Every day, I think that we are very lucky to have this Zenith pop-up boutique in Paris. Why? Simply because the roadmap which was assigned to the Zenith France team is to organize a lot of events and to take advantage of each day spent inside. Let's take a recent example: Zenith organized an event last Wednesday in attendance of George Bamford himself and his colleague Simon.

As you know, Bamford Watch Department became one year ago the "officialy authorized customizer" for Zenith and the aim of the event was to present to the guests a wide range of watches personalized by Bamford. Some are available at the boutique and can be purchased. But for me, there is no doubt: if I wish to order a Zenith x Bamford watch, I will ask for a bespoke watch. MY watch.

But in the end, what is the interest behind this partnership? Actually, I can see benefits for all involved parties:

- for Zenith because it is in position to offer a wide range of possibilities without expanding its collection and to get, step by step, a younger and cooler image.
- for Bamford because with such support from a brand (and a LVMH one!), it becomes a "respectable" brand. Don't get me wrong. Of course, Bamford was a respectable brand from the beginning. But, you know, in this world of customization, things are not easy. Some people may think that this kind of activity is a heresy, that customizers are spoiling perfect or pure designs, that the customized watch is not faithful to its initial spirit and in any case, brands have been very reluctant in front of these players. But from now, Bamford is supported by the partnership what is excellent for the business since it displays trust to the clients. I don't know how the contract between Bamford and Zenith was written but I observe that Bamford only works with LVMH companies from now while the brand was known when it started to operate by its customizations on Rolex or Audemars Piguet pieces.
- for the clients obviously because they have now the ability to get an official bespoke or personalized watch. What does it mean? Simply that the Zenith warranty stays in force.

So it is a win-win-win situation.

The only downside I can feel is the risk to negatively impact the image of Zenith if we see too many/too daring/too exotic watches because in that case, the basic watches of the permanent collection would lose their interests being perceived as less exclusive and altered too often.

Let's discover the pictures I took during the event!


Dinner is ready! Let's start with finger food!



Arnaud Vidal (L), head of Zenith France, explained the pleasure for him and his team to welcome Bamford Watch Department and to set up within the boutique a small exhibition of customized pieces. George Bamford (R) expressed how proud he was to have signed the partnership with Zenith, highlighting the win-win situation for both parties... and the customers.



Simon, George Bamford's colleague:



The chicken pie was delicious!



George Bamford seated in front of the workbench to assemble/disassemble an El Primero caliber:



He was helped by Romain who came from the manufacture (and it was also the case for the workbench!)



The ladies also participated to the event and Laura could show us her skills:



With George Bamford on the Place Vendôme:



Let's browse the watches which were available during the event.

I like a lot this version of the El Primero 42mm with blue and red details:



Same base and totally different outcome. You will notice that the date disk color is consistent with the dial one.



I fear that this one will cause more reactions. Actually, the Cronometro Tipo CP2 is a very specific piece with a strong historical background so I don't know if it is the best base for such changes. But anyway, if the clients want them, why not!



Andrew, are you sure that this one was not made for you?



I thought this one was created in Jamaica! But no... it is inspired by Brazil!



This piece offers a very subtle alteration. The bezel indexes and the numerals get the verdigris color of the Vendome Column:



This is George Bamford's own watch:



A distinct base... and I love this version of the Heritage 146:



A similar approach:



Still the same atmosphere but with brighter colors. The hands become yellow:



I'm less convinced by the changes on the Pilot  Type 20 Chronograph. Maybe it is due to the size of the watch:





This is an interesting piece because it displays a wide range of possibilities. We are not talking about only a work on the dial or a pure change of case color. The bracelet was also engraved:






To be honest with you, when I consider the latest example, I don't like this type of changes on a Zenith watch. The work on the bracelet is, let's say, too "out of context" or irrelevant. But it is also the rule of the game. When it comes to customization, we don't have to expect a lukewarm outcome. And in the end, it is what the clients are requesting. My fav pieces of this selection are by far the ones based on the Heritage 146. Maybe because the starting point is simpler.

Anyway, the event was great (once again), it was a pleasure for me to meet George and Simon and to discover these pieces in the metal for the first time. I could appreciate the care to details and the quality of the job done. And I have another good news to bring you! When I informed you about the opening of the pop-up boutique, it was expected to close its doors end of March. But there is an extension and now the boutique will be open till end of September. So we will have a lot of opportunities to come back to test the Zenith novelties!

Thanks to the Zenith France team.

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