Night's Watch

The timepiece was inspired by the HBO epic's intricate opening credit sequence.

If Game of Thrones is rooted in endless battles for power and strategy, surely any number of Lannisters and Targaryens could use a status watch?


Fans of HBO’s lust-and-sword spectacle can now wear their allegiance on their wrists, thanks to a just-launched timepiece designed by Swiss-based watchmaker Ulysse Nardin. Debuting this week in New York at HBO’s store at 42nd Street and 6th Avenue and at Cellini Jewelers’ Madison Avenue location, the limited-edition “Night’s Watch” marine diver is crafted in stainless steel and matte black rubber, styling meant to evoke the uniforms worn by the black-clad military order from which the timepiece takes its name. The strap is inscribed with “The Night’s Watch” and “I am the Sword in the Darkness” on each side of the 45.8mm case.
The watch is the brainchild of Nelson Lucero, vice president of sales and marketing for Ulysse Nardin; a Game of Trones fan, he reached out to HBO’s global licensing and retail divisions once he realized that the show’s opening credit sequence, which depicts cities and castles rising from a map via the use of gears, reminded him of a watch mechanism. The timing, Lucero says, was fortuitous. “HBO was looking for unique ideas for this show, something that felt more upmarket,” he says. “T-shirts and the other licensed products you typically find didn’t seem to fit the bill for such an upscale show. From our point of view, we thought the demographics of the show aligned with our demographics.”

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Ulysse Nardin crafted only 25 numbered pieces of the $10,500 watch in its Swiss workrooms, where Lucero discovered other fans of the show. “When I first announced the project to our board of directors, I was surprised by all the amazing feedback,” he says. “It was the first time I realized the show had a worldwide following.” Beyond its New York placement, Lucero says he plans to make the watch available at 10 key Ulysse Nardin accounts throughout the U.S. (in southern California, at David Orgell in Beverly Hills). In the realm of watch production, the “Night Watch” enjoyed a rather speedy process from concept to completion, roughly six months from the initial conversations in order to take advantage of season three timing, Lucero says. “I’d love to do second or third editions, and have more time to plan and design,” he says, noting that watches can sometimes take four years or more from concept to launch.
Lucero adds that only 21 or 22 pieces of this model are actually available, as the first “three or four” have been promised to HBO execs, he says. So if you’re a Game of Thrones fan and a watch aficionado, get ready to do battle.