A favorite of movie makers, Hamilton timepieces have appeared in hundreds of Hollywood films.

It was a landmark movie moment. In the 1932 smash hit, Shanghai Express, British army officer Captain Harvey, played by Clive Brook, lounges on the outdoor deck of the titular train as he’s approached by his old flame, Lily – played by Marlene Dietrich in her most sultry and iconic role.

When she asks him the time, Harvey lifts the hinged lid covering his wristwatch. In a close-up, the audience can see that the lid’s underside bears a tiny photograph of a younger Lily and realizes that this is the wristwatch she gave Harvey long ago. The turning point in the movie, it proves that he still loves her. Beneath Lily’s photograph, the watch’s Art Deco dial bears the name in bold lettering: HAMILTON.

This auspicious screen debut was just the beginning. Over the years, Hamilton established itself as Hollywood’s favorite maker of cinema watches. Our timepieces adorned the wrists of some of cinema’s greatest stars and boldest characters.

From outer space to underwater, Ironman to Spider-Man, Elvis Presley to Charlize Theron, Hamilton has been the on-screen choice of adventurers, daredevils, leaders and superheroes, racking up hundreds of appearances through the decades.