If you're big on watches, I suspect you get a surprising amount of mileage out of the hobby over in the world of gaming. That goes double for Hamilton fans, as the prestige watchmaker is going big on Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 – both in and out of the game.
After crafting watches for both Far Cry 6 and Death Stranding 2, Hamilton's upcoming Black Ops 7 crossover will see operator Axel Vermaak wearing the Khaki Field Automatic 38mm, a watch designed specifically for the latest Black Ops. Better yet: anyone who really digs the watch can bag one of their own – although just 5000 have been made, so you might want to be quick.
We've not seen much of Axel in the run-up to Black Ops 7's launch, so first – a little more on the watch itself. The Khaki Field Automatic 38mm leans into the shooter's military aesthetic – the khaki green NATO strap draws the eye, but the rest of the watch is understated, with the sleek black dial and Super-LumiNova hands (there's a detail for the real watch lovers). My own knowledge of watches extends to "it looks fantastic" – it's a rugged piece, one that nods to Call of Duty without getting too crowded.
The most direct tie to CoD is the series' insignia – which is engraved on the caseback – along with the collector's box it comes in, but the connection runs deeper than surface-level. The watch's innards pack an 80-hour power reserve, too, a practical touch that explains why someone like Axel would be packing one in the first place.
As for how you can score one, a pop-up store will be running in Westfield London between November 12 and November 25. Technically, you can snag Axel's watch before the operator gets to wear it, as that pop-up kicks off two days before Black Ops 7 launches on November 14 – despite rumors, there's no jumping into CoD early this year.
For those who are more interested in the in-game side of things, Axel's crossover suggests that Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 may well stick to its pledge to keep its skins and cosmetics a little more grounded going forward. To refresh your memory, prior crossover cosmetics have included Warhammer 40K's Sisters of Slaughter, Beavis and Butt-Head, American Dad's Stan and Roger, and Nicki Minaj. How's that for a Mount Rushmore of military heroes?
On a broader note, it's been fascinating to see how real-world fashion and gaming have become increasingly intertwined over the years. The likes of Balenciaga and Ralph Lauren have collaborated with Fortnite, for example, while the League of Legends fan in me is obligated to remind everyone of the in-game skins Louis Vuitton designed with Riot Games. Yet it still feels like we're only just beginning to see this intersection explored, with more companies beginning to recognize the relatively untapped space.
For Hamilton, whose watches already make appearances in hundreds of films ranging from Interstellar to Men In Black, gaming is a new frontier. "The connection between Hamilton and gaming is a natural evolution of our deep relationship with storytelling," shares the watchmaker. "Just as Hamilton supports filmmakers from early concept through production by drawing from current collections, historical archives or crafting bespoke timepieces, we bring that same collaborative approach to our work with game designers."
Looking beyond Call of Duty, you can see an extension of that ethos in Death Stranding 2: On the Beach. Besides partnering up with Hamilton, Kojima Productions also worked with London designer Gresham Blake to launch its own clothing line. "The endless creativity that goes into game design provided the freedom to have fun with a collection that is an otherworldly take on our usual tailoring," shared Blake at the time, echoing Hamilton's sentiment around the creative opportunities of working in the game space. There's even a luxury fashion brand dedicated solely to gaming – Ark/8 – which has released collections for the likes of Elden Ring, Overwatch 2, and last year's Call of Duty: Black Ops 6.
While entertainment crossovers are a dime a dozen across multiplayer games, it will be interesting to see how these more nuanced and boutique partnerships develop going forward. The Khaki Field Automatic 38mm is a fantastic example of these collaborations done right – Black Ops 6 gets to lean further into its more grounded and realistic tone, whilst watch aficionados (or Vermaak's biggest fans) get to snag a fashionable piece of the game to bring into the real-world. And because I've rambled, a reminder: You can grab Hamilton's Khaki Field Automatic 38mm between November 12-25, at Westfield London.
