anyone?) and movies released just before the COVID-19 lockdown went into effect.

But last week a new movie came to the theaters after being delayed three times due to the pandemic. And it has been getting a whole lot of attention as one of the few – and perhaps only big-budget – post-lockdown new Hollywood productions to take a chance on releasing: Tenet.

A scene from the Christoper Nolan film ‘Tenet’ starring John David Washington (left) and Robert Pattinson

One of the big beneficiaries of this has been the product placement partners of the Christopher Nolan-written and directed feature film. Including Hamilton as the official watch. My daughter came home from seeing a 70 mm projection in our favorite local theater, raving both about the quality of the high resolution of this specialty format – particularly when we’re now so used to seeing digital films – and the quality of the complex film.

Hamilton’s blue-numbered prop watch for ‘Tenet’

One of the other things she noted to me later was that a wristwatch filled the frame more than once, leaving her wondering what it was (she is my daughter, after all). I smiled and filled her in.

The Hamilton Khaki Navy BeLOWZERO seen in Tenet

This is not the first time Hamilton has collaborated with wristwatches on a Christopher Nolan movie; the first was The Murph created for Interstellar back in 2014.

And like Interstellar, Tenet uses time as one of its main themes, running like a gold thread through the complicated plot.

Hamilton’s red-numbered prop watch for ‘Tenet’

Hamilton reports that working on Tenet, which stars John David Washington and Robert Pattinson, was the biggest and most extensive collaboration between the watch brand’s design team and the movie’s production design team yet, as the film required a watch with features (including a digital countdown) that Hamilton did not – and still does not – commercially offer.

So Hamilton commenced making the movie prop over an 18-month period that included technical development, testing, and production in order to arrive at the technology necessary to create the Khaki Navy BeLOWZERO seen on the big screen.

Meeting the needs of Nolan’s team, Hamilton produced dozens of the prop watch – reports on movie sites say about 30 pieces – and even sent watchmakers to the set for support.

Hamilton’s BeLOWZERO limited edition piece with red-tipped second hand

The Khaki Navy BeLOWZERO with the large red or blue numbers across the dial as seen in the film is a prop, but Hamilton has also released two all-black special editions with a blue- or red-tipped second hand inspired by the wrist props and special use of these colors in the movie that anyone can buy.

Hamilton’s BeLOWZERO limited edition piece with blue-tipped second hand

The film’s production designer Nathan Crowley created the special packaging the watch comes in, and it too features these colors.

Hamilton’s BeLOWZERO limited edition piece with red-tipped second hand

Why red and blue? I guess you’ll have to go see the film to find out.

For more information, please visit hamiltonwatch.com/en-us/khaki-navy-belowzero-auto-limited-edition.

Quick Facts Hamilton Khaki Navy BeLOWZERO Limited Edition
Case: 46 mm, black PVD-coated titanium, 1000 m water resistance
Movement: automatic Caliber H-10 (ETA C07.111 base) with 80-hour power reserve, 21,600 vph/3 Hz frequency
Functions: hours, minutes, seconds
Limitation: 888 pieces each with red or blue-tipped second hand
Price: $2,095/€1,945/CHF 2,100

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