When we debuted the Bamford Watch Department Commando Edition watches, a lot of the audience correctly pointed out that the red paint applied to the 12 o’clock position on the rotating bezel was done in a manner that had red paint “bleed” outside of the upside down triangle space. The downsides to the Bamford Watch Department Commando watches are their comparatively high prices, as well as some of the detail work around the paint. To be clear, this is not a timepiece Rolex will warranty or even service. The case and movement are all stock, while the coating, dial, and elements of the hands’ paint are done by Bamford. This particular model is the Bamford Commando Submariner (which is what I am calling it) because it begins with a base Rolex Submariner 114060 (aBlogtoWatch review here), but makes it look quite different. PVD coating, for example, (which is how most metal watches are coated in black) is limited in the colors that it can produce. This is, in theory, a sort of big deal, and uses a Graphite Powder Coating (GPC) technique which I find to be quite fascinating. Can you name a lot of other watches with a durable green coating? I can’t. The base-Rolex watches have been given a matte coating in military green (which will also have other colors in the near future) along with “sandwich” style dials which are meant to offer enhanced luminant while also integrating the look of Rolex Explorer watches to these models which are clearly not Rolex Explorers.īamford has access to some pretty high-tech industrial coating processes which is how they are able to do things which others cannot. Hands-on, the Bamford Commando watches are pretty cool. The Bamford Watch Department Commando watches even come with very cool packaging to complete the military watch theme that George Bamford put so much time and effort into. So… one of the newest timepiece collections from Bamford Watch Department are the “Commando” watches (debuted here) which take stock Rolex Submariner or Milgauss watches and modify them with special case coatings (that will come in a few colors) as well as custom dials produced by Bamford. The image of the watch above with the black background is of the final model. UPDATE: The pictured watch is actually a pre-production prototype which is not detailed like the final versions will. That is, until now, as I believe I have solved the problem of “what is Bamford doing that irritates so many watch lovers while at the same time pleasing others.” Thanks to the Bamford Watch Department Commando, I think I have a very good answer – so let me know if you agree. With that said, I’ve never quite been able to pinpoint the issue many (not all) watch lovers have with what Bamford does. I’ve personally never been ambiguous about my appreciation for what Bamford does, nor am I insensitive to those who are not particularly taken with his work. A warm and highly congenial man, George Bamford is perhaps one of the world’s most active and ardent Rolex fans and collectors – which is slightly ironic given the amount of criticism he receives for what his company Bamford Watch Department (BWD) does to Rolex timepieces. I recently visited the headquarters of London-based “ Bamford Watch Department” in order to get a more intimate view of this fascinating company which continues to be so very controversial.
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