From Bamford London -
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| 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.
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| 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
