Hamilton Watches Are True To The Role In The Film Oppenheimer

Timepieces for men in film are what jewels are to women –a device to enhance, add authenticity or develop and define character. Think back to James Bond. In Ian Fleming’s eleventh book of the Bond series, On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, published in 1963: ‘James sees a “heavy Rolex Oyster Perpetual” on a metal watch bracelet as he awakes in the middle of the night.’ In all future 007 adventures, Fleming remains true to Rolex. The original Bond man, Sean Connery wore a Rolex Submariner in the first of the films Dr No (1962) and wore them in his subsequent six films as Bond. Later, Roger Moore’s 007 wore Seikos until 1995, when Omega won the bid to become the official 007 watch. Pierce Brosnan and Daniel Craig both sported them in their roles as Bond.

Cartier, Rolex, IWC Schaffhausen and Bremont are brands we see in films from Hollywood’s heyday through contemporary cinema, and some of those watches were owned by the actors who wore them in real life and in the movies.

Therefore it’s not surprising that the innovative American brand with Swiss precision, Hamilton, founded in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, in 1892, which synchronized the first railroads and kept time for aviation pioneers, and the U.S. has collaborated with the movie industry since 1932. The company’s watches have appeared in 500 feature films and TV shows.

What’s most compelling about its association with Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer, which opened in theaters yesterday on July 21, 2023, is that instead of being sourced from the company’s vast archives, the timepieces were scouted out and then lent by vintage watch collectors. Reports Hamilton, “Tapping our network of enthusiasts and collectors, we sourced six vintage references, leveraging period- specific timepieces from the 1930s and 1940s.”

Nolan worked on previous films with Hamilton: Interstellar and Tenet; therefore, he knew he would get the level of period accuracy and fulfill his attention to detail and vision to work with the company again on Oppenheimer.

The vintage watches were selected to adorn the wrists of three of the film’s central characters: J. Robert Oppenheimer, Katherine “Kitty” Oppenheimer and Lieutenant General Leslie Groves, Jr.

In a promotional video for Hamilton in which writer and director Nolan speaks about making the film, he explains, “We’ve had a great experience working with Hamilton in the past. In Oppenheimer, it was really a case of recreating the history; really looking back at the Hamilton watches and what these characters would have worn at the time” He continued, “They [Hamilton] were incredibly helpful in securing the appropriate watches for these characters. It’s that kind of detailed work, in combination with all of the costume work and the prop work in the film, that becomes so important to involve the audience and the story in a world that they can recognize and has a nice, tactile, relatable sense to it, but that is historically accurate.”

The film is based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning book American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer by Kai Bird and the late Martin J. Sherwin and stars Cillian Murphy as J. Robert Oppenheimer and Emily Blunt as his wife, biologist and botanist Katherine “Kitty” Oppenheimer. Oscar® winner Matt Damon portrays General Leslie Groves, Jr., director of the Manhattan Project, and Robert Downey, Jr. plays Lewis Strauss, a founding commissioner of the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission. The cast also includes other award-winning A-listers in a variety of roles as the film takes place from the 1920s onward.

The watches were chosen for the three main characters.

For J. Robert Oppenheimer, The Cushion B, Endicott and Lexington were selected as “each embody heritage American design with flourishes of Art Deco styling. The references balance scientific precision and focus with a pioneering spirit of individuality.” says a statement for Hamilton.

Kitty Oppenheimer wears the Lady Hamilton A-2 in 14K gold.

Lieutenant General Leslie Groves, Jr Hamilton’s military background is enhanced by the Military Ordnance and Piping Rock styles.

Watch out for the timepieces; they help to define the authenticity of character and are also some great vintage pieces to admire.

A short list of additional contemporary films Hamilton has played a role in include:

Indiana Jones & The Dial of Destiny (2023)

Men in Black I (1997), III (2012) & IV (2019

The Matrix Resurrections (2022)

Independence Day (2016)

Pearl Harbour (2001)