From Nolan to Kojima: Hamilton’s Death Stranding 2 collab charts an exciting new course for watches
Jamie WeissThe video game industry has long surpassed the film industry in terms of revenue and cultural impact. According to most current estimates, the global video game market is worth over US$200 billion, which is about four times as big as the global box office. Games from ‘triple-A’ studios – the term used for the industry’s most prominent publishers – can rival Hollywood blockbusters in terms of scale and production values. That’s why it only makes sense that Hamilton, a watchmaker famed for its close collaborations with the film industry, is now collaborating with the video game equivalent of a blockbuster: Hideo Kojima’s Death Stranding 2: On the Beach, the much-anticipated sequel to one of the most cinematic and unique games of all time.
Fittingly, the watch Hamilton has made for the game is also easily one of the most distinctive watches they’ve ever crafted – arguably even more so than their similarly sci-fi Dune: Part Two pieces. We had the chance to get hands-on with this Death Stranding watch ahead of its (and the game’s) global release on June 26th, 2025 – so let’s load in together, shall we?
The game
This isn’t the first video game tie-in Hamilton’s ever done. Back in 2021, they created a special version of their Khaki Field Titanium, which appeared in Ubisoft’s big-budget first-person shooter Far Cry 6, and was also available to purchase in real life. However, this Death Stranding 2 watch is a much more unusual offering – which in of itself is highly appropriate, because Death Stranding 2 is a pretty unusual game.
Even for a seasoned gamer, explaining the plot or gameplay of Death Stranding 2 is a hard ask, but here’s the essence of it: you play as Sam Bridges, a porter slash survivalist portrayed by Norman Reedus, who you might know from The Walking Dead. (Death Stranding 2, like many Kojima games, has big-name actors like Reedus and Léa Seydoux providing their likenesses via motion capture, as well as a characteristically convoluted plot.) The core gameplay loop sees you navigate a post-apocalyptic landscape delivering packages to scattered survivors while fending off bandits and supernatural forces. The first Death Stranding game was set in a ruined United States, while this sequel is set in Mexico and Australia, which excites me as an Aussie – we don’t often see the Land Down Under appear in games!
I could really get in the weeds explaining more about the world of Death Stranding 2 – and as of recording, the game’s not out yet, so we don’t know all the details – but in the games, there’s a type of rain called “Timefall” which speeds up time and damages you and your gear. This is worth mentioning because in one of the trailers, we get a close-up of the watch running super fast and erratically, like it’s been affected by Timefall (at 08:21 here). Thankfully, the watch doesn’t run fast in real life…
The case
Officially, this Hamilton belongs to the American Classic Boulton collection – but as we alluded to when news of this watch first dropped, it bears little resemblance to the far more traditional watch we saw on Harrison Ford’s wrist in Indiana Jones: The Dial of Destiny, for example. Designed closely with Kojima Productions’ renowned art director Yoji Shinkawa, it’s a much more out-there watch, matching the sci-fi setting of Death Stranding 2.
The Hamilton American Classic Boulton Death Stranding 2 Limited Edition, to use its proper name, has an unusual case that measures 36mm wide and 48mm long, crafted from black PVD-coated titanium and featuring seven sapphire crystals: one primary viewing window flanked by two columns of three smaller windows arcing down each side of the case, for a total thickness of 13.7mm. This gives the watch an intriguing three-dimensional quality, with the dial visible from multiple angles, and providing a sense of airiness which disguises the watch’s notable wrist presence.
The dial
That leads us nicely into talking about the dial, which has a matte central dial section flanked by grained edges which resemble gritty pools of tar – a mysterious tar being one of the hazards for the player in Death Stranding 2. Or maybe it’s black sand because we’re On the Beach? A skeletonised hour and minute hand revolve around the dial, with an oversized orange seconds hand and index at 12 o’clock providing two pops of contrast.
For a watch meant to live in a universe with so many complicated, futuristic gadgets, this Hamilton’s dial is surprisingly restrained. It’s ‘just’ a three-hander with a relatively simple dial, with the main novelty being that it’s put on display through this unusual crystal superstructure. Actually, the bands of metal somewhat obscure parts of the dial from top-down – it looks tough and reinforced, but this is certainly a case of form over function.
The bracelet
The Hamilton American Classic Boulton Death Stranding 2 Limited Edition is completed by a broad-link PVD titanium bracelet with a butterfly clasp and quick-release spring bars. The links, which give off a functional, robust look, articulate rather nicely too – if they didn’t, the watch would be a real monster on your wrist.
The movement
Under the hood, you’ll find the calibre H-10, Hamilton’s version of the Swatch Group’s ubiquitous Powermatic 80 movement, offering an 80-hour power reserve and a Nivachron balance spring for extra resistance to magnetic fields, temperature changes and shocks. A Death Stranding 2 logo adorns the exhibition caseback, with inky tar details flanking the movement. Interestingly, the watch is only water-resistant to 50 metres – perhaps slightly less than you’d expect for a watch designed for surviving the apocalypse, but likely a concession to facilitate its complex dial crystal structure.
The verdict
As I alluded to earlier in this review, compared to their previous video game tie-in with Far Cry 6 or even some of their filmic tie-ins, such as their Tenet watches, Hamilton really went all-out with this American Classic. It looks exactly the same as its video game universe counterpart, with no compromises taken with its functionality or form (although it is just a simple three-hander). Hamilton deserves kudos for allowing Kojima and Shinkawa’s vision for a watch to be realised so precisely in real life.
If we’re being honest here, the intended audience for this watch is gamers. But put aside the Death Stranding 2 connection, and this is just objectively a very cool-looking timepiece. It’s distinctive and architectural, yet is also reasonably affordable; a statement piece that has merit outside of the context of a mind-melting Hideo Kojima masterpiece. And make no mistake: Kojima is to gaming what auteurs like Christopher Nolan or Martin Scorsese are to cinema… But you don’t need to be a Kojima fanboy to like this watch.
Indeed, this Hamilton is also significant because it’s emblematic of how the video game industry is continuing to mature and garner mainstream recognition. In the watch world, we’ve become used to watchmakers working with fashion brands, celebrities, Formula 1 teams and film studios. Perhaps this sort of thing – a video game prop watch becoming a real-life timepiece – will become just as commonplace. It’s a brave new world, people…
Hamilton American Classic Boulton Death Stranding 2 Limited Edition pricing and availability
This Hamilton x Death Stranding 2 watch is limited to 2,000 pieces, and will be available to buy from June 26th, 2025 – the same release date as Death Stranding 2: On The Beach. We’re excited to confirm that Time+Tide will receive a limited allocation of these watches: sign up on the following page to be notified when it becomes available, or head to Hamilton’s website to find out more. Price: US$1,595
| Brand | Hamilton |
| Model | American Classic Boulton Death Stranding 2 Limited Edition |
| Case Dimensions | 38mm (D) x 13.7mm (T) x 48mm (LTL) |
| Case Material | PVD-coated titanium |
| Water Resistance | 50 meters |
| Crystal(s) | Sapphire front and back |
| Dial | Black |
| Strap | Broad-link case-matching titanium, bracelet |
| Movement | Calibre H-10, Powermatic 80 base, automatic |
| Power Reserve | 80 hours |
| Functions | Hours, minutes, seconds |
| Availability | From June 26th 2025, limited to 2,000 pieces |
| Price | US$1,595 |