What do cars and watches have in common? Not only men loves them, they can be very expensive. For many, the love of cars and watches attributes to the appreciation of finely made products; it’s also a representation of an individual’s taste level and social status. In order to differentiate themselves and show off their watch (or car) game, many would customize them to their liking. A few common choices include blacking out the watch, adding a diamond bezel or changing the dial. Hence, It’s no surprise that the demand for bespoke luxury products has been booming over the past few years.
高級腕錶與名車的共通之處，在於它們都是男士的興趣、在於它們都索價不菲、在於它們都能夠加以改裝。在手錶方面，不少人喜歡在原廠配置中加入個人化元素，例如將表殻改造成全黑色、在表圈上加入鑽石、或者更改表面設計，使自己的收藏更獨一無二。除此之外，個性化手錶還能夠表現出自己的品味和身價，因此市場對這類型的個性化服務需求日漸上升，亦因而出現了不少的服務供應商去滿足這群消費者的需要，而當中便包括了由英國商人 George Bamford 所成立的 Bamford Watch Department。
The first company to dedicate to the modification of on a range of fine steel sport watches is Bamford Watch Department. Established by George Bamford in 2003, the company has become a renowned and leading bespoke watch brand in the industry. George is the son of Sir Anthony Bamford, the chairman of JCB, a multinational agricultural and-construction-equipment manufacturing company. Going against the grain, he started the company after his father asked him to start a business and make a life for himself after his college graduation.
George Bamford，出身顯赫；其父親 Anthony Bamford 是英國著名工程機械製造商 JCB 的主席，從小便受到上流社會所薰陶，過著有品味的生活。在 18 歲生日時，他收到由父母為自己準備的 Rolex Daytona 手錶作為禮物，從此他便對勞力士腕錶情有獨鍾。他戴著這支具有紀念價值的手錶出席一個重要晚宴，然而他甫進場，卻驚覺席間幾乎所有賓客都和自己一樣，配戴著相同款式的 Daytona，那時他才發現自己原來與別人無異，頓時令他感覺沒趣。這次難忘的經歷使他想要打造一隻完全屬於自己，並且獨一無二的勞力士手錶。在 2003 年，George 透過二手市場購買了兩支分別為 Rolex GMT II 及 Submarine 的手錶進行改裝。他充分利用因家族生意而對機械及工程的豐富知識，將用於採礦業的技術注入其中，不但為手錶製作出 PVD 真空鍍膜，同時令手錶外殼能夠改裝成全黑色，使表面能夠保持平滑之餘，也非常耐磨。完成改裝之後，George Bamford 便把這兩支勞力士手錶分別留作自用及送予父親。
He first got the idea of watch customization in his youth. When he turned 18, He was given his first Rolex Daytona by his parents. In the beginning, he thought it was so rare that not many people owned it but soon after he wore the watch to a dinner party, almost every man wore the same exact watch. It’s then he realized that his “precious” Daytona was not so unique after all, and he began to customize his own watches. In 2003, He bought a vintage GMT and a vintage Submariner from the secondary market, and applied the skills that were used in the mining industry, resulting in a smooth yet durable matte-black PVD coating to the watches. He then gave one of the watches to his father and kept the other one for himself.
當時剛從中學畢業的 George Bambord 被父親要求創業，自力更新，而望著手上這支經過改裝的勞力士是如何獨特，除了滿足到自己的慾望之外，他更想將這門技術與世界各地的同好分享，這驅使他下定決心，正式成立 Bamford Watch Department，打開事業之門，並且成為業界第一間提供個性化手錶服務的公司。
Looking back over the past decade, “I pinch myself everyday when I think about how the business has grown.” he said. “In 2003 we were just one desk in a shared office and now we have moved into our Hive townhouse in the centre of Mayfair. Whilst the dynamics of our business has changed, our mantra remains the same that ‘if you can imagine it, we can create it’ and the collaborations and customised pieces we create are still forefront in our business remit.”
回望過去的十年，George Bamford 說道：「每次我回想起來都不禁會掐自己一把。十年之前，我的公司就只有一張辦公桌，當時就連辦公室也是跟別人共用的。十年之後，我們的辦公室已經進駐了 Mayfair 核心地帶的 Hive 聯排別墅之中 。雖然與十年前相比，我們事業中有很多事情都已經起了變化，但我們的宗旨還是依舊一樣：「如果你能夠想像它，我們便能創造它。」因此我們的業務範圍重心依然在於客製化和品牌聯名設計之上。」
Brand collaboration is also a key successful factor for Bamford Watch Department. “Collaborations such as fragment design, NEIGHBORHOOD or mastermind JAPAN and any of the businesses we have worked with, are key in our business to of course increase our exposure but also continue my love affair with other design worlds such as artists like Daniel Arsham.” He added, “I started the business because I felt luxury was no longer personal and we live in a mass-market world and it is these unique, customised designs with amazing partners which keep the options endless and that is why I pinch myself everyday.” , he said.
George Bamford 口中所說的聯名設計，合作對象都是在潮流文化界中舉足輕重，扮演著重要角色的單位，例如由藤原浩主理的 fragment design、瀧澤伸介的 Neighborhood 和 mastermind JAPAN，還有知名藝術家 Daniel Arsham 等等，他表示：「這些諸如此類的合作都是我們的業務重心，不僅能夠增加我們的曝光率，還令我可以繼續與自己喜歡的藝術家共事，例如 Daniel Arsham 等等。」
他還補充：「我之所以會發展這門事業，是因為我覺得奢侈品已經不夠個性化，而我們生活在這個大眾市場的世界裡面，就是依靠這些與出色夥伴合作生產的個性化設計，為市場提供數之不盡的選擇，這也是我每天忍不住掐自己的原因。」
Other than customizing Rolex watches, the company also bespoke watches from brands such as Patek Philippe, Audemars Piguet, Panerai and Tag Heuer, with prices starting from £9,000. The customized watches can also be found at the brand’s online store, and more than 30 retail outlets around the world, including Dover Street Market London, Parisian boutique colette, Lane Crawford and EXI.T in Hong Kong.
除了勞力士之外，Bamford Watch Department 還為 Patek Philippe、Audemars Piguet、Panerai 和 Tag Heuer 的腕錶提供個性化改裝服務，價錢由 £9,000 起跳。而客戶亦可以從品牌的線上商店、以及全球 30 多個零售點，包括倫敦的 Dover Street Market、巴黎的買手店 colette、以及香港的 Lane Crawford 和 EXI.T 等等，購買品牌以往推出過的個性化手錶。
For growing businesses like Bamford Watch Department, the major challenge can be just staying relevant in the industry, which he feels the key to success is customer service. “Luxury is only personal if you are treated as an individual and therefore providing a unique experience for each customer is my priority. Our business motto is that ‘customers can get on without us but we cannot get along without them’ and I truly believe this.”, he said.
對於成長型企業而言，要面對的主要挑戰，是如何在商業世界裡生存，而 George 就認為成功關鍵在於客戶服務。他說：「對奢侈品行業來說，只有將客戶當作成獨立個體去看待，才能為他們每一位提供獨特的體驗，而這就是我的首要任務。我們的經營宗旨是」客戶可以沒有我們，但我們無法沒有他們」，而我真的相信這一點。」
After the success of Bamford Watch Department, competitions began to pop up, with companies such as Rau-Tech, Project X and Pro Hunter starting to provide watch customization services, how would the company beat out their competitors? “I always welcome competition as it makes everyone step up their game and push the boundaries. I do feel that with more people entering the personalization world offering the same services, the trust in the product starts to erodes and that is why I ensure customer service and I attend to customers personally.” he said.
在 Bamford Watch Department 成功之後，不少廠商也開始提供個性化手錶定製服務，例如 Rau-Tech、Project X 和 Pro Hunter。面對競爭，George 有這樣的想法：「我歡迎競爭，因為有競爭才有進步，才能突破界限。而我也認為，隨著有更多人提供同類型的個性化服務，（消費者）對產品的信任亦會開始削減，這是我為何要保證客戶的服務，親自接見客人。」
To Bamford, he loves to deal with the customers himself, even though his team has grown. “I want customers to know that the service we provide is personally overseen by me on every level and our guarantees such as five years on the watch and a lifetime on the coating will always be honored. It is important to me that we are not a faceless brand and customers know who is looking after them.” he added.
「即使我的團隊不斷壯大，我還是會把每一位客戶視作為自己一樣，因為我希望他們知道，我們所提供的服務，當中涉及的任何一個程序，都是由我親自監督之下進行，例如為手錶提供 5 年保養，以及塗層的終生保用。這對我很重要，因為我要我們的客戶知道，我們不是一個沒有面目的品牌，要讓他們知道是誰在照顧他們。」他補充。
Surely, there are advantages and disadvantages in making customizations to a watch, it is better to evaluate both the pros and the cons before making one. With customizations, you can create a one-of-a-kind watch that suits to your exact needs and specifications, and it is like no other design in the world. On the other hand, the disadvantage of making customizations to a watch is that the factory warranty would become invalid and be considered as a fake watch by the brand.
In Rolex’ legal notices, it says “…any addition or substitution of parts or accessories with those not manufactured by Rolex, as well as any alteration, modification or other material change made to or on Rolex products by a third party not authorized by Rolex cancels the warranty.” With that being said, the customized watches will still be covered by the Bamford Watch Department’s own warranty.
然而，購買個性化手錶亦有利有弊；對某些買家來說，花了一筆大錢買回來的手錶，當然希望它各方面都能稱心如意，而個性化手錶便能夠滿足他們的要求，讓買家依照個人喜好去調整手錶的配置，令手錶變得更加獨一無二。然而，在手錶製造商的角度來說，任何經過第三方改裝，或是加入非原廠出產配件的手錶都會被視作為假貨，因此不少買家都擔心個性化手錶的價值會因而受到影響。
Bamford has recently extended their guarantee warranty on the watches to five years, in order to reinforce his commitment to customer service and to highlight that the customer experience with Bamford Watch Department does not end, once they have delivered the watch. “We love to hear from past customers, and our watchmakers are always available to provide a full service to their watch in our in-house service centre.”, he said. Bamford also felt highly encouraged by what he has seen at the auctions. “Our watches at auction always increase in price too, such as the mastermind JAPAN watch which traded hands for way over the original retail price.”, he said.
針對客戶在這方面的考量，Bamford Watch Department 便向客人提供自家保養作為補償。他表示：「我最近把手錶的保用期限延長至五年，以加強我們對客戶的服務承諾；我想強調的是，客戶體驗並不是在我們完成交付手錶後便結束。我們喜歡聽從舊客戶的意見，而我們的製表師亦會隨時在服務中心為客戶提供全方位的服務。」
至於手錶在改裝後的價值會否因而收到影響，他說：「我們的手錶在鐘錶拍賣會上的拍賣價經常比原價還高，例如與 mastermind JAPAN 合作推出的個性化版本便是其中之一，這更讓我深深受到鼓舞。」
Besides Bamford Watch Department, his ventures also include Bamford Cycle Department and Bamford Grooming Department, which provide bespoke cycle service and a range of new male grooming products. The grooming line can be found at Dover Street Market, colette and MR PORTER. While it is undoubtedly increased the brand awareness, Bamford did not think it that way. “I didn’t see them as an expansion of brand recognition but I felt that these are different elements of my life and I like things that are unique and personalized. Cycles and grooming products were two items I thought it would be great to have personalized so that is how those departments were born.” he said.
除了 Bamford Watch Department 之外，George Bamford 還成立了 Bamford Cycle Department 及 Bamford Grooming Department，生產個性化單車和專為男士而設的個人護理產品，並且在 Dover Street Market、colette 及 MR PORTER 等零售商發售。這無疑令品牌的知名度及曝光率更進一步提升，然而 George 卻沒有想像得那麼複雜。他說：「我沒有將它視作為是品牌認知度的擴展，但我覺得這是我生命中的不同元素，我喜歡的東西都是獨特，並且經過個性化定製，而單車和美容產品是兩項我認為可以經過個人化的產品，這就是成立 Bamford Cycle Department 和 Bamford Grooming Department 的原因。」
“As a business this is our twelfth year and I hope to be here for the long run.” says George Bamford.
「作為一個企業，今年是我們成立的第十二年，而我也希望能夠一直在這個行業發展下去。」George Bamford 說道。
INTERVIEW & TEXT | ZTEPHEN LEE
PHOTOGRAPHY | KIMIO NG
ORIGINALLY POSTED ON BLACKBIRD AUTOMOTIVE JOURNAL
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