On November 11, Hamilton hosted its annual Behind the Camera Awards in Los Angeles. The award show, which alternates between China and Los Angeles every year, received its largest star turnout ever. Bellamy Young, of ABC’s Scandal, hosted the event while presenters included A-listers such as Denzel Washington, Matthew McConaughey, Natalie Portman, Mel Gibson, Ewan McGregor, and Mark Wahlberg.
The show honors those who work behind the scenes in rarely recognized but crucial positions such as cinematography, costume design, screenwriting, composing, and film editing.
“Being a film editor, if the work I do gets noticed, I’m not doing a very good job, said Maryann Brandon, one award winner. “But I’m super happy Hamilton noticed me.”
The ceremony also served as a preview for the approaching award season that is sure to overwhelm media coverage in the coming months. Highly anticipated films such as Damien Chazelle’s La La Land, Gibson’s Hacksaw Ridge, and Barry Jenkins’ Moonlight were all honored.
“As in watchmaking, the best movies are made with passion,” said Hamilton’s International CEO, Sylvain Dolla. “This is the reason why the Hamilton Behind the Camera Awards honors the most passionate people, the ones who make a movie so special and unique.”
Hamilton has a long history in the film industry, first appearing in the Elvis Presley vehicle, Blue Hawaii in 1961. However, its most notable wrist appearances have been in films set beyond Earth’s atmosphere such as Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey, and most recently a remarkable role in Christopher Nolan’s Interstellar.
Hamilton’s cinematic outer space history inspired the Hamilton ODC X-03 timepiece, which was released at a dinner party for VIPs and friends of the brand the night before in Los Angeles. The watch received design input from three-time Oscar nominee and Interstellar production designer Nathan Crowley. The ODC X-03 is propelled by three separate movements enclosed in a 49 x 52 mm case and includes gaskets and rivets inspired by the Endurance spaceship. A realistic, 3D-printed image of Jupiter is behind the local time, home time, and Coordinated Universal Time subdials. Limited to 999 pieces, Hamilton’s latest release deserves a place in the watch drawer of any science fiction film buff. – Logan R. Baker