Any conversation with George Bamford is a bit of a whirlwind. Whether it’s the recent Laureato Ghost, the, let’s say, divisive Coffee-dialled number with Black Badger or the launch of Bamford Watch Department’s own, accessible GMTs – back when face-to-face events were still a thing – he’s a man with about as many pies as he has fingers to put them in.
So while most of us are content to let the malaise of lockdown get us down, how is one of the most connected men in watchmaking coping with isolation? “Arabic coffee, mainly. I don’t drink coffee as a rule, but I was introduced to the Arabic and the aroma, the flavour is beautiful. I make myself one of these every day” he says, holding up a two litre coffee thermos. Sure, anyone that’s tried that rich, Turkish-style coffee knows it’s a heart attack in the making, but George Bamford’s never done things in halves.
Not only is he one of the most connected men in the watch industry, but the list of projects he seems to be pumping out shows that, in creativity at least, lockdown seems to be agreeing with him. “I’m still in the office a lot of the time,” he explains, “but we’ve been getting things done quicker than ever before. It used to be that I’d need to arrange a face-to-face meeting, go through all the legwork of sitting down and chatting. Now I can call a supplier halfway round the world, loop them in with my creative team working from home and have designs ready to be turned into watches by the end of the day!”
To put that into context, Bamford’s newest launch, coming in the summer, was put together in just six months. That’s intense. Where most of us seem to be flagging a little, creatively speaking, obviously, George still seems to be finding plenty to inspire him. Including pastries. “I went to the Connaught the other day and right next door they’ve got this wonderful patisserie. It’s the most beautiful design with marble tables cut in a certain way and I didn’t know it launched during lockdown. I went in there, mask on of course, and despite not eating sugar I just had to buy stuff, I was so inspired. It’s all about these little glimmers of wonderfulness.”
Not that it’s all been plain sailing of course; working remotely is all well and good but we’ve all been privy to a disastrous conference call or two. At least with George’s virtual horror story it was less of a tech issue, more of a… let’s say issue of taste.
“I used to work for Rankin and some of those guys back when I was a photographer and I used to collect photographs. Whenever I got paid for work I used to buy art. Well, I was in a very, very, very serious meeting and I had that in the background,” he says, turning the camera so that an artfully monochrome bit of nudity enters frame. “I didn’t notice until halfway through, one of the participants WhatsApped me to ask if I knew I had a naked woman behind me!”
We’ve all been there haven’t we? No? Ok then. So, what would the equivalent now be? What does George Bamford splurge on every time he signs a new horological deal? “Watches of course! Whatever catches my eye at the time, whatever’s come up in conversation recently. I was with Davide from Montblanc and we were talking about Gerald Genta designs, going through them all and especially the Ingenieur. The first ones, the quartz movement ones and, you know, how Gerald Genta was this great designer. Everyone goes on about the black dials but I love the silver and lately has been a voyage of discovery phase for me.”
Evidently George has taken the last year in his stride, with an ever-growing range of pieces under his own name, greater customisation options for those under others and what sounds like a creative process that’s somehow more productive than ever. It’s good to know then that he, like the rest of us, is looking forward to getting back to normality.
“I like being at home, but I never want to be stuck at home ever again. I was driving into London Monday morning – I normally leave home at around 5:45 – and I was so happy to be stuck in traffic. I sat in a queue for 45 minutes thinking, this feels fucking amazing, what’s wrong with me?”
