UP CLOSE AND PERSONALISED
The industry once viewed serial embellisher George Bamford as an iconoclast. Now the customisation partner of Zenith and TAG Heuer, he’s in serious demand. Here, he explains why the future is personalised
How watch customisation maverick George Bamford has made his name with bespoke design
MH: Congratulations on your new partnership with Zenith and TAG Heuer! GB: I’m jumping for joy at the prospect. Both TAG and Zenith are historic names, but they’re also focused on the future and pushing forward. And the fact that they’re embracing personalisation is amazing, of course. It all started when I had a conversation with the former head of watchmaking at LVMH, Jean-claude Biver, who is one of the gods of the watch world. At those offices, I’m like a kid in a candy store. I’m just so excited to be part of brands at the forefront of luxury. MH: Why do men love luxury watches? GB: I think it’s to do with investment and the appreciation of good engineering. Most men are engineers in their mind or entrepreneurial in spirit. They also want something on their wrist that truly belongs to them. MH: What were you up against when you started customising watches? GB: I gained the reputation of a maverick, though I don’t class myself as one. People said I was pushing boundaries. All I believed was that I was giving people something they wanted, and that was individuality. My business got off the ground because I made a watch for myself and then had one person after another saying they wanted one, too. I was just a watch geek with a love of collecting. Occasionally, a journalist would tell me that I’d ruffled a few feathers, but I thought I was doing a good job! MH: What is the most memorable customisation job you’ve ever done? GB: My favourites are actually the ones I’ve just done for TAG and Zenith. There’s an aqua-blue El Primero that’s so cool. It has a spider dial – or, as my team call it, “a sonar dial” – that I love. Everything about it makes me want it on my wrist. MH: How many watches do you own? GB: A lot. Actually, it’s an embarrassingly large amount. Every time I go to my safe deposit box and look at the watches, I think, “What the hell have I done?” (i) MH: Any particular favourites? GB: I really like TAG Heuers and Omegas from the ’60s to the ’80s. With some of those, such as the [Omega Seamaster] Bullhead or [Heuer] Kentucky digital, it’s like they were smoking crack when designing them. I’ve also got an Omega Speedmaster with a digital movement that I love. But if the house was burning down and I could only save one, it would probably be my 1956 Breitling Navitimer. It was the first ‘proper’ watch I was given by my parents. (ii) MH: We hear you’re a bit of a petrolhead on the side. Do you collect cars, too? GB: I do. My favourite is a Ferrari 275 GTB – mid-1960s. It’s the colour of a deep barolo. At the time when I bought it, around 14 years ago, it felt like a hell of a lot of money [today they fetch upwards of £2m] but I’m obsessed with it. I even love its quirky imperfections. Every time the door doesn’t close properly or I break down at the side of the motorway, I smile and think, “This car is so cool.” MH: Do you customise your cars as well as your watches? GB: I worked with a company called Devon 4x4 and they built me an awesome Land Rover Defender specifically for off-roading, which I’m very attached to. We stripped and rebuilt it over the course of eight months. If you take a regular Defender and park this next to it, it’s probably four times the height! It’s huge, a proper machine. It’s my go-anywhere-in-the-country ride, though I did recently get it stuck when I drove it into a bog and started sinking. Luckily, I managed to winch myself out. (iii) MH: Describe your personal style. GB: I love a beautiful suit. Invariably, my suits are dark but they’ll always have a twist, like a pin dot or a bird’s eye – just something to make it a little bit different. And I always wear a suit with trainers. Nikes are my favourites. I love Hermès and Gucci ties, too. I think there’s something indescribably nice about a really beautiful necktie. You always feel as though you’ve put your suit on the right way when you wear one. MH: What do you do to stay in shape? GB: I don’t think I’m in amazing shape. I always feel like I could do more, but I run every day for five or six miles. I just enjoy listening to good music and having that 45 minutes of running time to relax and rebuild my mind for the day ahead – or clearing it after the day I’ve had. It’s my thing. All I need to do is slip on a pair of Nike Pegasus trainers and I can go running anywhere in the world. bamfordwatchdepartment.com