The Story of the Hamilton Ventura
When people think ‘movie watches’, they often think James Bond (Omega Seamaster or Rolex Submariner) and maybe Top Gun or Le Mans. Rarely does one’s mind drift to the extra-terrestrial, that is…Men in Black. And of all the funky, eccentric, watches available, which one sits best on the wrist of a secret government alien hunter? The Hamilton Ventura, of course.
Hamilton Ventura XXL Auto, a remake of the 1957 original with an automatic movement / Credit: Hamilton
Many of you may not be familiar with the Ventura as it is not as popular today as many of the other models we’ve discussed, nor is it as well known as other Hamilton models like the Khaki. Nevertheless, you can rest assured that it is certainly a noteworthy watch.
The Hamilton Ventura was first released in 1957 as the world’s first electric, battery-powered watch; and was surprisingly a movie star long before the release of Men in Black. In fact, the watch first became a hit when it appeared on the wrist of Elvis Presley in 1961, in the film Blue Hawaii. Hamilton itself has had a surprisingly significant role in film, appearing in over 500 movies since the early 1930s. The Ventura was originally designed by Richard Airbib, on request by Hamilton. Airbib was an industrial designer and incorporated many aspects that would become prominent in the 1960s, as futuristic design styles became more popular. Unfortunately, the Ventura was discontinued by Hamilton in 1964, during the heyday of futuristic design styles - but brought back to the shelves in 1988, with continual releases like the 2015 edition to honour the King of Rock’s 80th birthday anniversary.
Since 1997 the watch has appeared on Agents K and J’s wrists in the first 3 installments of Men in Black and also appears in the spinoff released in 2019; with Chris Hemsworth wearing an automatic version and Tessa Thompson with a Japanese quartz model.