Hamilton and Ubisoft Blur the Digital and Physical with an Exclusive Watch For Far Cry 6
Swiss watchmaker Hamilton has long been associated with movies, with custom-designed watches featuring in classics like 2001: A Space Odyssey and modern blockbusters like Christopher Nolan’s Tenet and Interstellar. This week, however, Hamilton makes its debut in gaming thanks to a new interactive collab with Ubisoft. Released to coincide with the launch of Far Cry 6, the new Hamilton Khaki Field Titanium Automatic Far Cry 6 Limited Edition is the first watch to debut in a video game and IRL at the same time.
Watch and video game collabs aren’t exactly new (see: TAG Heuer’s Mario-themed Connected smartwatch, and Seiko’s Street Fighter limited-editions) but this is the first time that a luxury watch brand has taken the next step: creating a watch that doesn’t just pay tribute to a game, but is a part of it.
For newcomers to the Far Cry universe, the popular first-person shooter takes place on the fictional Caribbean island of Yara, which is ruled by the cruel dictator Antón Castillo (played by Breaking Bad actor Giancarlo Esposito). As the hero, Dani Rojas, players fight to free the nation from Castillo’s rule and can receive the new Hamilton timepiece as a reward for completing one of many dangerous guerrilla missions.
“Hamilton’s Khaki Field isn’t merely an accessory choice or functional asset but is truly integrated into Yara’s history with a connection to the island’s deposed leader,” says Omar Bouali, Game Content Director at Ubisoft Toronto. “It’s a small detail that adds immense authenticity to the cinematic world we’ve created.”
Back in the real world, the new Hamilton Khaki Field Titanium Automatic Far Cry 6 Limited Edition mirrors the one worn in the game, with a brushed titanium case, a black vinyl dial with a matte centre, and a red seconds hand (a nod to Yara’s guerrilla forces). Powered by the H-10 automatic movement, it features an 80-hour power reserve with a skeletonized rotor on display via the open case back. It is priced at $1,460 and limited to 1983 pieces.
As a watch, it adds some compelling new details to the classic Khaki Field (especially for fans of Far Cry), but its real significance is conceptual. The collab reveals the enormous potential watchmakers have to experiment with the digital space and create products that exist in the virtual world and the real one simultaneously. As they have in film over the last 75 years, Hamilton is taking its place forefront of this new era in watch design.
All images courtesy of Hamilton.
