George Bamford, who is 41, began collecting and trading watches while he was still at school. In 2003 his interest in horology led the son of JCB chairman Lord Bamford to establish the Bamford Watch Department, a Mayfair-based business specialising in watch customisation.
It became known for blackening cases and bracelets using a ‘secret’ military-grade coating process and majored on carrying out unauthorised modifications