Bamford Watch Department is a British watch customizing company founded by George Bamford in 2003. Bamford was mainly known to work on Rolex timepieces at the start of his career, after applying a DLC coating on his personal Rolex Daytona. Mounting legal tensions prompted Bamford to cease working on Rolex timepieces by 2017, as would later be justified by lawsuits against other customizers such as La Californienne and Artisans de Genève.
Official Customization Partner of TAG Heuer
As the then-head of the watches and jewelry division of LVMH, Jean-Claude Biver named Bamford Watch Department as the official customization partner of TAG Heuer in 2018. Preceded shortly by the same title with Zenith, Bamford has also since worked in an official capacity with other brands such as Bremont, Bvlgari, Casio G-Shock, Chopard, Franck Muller, and Girard-Perregaux.
TAG Heuer Bamford Monaco
The first watch to be co-designed with TAG Heuer was the original Monaco Bamford, which was unveiled at Baselworld 2018. Retaining the original case size and Caliber 11 movement, it featured an unprecedented carbon fiber case, a limited run of 500 pieces, and was available to order directly from the TAG Heuer website.
Fully customizable TAG Heuer models are available through Bamford Watch Department’s “Customiser” feature including the Autavia, Carrera, and two Monaco options.
Team Ikuzawa
While there is technically no direct Grand Prix racing connection, a collaboration of note involved TAG Heuer and Team Ikuzawa. Bamford worked with creative director Mai Ikuzawa to pay tribute to her father Tetsu Ikuzawa with the TAG Heuer Carrerra Team Ikuzawa by Bamford, released in 2023. The elder Ikuzawa is a trailblazing former Japanese racing driver, team owner, and had previously aimed to enter Formula One as a team owner in 1994 with the proposed Ikuzawa F1 Team.
Michelin x Bamford B347 Pilot Sport
Another piece worth nothing is the Michelin x Bamford B347 Pilot Sport, a collaboration between Bamford’s Bamford London watch brand and Michelin that was released in 2022. Using the Bamford B347 monopusher chronograph as the base and limited to only 133 pieces, the Michelin edition features a recycled strap made from Michelin Pilot Sport 5 tires, Michelin’s signature yellow accents, and the ‘race winner’ Michelin Man logo on the case back.
As a company, Michelin has previously been a tire supply in Formula One from 1977 to 1984, and from 2001 to 2006.
References
https://www.topgear.com/car-news/top-gear-guide-watches/inside-bamford-watch-department
https://quillandpad.com/2018/08/03/tag-heuer-monaco-chronograph-forged-carbon-bamford-edition-lvmh-bamford-a-match-made-in-heaven-or/
https://timeandtidewatches.com/the-modifiers-series-bamford-watch-department-the-big-dog-in-the-modding-space/
https://usa.watchpro.com/rolex-wins-counterfeiting-case-against-californian-customizer/
https://www.hodinkee.com/articles/swiss-high-court-rules-on-lawsuit-between-rolex-and-customizer-artisans-de-geneve
https://quillandpad.com/2018/08/03/tag-heuer-monaco-chronograph-forged-carbon-bamford-edition-lvmh-bamford-a-match-made-in-heaven-or/
https://timeandtidewatches.com/hands-on-the-tag-heuer-monaco-bamford/
https://timeandtidewatches.com/the-modifiers-series-bamford-watch-department-the-big-dog-in-the-modding-space/
https://timeandtidewatches.com/tag-heuer-monaco-bamford/
https://www.hodinkee.com/articles/the-tag-heuer-carrera-chronograph-x-team-ikuzawa-by-bamford
https://www.tagheuer.com/us/en/partnerships/carrera-ikuzawa.html
https://maiikuzawa.com/about
https://www.unracedf1.com/ikuzawa-the-team-that-became-stewart-grand-prix/
https://www.ablogtowatch.com/bamford-london-unveils-limited-edition-michelin-x-bamford-b347-pilot-sport-watch/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michelin