Luxury watchmaker George Bamford tells us how he personalises his products for each customer.
His South Audley Street base – Bamford Watch Department – is a mecca for watch personalisation enthusiasts.
And it all started when he was a boy.
“When I was a kid I got given a TAG Heuer Formula 1 and thought it was really cool. That started the lightning bolt,” he said.
“I love taking things to bits and I like to think I’m good at it.
“My parents used to come downstairs to find their juicer or TV taken to bits, so giving me a watch was the best thing they could do to save their house,” he added.
Incidentally, if his name sounds a little familiar, you're right.
George's mother is Lady Carole Bamford, OBE, founder of Daylesford Organic Farm shops and the Bamford skincare and clothes brand.
His father Anthony, Lord Bamford, is the billionaire chairman of construction equipment manufacturer JCB.
“Our client wants something unique. They don’t want to be following the herd. Luxury goes hand in hand with personalisation. Everyone has their own style and way,” he says.
The same is true of him.
“For our wedding anniversary, my wife gave me a watch. Our anniversary date shows up a different colour [to all the other dates] in the date window. That, to me, is personalisation,” he says.
“One client came in, saw every colour of the watch, commented that it was one for each day of the week, and took all of them,” he said.
Affordable style
But he is also price conscious.
“I always question how much I would want a watch to be before starting to make it,” he says.
And he produces a more affordable range called Bamford London. Its latest watches are the Bamford Mayfair (£425), Bamford Mayfair Date (£500) and the Bamford GMT (£1,100).
For more about The Hive, 80 South Audley Street, read here.
