Harrison Ford with his Hamilton Khaki Conservation watch © Hamilton

What made Hamilton the choice for this project?
As is often the case in life – a series of coincidences! Some time ago I came across a Hamilton watch that I really enjoyed wearing. Then, since Hamilton has a strong presence in Hollywood with its watches being chosen to feature in lots of major movies, I came into contact with some of the Hamilton guys, including their designer. We then got talking about my work as Vice Chair of Conservation International. Our conclusion was that it would be great to create a watch inspired by the charity’s activity in nature conservation, to benefit the charity. That is how I got to the Hamilton drawing board to give birth to the Khaki Conservation watch!

How did you come up with the design for the watch?
Hamilton gave me a lot of freedom for the design of the watch! First of all, it was important for me that the resulting watch should reflect the global scale of the vital work of Conservation International. To satisfy that need I came up with the idea of using the GMT functionality, with its second time zone selection, to draw attention to a range of focus locations for Conservation International projects, from Brazil to Indonesia. Also, the preservation of our planet is an extremely time-critical issue that should always be at the forefront of our minds – that’s why each watch has the Conservation International logo, together with my signature, engraved on it – as constant reminders of the urgency of our work. Finally, the choice of materials that expresses the colors and richness of Nature was key – right down to the watch’s special packaging in recyclable corrugated cardboard!

The Hamilton Khaki Conservation © Hamilton

Are you happy with the way it turned out? Why?
Since I had such freedom in designing the watch I have no excuses – I love it of course! I really like the way the mixture of precision timekeeping, while the vintage design touches reflect the message of Conservation International concerning the fragility of time.

Why is this cause the one for you? Why do you feel it’s important?
Our health relies entirely on the vitality of our fellow species on Earth. When we protect the places where the processes of life can flourish, we strengthen not only the future of medicine, agriculture and industry, but also the essential condition for peace and prosperity. This summarizes the mission of the Conservation International organization and I can’t think of anything more relevant – to me or any other human being!