A stainless steel no-date Rolex Submariner, ref. 5513 meter first customized by Bamford and Sons.
Case. Three-body, polished and brushed, screw-down case back and crown, graduated bi-directional revolving black bezel for the decompression times, Triplock winding- crown protected by the crown guard. Case has some nicks and marks. Case has been PVD by Bamford Watch Company including bezel and crown.
Dial. Black with luminous round, triangular and baton indexes, outer minute division. Luminous steel skeleton hands. Dial is double signed Bamford & Sons in red.
Movement. Cal. 1520, rhodium-plated, 26 jewels, straight-line lever escapement, monometallic balance, shock absorber, self-compensating flat balance spring, hack mechanism. Watch is accurate within COSC specs.
Watch comes with its original Bamford & Sons box and tool kit, Bamford & Sons Cordura Technical NATO straps. We are including the straw colored NATO strap and a brand new beige distressed leather Hodinkee strap as pictured below.
Sold by Banford Watch Company in early Circa 2000's
Serial Number: 1,77x,xxx
Size: 40mm
Circa 1966
More about Rolex:
Out of all these distinguished icons, the Patek Philippe World timer is perhaps the most poetic and romantic. With the help of a talented watchmaker, Louis Cottier, Patek Philippe managed to produce the world’s first world time wristwatch in 1937. Fast forward 80 years, the world time watch remains one of the most integral pieces of the modern Patek Philippe collection. This year, Patek Philippe has given one of its most coveted world time references, the Ref. 5131, an opulent makeover. For the first time, the Ref. 5131 is available in platinum fitted with a platinum bracelet no less. A truly Iconic and rare watch.
This watch is a very early Bamford Watch Company release which was customized and sold in the early 2000's. Originally George Bamford was mostly customizing vintage watches such as this Rolex Submariner 5513 inspired by British Mil Spec Submariner and tales of a (yet to be confirmed) South African Military Submariner factory PVD. These early Bamford & Sons Submariners were PVD and the dials were double signed with their signature. The watches proved to be extremely popular and the company rapidly acquired new clients with new orders. However because of the difficulties in obtaining enough vintage Rolex and the exponential rise in price of these vintage watches, BWC ceased customizing vintage and concentrated on modern Rolex and other manufactures.
This watch is very early Bamford customization and a rare example being a Rolex Submariner 5513. After over a decade, it has retained much sex appeal and seems as relevant and unique today as it was then.
More about Bamford (& Sons) Watch Company:
Bamford Watch Company was founded in 2003 by George Bamford and was originally named Bamford & Sons. It is located in London, England. Originally the goal was to customize Rolex and other luxury watches to a client's specific requirements. They have expanded their offerings and are now creating special collections inspired from the history and heritage of watch companies such as Rolex. They customize and enhance the aesthetics of the original manufacturer watch by using technical coating or modifying certain parts. Bamford Watch Company is a pioneer in this field and many others have followed their steps but nobody has the same creative process or attention to details and quality.
Bamford Watch company has also collaborated with the likes of Fragment Design, Daniel Arsham, Dr. Romanelli and Colette in Paris to create rare capsule collections. They have also created collections including popular characters from comic strips such as Snoopy, Popeye and Beetle bailey