The latest adventure of a watch company into the fictional world has resulted in the Hamilton Boulton Death Stranding 2. In partnership with Hideo Kojima, the creator of the blockbuster apocalyptic video game, Death Standing, Hamilton has produced a watch modelled on the in-game timepiece worn by pivotal character Neil in Death Stranding 2: On the Beach.
Unlikely collaborations between watchmakers and creative luminaries are not new. Depeche Mode and Hublot come immediately to mind – a relationship that began with Martin Gore, the founding member of the electronica giants, casually walking into a Hublot boutique in Prague during a bored moment and Jean-Claude Bibet happening to be there.
Or what about the whole unlikely (but somehow weirdly inevitable) horology/dance music bromance? Richard Mille and Pharrell Williams, Zenith and Carl Cox, Audemars Piguet and Synapson and – perhaps the most eyebrow-hiking example of all – Bulgari teaming up with DJ and Dim Oak Records founder Steve Aoki? And that’s before we get into fictional territory (over to Audemars Piguet, and their 2018 Royal Oak Concept Black Panther Flying Tourbillon concept).
Hamilton Boulton Death Stranding 2 Limited Edition with individual numbering on the caseback.
Kojima has built up enough clout over the years to draw world-class actors like Norman Reedus and Léa Seydoux into his fictional realm and has also collaborated with the storytellers behind Dune: Part Two, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny and Interstellar. His next creative effort – Death Stranding 2: On the Beach is one of the most anticipated games of 2025. Watch loverss will discover in the game’s fictional world a futuristic take on Hamilton’s eternally elegant, art deco-esque Boulton watch, themed around that particular release – will be the main talking point.
The aesthetics here – notably how the indicators juxtapose so eloquently with the orange-lacquered seconds hand and black PVD titanium bracelet – truly justify the joining of such unlikely creative forces. Inside, meanwhile, a three-hand automatic 25-jewel movement (including seven sapphire crystals) packs an impressive 80 hours of timekeeping power. A Nivachron™ balance spring meanwhile – should a sci-fi-ish apocalyptic scenario ever demand it – will offer enhanced resistance to magnetic fields, as well as abrupt changes in temperature and shocks, to its mere 2,000 owners.
The Hamilton Boulton Death Stranding 2 comes in a bespoke box and cleaning cloth inspired by the game.
Meanwhile, this is not Hamilton’s first brush with futuristic mayhem. “More than half a century ago, one of my favourite film directors – Stanley Kubrick – commissioned Hamilton to create the watch that appears in 2001: A Space Odyssey,” explains Kojima. “I feel very honoured to have been able to create the watch that appears in my latest work.
Adds Kojima Productions’ creative director Yoji Shinkawa: “It took more than two years to design and develop the watch, in parallel with the production of the game. If it was just to appear in the game, we could have designed it freely. But we spent a lot of time on the design to make it into a product that actually functions as a watch while also conveying the atmosphere of the game.
“We believe we’ve created a watch that is futuristic and yet also has a high-class feel that smoothly fits in the real world. At first glance, it may seem very simple, but when you pick it up, you will feel the extremely high-quality essence backed by Hamilton’s advanced technical and production capabilities.”
Author: Nick Scott
If you like Hamilton watches, you may like to read about the recently released Hamilton Jazzmaster Performer Auto Chrono.
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