The novelty of award season never relents. Each year, we’re delivered the same formula, but the magic continues as we fawn over red carpets, the year’s biggest names, heart-warming films, and meme-worthy speeches. Naturally, there’s only one place on Earth that truly encapsulates the magic of such a ceremony, in the balmy hills of Los Angeles.
Award-season comes and goes, but each year, peering just outside of the mainstream calendar, a ceremony like no other pays tribute to an alternative crowd of Hollywood’s finest: those behind the camera. Paying tribute to the integral crew that bolster the cast of the year’s major blockbusters, the Hamilton Behind the Camera Awards, presented by variety, recognises the magic of cinema, beyond the friendly faces we know and love on screen.
Inaugurated in 2006 by Swiss-American watchmaker, Hamilton, the prizegiving has set out to pay recognition to the individuals working on the leading films of the year. But Hamilton pays more than a role of a sponsor here. Regarded as the watchmaker of filmmakers, Hamilton timepieces have hit the spotlight in more than 500 Hollywood films and TV shows since 1932. Why that year? The release of Shanghai Express, of course. And if you’re going to lay claim to outfitting actors on screen for the rest of history, why not make a debut with two watches, rather than one?
The history is a rich one between the watchmaker and the filmmaker, and in the spirit of uniting these creative universes, the Hamilton Behind the Camera Awards leaves its mark on an expedient Hollywood by championing the underdog, those that curate the details that lend themselves to fine storytelling – just like the roll of a watch.
For this year’s 2024 gala, the leading playmakers of the industry grouped together to celebrate the cinematic success of stellar crews. From Elle Fanning who paid tribute to Costume Designer Arianne Philipps for A Complete Unknown, Pamela Anderson presenting the Director award to Gia Coppola for The Last Showgirl, to Ryan Reynolds’ moving monologue reflecting on the screenwriting of Rob Simonsen for Deadpool vs. Wolverine, the trophied affair, champions those behind the scenes, bringing beauty to life.
Much like the figures unknown that ardently work on every inch of you watch to bring perfection to the wrist, Hamilton’s Behind the Camera Awards also pays homage to the important harmony between cinema and horology. After all, some of the most iconic movie scenes of all time promise some of the best watches. Case in point, go back and watch any recent Nolan films and you’ll be sure to spot a Hamilton or too.
To mark the 2024 Hamilton Behind the Camera Awards, Wonderland caught up with Hamilton CEO, Vivian Stauffer to unpick the partnership, and why a precedent on external collaboration is the key to meeting new wrists.
Wonderland: As heritage goes, you’re in a quite unique position. You’re Swiss made, but you’re also American born. How do you navigate that?
Vivian Stauffer: We are American, of course. We were born in the US in 1892 in Lancaster. That’s the origin of the brand. That’s where we come from and we have to keep this American spirit of innovation. Think of all of the big innovation in the world today, it’s coming from America whether it’s cars, space or a new phone. It’s about taking that idea of ‘anything is possible’ and pairing that with our Swiss heritage and truly activating it to think outside of the box with events like this. If you talk about the first ever electric watch, it’s Hamilton in 1957. Swiss brands at that time would never go into this direction. It was such a traditional way of working that they didn’t think of.
W: You’ve earned the title of watchmaker to the filmmakers. How do you actualise that?
VS: We have three ways of working with the studios. One being providing them watches with Hamilton watches from the current collection at their disposal. The second way is to source vintage watches for like, for example, like we did in Oppenheimer, and the third one is to prop watches. When it’s a prop watch, the relationship is really between the film’s prop master and our Swiss headquarters.
W: How important do you think representation of watches on film helps to bring in a new audience?
VS: It’s huge! It’s very, very powerful and gives visibility to the brand and to the product outside of the Hamilton audience.
W: If there was one film that you wish that you could have Hamilton in, what would it be?
VS: Top Gun: Maverick. But maybe the first one, too. It has one of the best film soundtracks ever. For me, I saw it 30 times because I love aviation. I am a pilot myself, so I love it.
If you could watch one film on repeat for the rest of your life, not Top Gun, don’t say Top Gun, what would it be?
I wouldn’t be so creative, I would say. There is not a lot of movies that I watched many times. Top Gun definitely, I saw both of them, I don’t count anymore. But Interstellar, I watched it quite a few times. Is that your favourite Nolan film? Yeah. I watched it quite a few times. Uh, the second time was to really understand everything, uh, because I couldn’t, uh, get it’s a lot of the film.
And I watched 10 at three times as well to try to understand. And it’s very interesting because the more you see it, the more. Little things. Yeah. You, you, you discover. The details, yeah. And I think, uh, but, uh, yeah, Interstellar, it’s not because the, the role of the watch is amazing, but I think it’s a very, very interesting, uh, it’s well done, uh, it’s a, I watch movie mainly in the plane.
W: What do you learn as a brand through these partnerships?
VS: We have the size of a movement, we have the size of the case, these are our [parameters to work in]. It’s kind of like producing a film, and budgets and things like that. You start with limitations and you build around that. But in the movie industry, as they don’t have the horological experience, there are no constraints with watches. So they request us to do something, and then that’s our job to try to make it happen. And that’s very interesting because we learn a lot. It takes us out of our comfort zone and forces us to try new things and that’s important.
