Hamilton And Christopher Nolan Create A Watch Inspired By ‘The Odyssey’
Christopher Nolan's new film, *The Odyssey*, has inspired Hamilton's latest limited-edition timepiece, extending their unique cinematic partnership. Known for exploring time in films like *Interstellar* and *Oppenheimer*, Nolan's collaboration for *The Odyssey*, set in the Bronze Age, yields a watch "born from myth." The Khaki Field Auto The Odyssey features a bronze case, design elements from Odysseus's helmet and sword, and Nolan's signature. Limited to 2,112 pieces, it also includes a replica Athena pin. This exemplifies Hamilton's strategy of making watches storytelling devices, moving beyond product placement to a core brand identity.
Christopher Nolan’s fascination with time is one of the defining themes of his films.
In Memento (2000), he told the story of a man with short-term memory loss in reverse chronology. Inception (2010) explored dream worlds where time stretches exponentially, while Tenet (2020) turned time inversion into the central mechanic of a spy thriller.
That preoccupation with time has also led to a long-running collaboration with Hamilton, which has worked with Nolan on several films.
For Interstellar (2014), Hamilton created a prop watch that played a pivotal role in the story, allowing protagonist Cooper to transmit data to his daughter in Morse code from another dimension. The prop became so popular that Hamilton later released a commercial version, the Khaki Field Murph.
For Tenet, Hamilton developed a custom prop watch combining analog and digital displays to reflect the film’s shifting timelines and temporal chaos.
In the Oscar-winning Oppenheimer (2023), Hamilton supplied six period-appropriate vintage watches for the production. In a promotional film about the collaboration, Nolan described Oppenheimer as “one big countdown to this world-changing event,” adding that “the portrayal of time, the importance of time to the characters in the story, is enormously important.”
Nolan’s latest film, The Odyssey, which opens July 17, is set in an era long before mechanical timekeeping. Rather than creating a watch for a character to wear on screen, Hamilton collaborated with Nolan on a limited-edition timepiece inspired by the film itself. Described by the company as a “timepiece born from myth,” the watch incorporates symbols, materials and imagery drawn from the epic.
The new Khaki Field Auto The Odyssey Limited Edition features design elements based on the helmet and sword of the film's hero, Odysseus. Its 42mm bronze case reflects the armor and weaponry of the Bronze Age while reinforcing the connection to ancient craftsmanship. The case is based on the Khaki Field Automatic and features a circular-brushed finish.
A titanium caseback is engraved with Odysseus’ helmet alongside Christopher Nolan’s signature.
The black brushed dial carries a bronze pattern inspired by the helmet’s texture, while a symbol at 12 o'clock references a rivet from the hero’s sword scabbard. Three bronze-colored sword-shaped hands are modeled after Odysseus’ blade.
The watch is paired with a brown grained leather strap with central stitching and a titanium pin buckle.
Hamilton also includes a replica of the goddess Athena’s pin, presented to Odysseus by Penelope and worn in the film as a talisman. Designed to be worn as a brooch, it is housed in black-and-bronze packaging featuring a metallic shield emblem, commemorative plaque and the replica pin.
Production is limited to 2,112 pieces. Hamilton says the number references the importance of 12 throughout Homer's Odyssey, which contains approximately 12,000 lines. In the epic, 12 ships sail to Troy, and Odysseus proves his identity by shooting an arrow through 12 axe heads.
Hamilton’s ties to Hollywood are unusually deep. While many Swiss watch brands rely on celebrity ambassadors or long-running franchise partnerships—such as Omega's association with the James Bond films—Hamilton has built its reputation by working with the people behind the camera.
The company has cultivated relationships with prop masters, costume designers and production designers, whose decisions often determine which watches appear on screen. The strategy has paid off: Hamilton says its watches have appeared in more than 500 films.
The collaboration with The Odyssey shows how Hamilton’s decades-long presence in Hollywood has evolved beyond product placement. For Nolan, watches have become storytelling devices. For Hamilton, filmmaking has become part of its brand identity.