Every detail has been faithfully reenacted in director Christopher Nolan’s blockbuster film, Oppenheimer – including the watches the three main characters sport throughout.
Nolan worked closely with watch brand Hamilton, whose watches have appeared in more than 500 movies over the last 90 years, on sourcing vintage models for the film. The watches for J Robert Oppenheimer (Cillian Murphy), Katherine ‘Kitty’ Oppenheimer (Emily Blunt), and Lieutenant General Leslie Groves, Jr (Matt Damon) were called in from Hamilton’s extensive network of collectors and watch enthusiasts around the world.
Oppenheimer: the watches
Hamilton Military Ordnance and Piping Rock
The timepieces featured, dating from the 1930s and 1940s, embody the era’s prevalent design codes, from art deco embellishments to clean, simply drawn silhouettes. For Oppenheimer himself, three models were selected, with the Lexington, Endicott and Cushion B staying faithful to American design traditions. For Kitty Oppenheimer, feminine detailing takes shape in the Lady Hamilton A-2 in 14ct gold. And sporting prowess is the order of the day for Lieutenant General Leslie Groves, Jr with his Military Ordnance and minimalist Piping Rock watches.
Behind the scenes on the set of Oppenheimer
It marks the latest filmmaking venture for Hamilton, which works with filmmakers on developing custom props, providing watches from a current collection, and tracking down elusive pieces.
Hamilton watches first appear on screen in 1932, in Marlene Dietrich’s Shanghai Express. They have since been seem on Elvis Presley’s wrist in Blue Hawaii, Matthew McConaughey’s in 2014 film Interstellar, and Will Smith’s in Men in Black.
Oppenheimer was released in the US and UK on 21 July 2023, by Universal Pictures
Since this article was published, Oppenheimer has been announced winner of Best Picture and six other awards on the BAFTA 2024 stage on 18 February 2023
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