The BWD x Franck Muller ‘Crazy Love’ Snoopy Limited-Edition

I have long been a big Snoopy fan, and apparently I am not the only one ; )

Courtesy of Bamford Watch Department

This is the latest offering from Bamford Watch Department - a BWD x Franck Muller Snoopy (and Woodstock) mash-up!

Courtesy of Bamford Watch Department

Limited to 50 pieces world-wide, it is priced at £28,800.

Courtesy of Bamford Watch Department

Here are the pertinents -

Specifications 

Reference 7880 CH PNTS NR 

Functions 

Disordered Jumping Hours, Minutes 

Movement 

MVD 2800-CHR Bidirectional automatic movement 42 hours power reserve

201 components 

Diameter: Ø 26,2 mm. 

Thickness: 5,2 mm 

Balance wheel frequency set to 28,800 vibrations per hour 

Côtes de Genève on the bridges, rotor plate and additional plate 

Decoration Perlage on the mainplate 

Beveling on the additional-plate springs and rotor plate 

Diamond polishing on the sinks and bridge bevels 

Sunray brushing on the bridges, rotor segment, bearing cage and barrel cover 

Snailing on the ratchets 

Circular satin brushing on the wheels 

Satin brushing on the additional-plate springs Instructions 

Dual-Position Crown: 

1. Winding. 2. Setting the time 

Case 

Water resistant up to 30 meters Cintrée Curvex case 

Black PVD treatment on the case 

Hand brushed 

Sapphire crystal 

Stamped Clous de Paris spiral 

Strap Hand sewn suede strap 

Buckle Brushed titanium buckle Black PVD coating

The Bamford London ‘Harrods’ Limited-Edition Snoopy PVD GMT

From Bamford London - 

Courtesy of Bamford London

I have very fond memories of my time living in the UK. For those of you just tuning in, I did two graduate qualifications in England (Surrey and Leicester), and with my amazing wife, Wendy, was on the summer teaching team at the University of St Andrews.

Each summer we would stay with my brother-in-law's family in Sutton for a few days before heading up north. I would make my obligatory twice-yearly visit to the green fields of Guildford to meet with my professors, and then Wendy and I would trek into London. Covent Garden (where I bumped into Liam Gallagher at Paul Smith), the British Museum, and would inevitably find our way to Harrods.

For those of you that have not been, Harrods is pretty much IT. You name it, they have it. Truly the best of the best. Back in the 90s, you did have to pay a quid to use the loo, but I will say in their defense that it was one of the cleanest facilities I have ever used ; )

I am also a HUGE fan of Charlie Brown, and his faithful beagle, Snoopy. My first watch was a hand-winding Snoopy watch from Timex. But that is a whole other story.

So back to the matter at hand. I was particularly interested when the press release regarding this new collaboration arrived. 

Courtesy of Bamford London

In their own words -

Since 1849, Harrods has stood sentinel on London’s Brompton Road, an icon of the British capital and one of the most renowned department stores in the world. To celebrate Harrods’ 175th anniversary, Bamford London has partnered with PEANUTS™ to create an exclusive limited-edition timepiece featuring Snoopy, resplendent in Harrods’ traditional green and gold.

Bamford London and Harrods are brands which represent the epitome of British luxury and design. Despite their establishment more than 150 years apart, both continue to redefine and reinvent British style. One as a pillar of fashion and retail since the early years of Queen Victoria’s reign, and the other as a twenty-first century wunderkind disruptor.

Harrods was founded by Charles Henry Harrod, an entrepreneur who fought to build a retail empire despite a number of setbacks, including the destruction of an early incarnation of Harrods in a fire in 1883. Charles’ fortitude and determination, and that of his son, saw the business grow from a small haberdasher and grocery, to the famed bastion of British commerce and plenitude that has cemented
its place in the bedrock of London’s West End, and draws 15 million visitors each year.

Now, through their longstanding partnership, Bamford London and PEANUTS are proud to commemorate 175 years of Harrods trailblazing, with the release of this limited-edition character GMT, featuring Snoopy in the unmistakable

Harrods colours. The automatic GMT is encased in a black steel case displaying Snoopy in rich gold with a green trim, front and centre on the dial. Snoopy’s arms form the hour and minute hands, with his best friend Woodstock perched on the tip of the second hand. The watch is powered by a Swiss-made Sellita SW330-2 movement and is presented on a saffiano verde leather strap with gold stitching, in a unique green and gold trim PEANUTS doghouse box.

George Bamford said, “It is an honour to be working with Harrods on their 175th anniversary, and with such an iconic brand as PEANUTS. Two icons coming together in one beautiful watch that I know will be a collectors’ item and a favourite amongst both Harrods and Bamford clients.”

The ‘Harrods’ Limited-Edition is limited to just 75 pieces, priced at £1850 and will be available via bamfordlondon.com from 2:00PM BST on the Friday 10th May 2024.

Here are the pertinents -

● TYPE: Automatic GMT watch with internal rotating bezel

● MOVEMENT: Sellita SW330-2, 25 Jewels, 28,800 Vph, 56 hour power reserve

● FUNCTION: Self-winding mechanism with ball bearing, 3 o’clock date position with quick date

setting, second time zone by central hand

● CASE MATERIAL: Black-coated PVD steel

● CASE DIAMETER: 40 mm

● CASE THICKNESS: 11.7 mm

● CASEBACK MATERIAL: Black-coated PVD steel

● WATER-RESISTANCE: 100m / 10 ATM

● LUG WIDTH: 20mm

There Can Be Only One -

Also known as The Shit That Killed Elvis!

Courtesy of Bamford Watch Department

This is the latest collaboration between Bamford Watch Department and everyone's favorite "outside of the watch box thinker", the Black Badger, James Thompson.

You may remember Fordite from some of the really great rings that Black Badger has crafted. It is, essentially, the collected paint remainders from commercial painting stations (think Earl Scheib).

Courtesy of Black Badger

Well, as drip as that is, take that awesomeness and put it on a watch dial -

Courtesy of Bamford Watch Department

Picasso needed a canvas, Michelangelo needed marble, and the dynamic duo of Bamford and Black Badger needed a watch - enter the Zenith Pilot Chrono TIPO CP-2.

As mentioned above, this is a unique (i.e. ONE)piece, so if it's in your wheelhouse, move sharpish ; )

Here are the pertinents -

1/1 LIMITED EDITION BWD X BLACK BADGER ‘FORDITE’ ZENITH PILOT CHRONO TIPO CP

Call for Price

In collaboration with Black Badger, this Zenith Pilot Chrono TIPO CP-2 features a unique Fordite dial.

Fordite is the commonly used term to describe the collected overspray that builds up in the industrial paint bays of car factories over many, many years. The Fordite material used in this collaboration has come from the Ford factories in Michigan, USA, from the 1970-1990s era. This material forms entirely unique patterns which has been made into a special dial.

Functions:

• Central Chronograph Hand
• 30 minute counter at 3 o’clock position
• Hours & Minutes in the centre
• Small seconds at 9 o’clock position

Case, Dial & Hands:

• CASE MATERIAL: Matte Steel with Black Military Grade Titanium Coating (MGTC)
• CASE DIAMETER: 43 mm
• CASE THICKNESS: 12.85 mm
• CRYSTAL: Domed sapphire crystal with anti-reflective treatment on both sides
• CASE-BACK:Matte Black Stainless Steel engraved with special Chronometro Tipo CP-2 logo
• WATER-RESISTANCE: 10 ATM – 100 m

Popeye!

This is the latest from the folks at Bamford Watch Department -

Courtesy of Bamford London

Limited to 100 pieces, don't try to pull a Wimpy ("I'll gladly pay you Tuesday, for a Popeye GMT today...")

Courtesy of Bamford London

Here are the pertinents -

Description

This Popeye GMT has all the features of the original Bamford London GMT with a Swiss Made automatic Sellita SW330-2 movement and 24-hour GMT hand function, allowing users to set a home time zone when traveling. This design provides a vibrant splash of cartoon colour on the dial, contrasted against a 316L grade matte black case measuring 40mm in diameter and 11.2mm in thickness.

Specification

TYPE: 

Automatic GMT watch with internal rotating bezel
MOVEMENT: 

Sellita SW330-2, 25 Jewels, 28,800 Vph, 42 hour power reserve
FUNCTION: 

Self winding mechanism with ball bearing, 3 O’Clock date position with quick date setting, second time zone by central hand
CASE MATERIAL: 

316L grade stainless steel, Sapphire Crystal glass with antiglare
CASE DIAMETER: 

40 mm
CASE THICKNESS: 

11.2 mm
CASEBACK MATERIAL: 

Stainless Steel with matte black finish
WATER-RESISTANCE: 

100m / 10 ATM
LUG WIDTH: 

20mm

Price - £1,500

Customize Your Own Franck Muller Casablanca

With the Bamford Watch Department -

Courtesy of Franck Muller and Bamford Watch Department

Your opportunity to design your own vision of the Franck Muller Casablanca, complete with your initials (if you choose).  I did knock together a pretty spiffy example, but unfortunately you don't seem to be able to download or forward the image (I might be missing an obvious step).

It is another nice touch from the folks at Bamford, and if you're of a mind and have the means, this could be your baby.

https://www.bamfordwatchdepartment.com

The Franck Muller - Bamford Watch Department x Arsham x King Nerd Casablanca Limited Edition

What's in a name?  Well in this case a pretty swell collaboration with Franck Muller, artist Daniel Arsham, expert engraver King Nerd (Johnny Dowell), and Bamford Watch Department -

Courtesy of Bamford Watch Department

Limited to 5 pieces only (and possibly already sold out) this is a very special piece.

Courtesy of Bamford Watch Department

Here are the pertinents, straight from the source -

MODEL: Casablanca
TYPE: 8880 C DT
MOVEMENT: Swiss Automatic
CASE MATERIAL: Engraved Stainless Steel
DIAL: DA styled teal dial with arabic numerals
HANDS: White ’Skeleton’ with DA styled seconds hand
CROWN: Stainless steel
CRYSTAL: Sapphire Crystal
CASE DIAMETER: 39mm Tonneau
THICKNESS: 17.5mm
CASEBACK: Engraved Stainless Steel WATER-RESISTANCE: 30 ATM
STRAP: DA Embossed leather

The GMT Italian

From Bamford London -

Courtesy of Bamford London

This one absolutely sings to me.  While most readers are acquainted with Bamford's collaborations with luxury brands and a certain lume savant, they also have their own line, and I stumbled upon this one the other day.

To be fair, there are plenty of GMT dive inspired watches out there, but this one's sorta' fun! Rather than the traditional black red and blue options, Bamford went another way with green.  I'm digging it!

Here are the pertinents -

TYPE: 

Automatic GMT watch with internal rotating bezel

MOVEMENT:
Sellita SW330-1, 25 Jewels, 28,800 Vph, 42 hour power reserve
FUNCTION: 

Self winding mechanism with ball bearing, 3 O’Clock date position with quick date setting, 

second time zone by central hand
CASE MATERIAL: 

316L grade stainless steel, Sapphire Crystal glass with antiglare
CASE DIAMETER: 

40 mm
CASE THICKNESS: 

11.7 mm
CASEBACK MATERIAL: 

Stainless Steel
WATER-RESISTANCE: 

100m / 10 ATM
LUG WIDTH: 

20mm

A Few Minutes With the Black Badger - James Thompson

Here’s to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things differently. They’re not fond of rules. And they have no respect for the status quo. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them. About the only thing you can’t do is ignore them. Because they change things. They push the human race forward. And while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do.

Steve Jobs

As a now world-renowned contrarian, I appreciate the people out there who chart their own 

course. For the most part, the thinking in the watch business is beyond antiquated. To paraphrase from Michael Lewis and Moneyball, more often than not the decision making paradigm is governed by picking the option that is least likely to fail, rather than the one that might just be crazy enough to work.  In essence, the potential pain and associated anxiety of looking bad drives most of the folks in Watch Town down the path of least resistance. Well, as the advertising revenues of Tempus Fugit will bear out, I am a fan of anyone who is ready to tilt at the occasional windmill or two.

And now, without further adieu, a few minutes with the Black Badger himself, James Thompson - 

Courtesy of James Thompson

Henki (James Henderson) - What was your first watch? Was it a gift? Is there a story behind it?

James Thompson (Black Badger) - Hmmm when I was about 10 I got a Swatch Radar from my parents for Christmas. I recall being a little offended that I got a “small” one while my older brother got a large one. No wonder I bought a bigass Bell & Ross BRO1 as my first “real” watch around 2008. A tank that i absolutely adore.

Courtesy of Bell & Ross

Henki - When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?

James Thompson - A pilot. Top Gun was the first VHS tape we got growing up, and my brother and I would watch it every single day when we got home from elementary school. My mom still knows all the dialogue from overhearing it hundreds of times. I didn’t discover art or design until after high school


Henki - Where did you go to school? What did you study?

James Thompson - I bounced around a bit with what I thought I wanted to do and who I wanted to be. I studied advertising production as I have a massive love for good tv commercials. I did a masters degree in industrial design between the Emily Carr Institute in Vancouver and HDK design school in Göteborg Sweden where I live now.


Henki - How did you acquire your "nom de lume" - Black Badger? 

 
James Thompson - Honestly? I thought it sounded cool and kinda SpecOps. I think I read too many Tom Clancy novels. I didn’t take it very seriously in the early days but now that I am where I am, the name kinda fits. I'm trying my hardest not to fit in.


Henki - How did you get involved in the watch business?

James Thompson - I was messing around with custom watch straps with Carl Evans of GasGasBones in the UK. This got me in friendly with Bell & Ross and Graham watches. Those were my first awkward steps in the industry. I’d say Stepan Sarpaneva has been the biggest mentor for me along the way though. He’s not a scary as most think, ha ha!

Courtesy of James Thompson

Henki - And while we're trying to get to know who the Black Badger (the designer) is, what exactly is Black Badger the business?

James Thompson - Meh who knows. Call it a materials orphanage and we can go away friends here!

Henki - In some ways, for some people, it seems like you came out of nowhere. Could you shed a little light on your journey from Canadian art student transplant to global watch sensation?

Courtesy of David Svensson

James Thompson - I think it really was just a case of the right place at the right time. I’m kinda like the Forrest Gump of design. And by keeping to my own aesthetic and not trend-chasing, it’s let me establish a rather strong visual identity in a relatively short timeframe.


Henki - Now as a fellow Northern Youth who found himself in Scandinavia, I have to ask - was this a plan, an happy accident, or something else?

James Thompson - Ha ha I was in the process of flunking out of my design school in Vancouver and was really looking for a totally different direction. We had a Swedish exchange student with us and I just loved the way Scandinavia approaches design. Much more holistic and thought-out, rather than just cool sexy shapes. I dig that way of working.


Henki - What is the best part about the work you do with watch brands?

James Thompson - I truly love pushing established brands out of their comfort zone. It tends to rivitalize the brands themselves, lets the maybe shake some dust off. And hey if it all goes to shit they can just blame it on me. Ha ha!

Henki - I realize that I might be in the minority here - but I thought that the Tag Heuer Coffee collaboration was the Witches Britches!  

Were you surprised by the reception?

Courtesy of Bamford Watch Department

James Thompson - That’s my wife’s favorite piece I’ve ever done actually. Both the visual look and the story behind it. The fact that it’s made from coffee isn’t super earth-shattering but the appearance and the detail of the dial I think is super interesting. Some people just thought we were taking the piss and joking around. Not at all the case. Introducing unconventional materials into modern watchmaking is what pays my rent, so no I don’t play around. Especially when it’s someone else’s brand I’m guest-starring with. But some of the online comments were just idiotic. People like to take shots at George Bamford and I really don’t tolerate that in a public setting. Purists won’t like what we do, and that’s fine. They weren’t invited to the revolution anyways.


Henki - If you weren't doing this, what do you think you might be doing?

James Thompson - In another life I would have been a chef I think. I get super inspired by all these fantastically creative people who travel the world and create amazing recipes from local and exciting ingredients. I mean have you heard Anthony Bourdain go off about a certain cut of meat, or Jose Andres making a Michelin-Starred dessert using Doritos and broccoli or something insanely unexpected. Pure alchemy and I love it.


Henki - What advice do you have for the next Black Badger out there?

James Thompson  - My weather-control device is almost complete...

The BWD X BB Zenith El Primero Superconductor

From Bamford Watch Department, Black Badger and 

Zenith -

Courtesy of Bamford Watch Department

This another limited edition collaboration, 20 pieces only.

In the words of the protagonists -

Following on from the two previously launched collaborations with Black Badger, Bamford Watch Department X Black Badger are excited to announce their next collaboration, the BWD X BB Zenith El Primero Superconductor. 

 

The case material for this project is solid superconductor. Superconductor is a blanket term for the family of materials that.. superconduct!

 

Traditionally superconductors are used in applications where transferring massive amounts of electrical 

energy is required. MRI machines, particle accelerators, even nuclear reactors use superconductors as a simple power cord would, of course, not suffice.

 

 

George Bamford, Founder of Bamford Watch Department comments.  “There are many variations and types of superconducting materials but in this instance we are dealing with a copper-niobium variation. 

 

Filaments of niobium metal are housed within copper and extruded to the desired length. 

 

The superconductor we have used for this collaboration is comprised of a tight orientation of silver metal and copper housing. There is a fantastically organised network honeycomb aesthetic. However, when angles and curves are introduced to the metal a brilliant high-tech woodgrain array is revealed. 

 

You can expose the finished superconductor piece to a special acid that will eat away the copper but leave the niobium structure untouched. This gives a highly dramatic, skeletonised effect with unrivalled contrast. 

 

This material has been machined down into the mid-case of the watch and it has been lightly acid etched to make the honey-comb stand out more and the finish matt with glass bead. However this material can also be polished to a light finish”. 

 

Black Badger continues, “Superconductor as a material has been one of the main materials I have used in my jewellery design for several years, purely for its aesthetic.

 

The honeycomb structure gives the material a very striking high-tech look, and when the material is cut across the grain at an angle, the structure takes on a futuristic type of woodgrain effect. 

 

This effect is compounded by immersing the watch case in a special acid bath that has been formulated to etch away at the copper material but not the niobium. This causes an almost dystopian future decay appearance that will be different from every angle viewed.’’

Here are the pertinents -

Technical Information:

 

•       Type - Automatic El Primero column-wheel chronograph 

•       Movement – El Primero 400B Automatic, 

        31 jewels, 326 components, 36,000 VpH, (5 Hz)

•       Power Reserve – min 50 hours

•       Function - Self-winding El Primero column-wheel        

        chronograph. Small seconds at 9 o’clock. Tachymetric 

        scale. Date indication at 6 o’clock. Chronograph with - 

        central chronograph seconds hand; 12-hour counter at 

        6 o'clock; 30 minute counter at 3 o’clock

•       Case Material :Copper Niobium Superconductor

•       Case diameter – 42 mm

•       Case thickness-13 mm

•       Case-Back- Sapphire crystal

•       Water Resistance- 100m / 10 ATM

•       Lug Width- 21 mm

•       Strap Material: Genuine suede leather in black with gold 

        contrast stitch

•       Dial: Black dial with gold accents. Sub dials and 

        tachymeter. Hands with Super-Luminova

Doper Than A Doppio!

The BWD Badgerworks Coffee Edition!

Courtesy of Bamford Watch Department, The Black Badger and TAG Heuer

Where to begin?  If you're like me, you've been percolating away during lockdown. The drip, drip, drip of new watch news bottled up like the clogged porta-filter of a La Marzocco 4-head after the morning rush.  The snark and sarcasm frothing up, ready to pour out, and then...

Courtesy of The Black Badger, Bamford Watch Department and TAG Heuer

The erstwhile James Thompson who is more widely known by his nom de lume -The Black Badger decided to team up with Bamford Watch Department once again and serve up this visceral triple-shot that hit me like a two-by-four of caffeinated goodness this AM.

Courtesy of The Black Badger, Bamford Watch Department and TAG Heuer

This is the BWD X Badgerworks TAG Heuer Carrera Calibre 5 with Tropical Coffee Dial.  And while it might not be everyone's cup of coffee, I have to say that it hits all of the visceral buttons for me.  

A watch, is a watch, is a watch...

Until it isn't.  This isn't... just a watch.  And maybe for me it's a bit more of a personal connection.  Not unlike Mr. Thompson, I once  decamped North America and headed east.  For Wendy and me the destination was Finland, first Turku, and then Helsinki.  And one of the best memories I have is the handful of cafes along the Esplanade. The espresso machines looked as if they might have been hold overs from the Winter War, the counters were aged, the tables highly polished, the atmosphere?  If I could have moved my bed in and they would accept cats?  I never would have left.  

It goes deeper for me, at a time when I'd been cast out of my high flying job in San Francisco, I found a second chance as a Starbucks store manager at one of the few stores that did not have one of the sexy, new fully automated machines.  Yes gentle reader, I could field strip a commercial grade La Marzocco 4-head and re-assemble it blindfolded.  Coffee has been a constant in terms of comfort and security for me.  But hey, enough about Henki-Lore, let's get back to the watch -

Courtesy of The Black Badger, Bamford Watch Department and TAG Heuer

The dial is a riff on the much sought after tropical dial.  Essentially a black dial that has been aged and faded by light until it has taken on more of a brown hue. And while I know there is a certain smug group of bearded fellas who favor tweed jackets and other group-think affectations who will wax lyrical about history, provenance, craft... oh, sorry, dozed off there!  I guess my point is that there is nothing wrong with appreciating the past, but as that other great commentator on the watch business, Barry Hearn would remind us - life moves forward.

I love the adaptation of ground coffee to help create the dial.  It seems so obvious in hindsight, but probably the last thing most would think of.  

To quote another great commentator on watches, Samuel L. Jackson as Jules in Pulp Fiction -

"Mmmm! Goddamn, Jimmie! This is some serious gourmet shit! Usually, me and Vince would be happy with some freeze-dried Taster's Choice right, but he springs this serious GOURMET shit on us!"

Courtesy of The Black Badger, Bamford Watch Department and TAG Heuer

Not just any coffee was used to achieve the dial's finish.  None other than Cafe da Matteo provided the coffee for the dials. If you ever find yourselves in Göteborg post lockdown, check them out - https://damatteo.se

Courtesy of Cafe da Matteo

The watch itself is Tag Heuer's Carrera Calibre 5, but thanks to the Black Badger and Bamford Watch Department, it is so much more!

Available from Bamford Watch Department       

and limited to 20 pieces.

Here are the pertinents -

Technical information: 

Model:  Carrera Calibre 5.

Type:  Automatic Watch

Movement: Tag Heuer Calibre 5 *Sellita SW-220-1)

Power Reserve: 38 Hours.

Case Material: Stainless Steel finished with light grey Military Grade Titanium Coating (MGTC)

Case Diameter: 41mm.

Case Thickness: 13.45mm

Case Back: Stainless Steel with Sapphire Display back.

Water Resistant: 10ATM - 100m.