14 November 2013 | Bamford Watch Department

Cool 2.0 - The Bamford Watch Department

Without words! I was left speechless when I entered the Bamford Watch Department studio. A unique opportunity to enter the studio in London where George Bamford began, ten years ago, to change the perception that everyone had on luxury watches. Launching a project as ambitious as at first sight seemingly impossible: customize your watch, not one of many, but your Rolex.

Today, after ten years, Bamford Watch Department is a reality that shines in the firmament of the very haute horlogerie. If we could compare it to the world of racing and luxury cars, a very dear passion for George at least by observing the models of vintage cars that adorn his office, he is in the world of luxury watches such as Pagani is in that of luxury sports cars. Just arrived, he is already a legend.

The common denominator? The personalisation, up to the tiniest part for a Pagani Huayra as the finer details of a Daytona in George’s case. Both entered a world dominated by consecrated myths and have completely changed the rules of the game: a distillate of leadership! The guidelines? Two concepts, in our opinion, that anticipated the trends and that now everyone is rushing to follow: "personalisation" and "black".

Personalisation because Bamford Watch Department customises watches, mainly Rolex (but today the range also includes the Audemars Piguet and Patek Philippe maisons), changing their characteristics and turning them completely from the aesthetic point of view: case, bracelet, dial and hands are made of original colours and graphics drawing from the wide catalogue of customisation or working on the graphic proposals from the customer: an atelier. After all, a man of luxury has everything made-to-measure, why should his watch be confused with other ones in the mass market? Do you fancy the Explorer II of 2013 with the dial of the "Big Arrow” (as we like to call it in Italy)? Bamford Watch Department has made it. And the Daytona made ??for the 75^th anniversary of Henry Singer? Raise your hand if you wouldn’t want one!

On november 8^th I also discovered that there is something more attractive than the original Cerachrom bezel, the Cerachrom bezel custom made by Bamford Watch Department, not because the original is not beautiful, but for the Bamford Watch Department one is exactly as you imagined. Black beacuse this colour that is now so fashionable, Bamford Watch Department made it fashionable...ten years ago, on extremely limited edition products, if not unique products. Common denominator: the high end craftmanship. We did not enter into the technical details of how the whole customisation occurs (ok we generally do know they are PVD coated but there's much more) and we did not dare asking, but if you look at one of these timepieces you will be simply captivated. There is literally nothing remotely like it:

Just like the box of your Bamford Watch Department watch, because a watch lover knows that the packaging is fulfilling as much as his watch and tells his story, not any other’s. Today Bamford Watch Department also produces a luxury range of accessories, completing the offer addressed the enthusiast and collector of haute horlogerie, because it is made by an enthusiast and collector, who is already exploring new aesthetic achievements, cutting-edge and that we had the pleasure to see as a preview. And we are more than sure it will be the trend setter of the next ten years. Today it is a maison, whose achievements, also the result of collaborations with leading designers , deserve a place at the MOMA or among the top lots of the most important international auctions about luxury watches.

(Photo credit: courtesy of Bamford Watch Department)

Gaetano C. @Horbiter - Watches & Luxury