The Bamford Watch Department Commando Edition colour scheme offers the chance to pick-up a Rolex Submariner or Rolex Milgauss coated with one of three unique GPC colors. In addition to the extremely hard-wearing and aesthetically novel exterior, the famous customizers will also provide a new dial for these classic Cheap Rolex Replica. The dials, which appear to be of sandwich construction, feature big, bold, luminous numbers at 3, 6, and 9 o’clock, and a large downwards-pointing arrow at 12. The hands of each watch will also be repainted to match your chosen colorway. The date has also been removed on the Rolex Submariner. Bamford Watch Department knows how to transform a watch – their résumé is hard to match – but is it something that appeals to watch lovers the world over, or just a select few?
Customized luxury watches are, in my opinion, contentious to the core. I can hear two very loud, very well-reasoned arguments in my head, and I’m never sure which one I agree with. On the one hand, the very notion of luxury infers exclusivity: By that token, a one-off piece, a unique model, the rarest of the rare, should be the Holy Grail. And yet, there’s something about taking a classic timepiece Cheap Rolex and individualizing it that comes across as almost disingenuous, as disrespectful, as cheating…
But would I choose it over a regular, untouched Rolex Yachtmaster if I actually had to shell out the cash for either? I don’t know if I would. I love the look of it, but in my mind, it lacks provenance. I view it in the same way as an antique cabinet collector might view a Victorian cabinet fitted with brand new hinges from the local Rolex Replica Watches DIY store. Sure, it’s almost original, and it may even look better, but it isn’t genuine, it isn’t ratified by the brand, it has no place in history… These are my misgivings when it comes to customized watches. They do not apply to every customized watch ever made (because it depends on who has commissioned the customization and to what end), but from an individual perspective, these fears will forever persist in my mind. But that doesn’t mean they can’t look cool; that doesn’t mean I can’t spend hours/days/weeks lusting over the latest off-the-wall concept; it certainly doesn’t mean I don’t want to wear one. I’m just not sure I could afford to do that to a collectors’ piece. But if you can, you might be interested by the Bamford Watch Department Commando Edition customized Rolex range.
Any advances in material science are of interest to me. It seems that watchmaking goes in phases of development: Sometimes the industry becomes obsessed with tourbillons and hundreds of slight tweaks hit the market simultaneously. The best traits are retained, and the phase transforms into something else. Right now, it feels like case-coatings are getting due attention. Bamford Watch Department might not produce calibres, but they might well be kick-starting a new movement in watchmaking. If you enjoy these limited series from companies like BWD, you’ll probably enjoy the packaging in which these interesting pieces are supplied.