One thing I’ve learned over the last few years is that cars and watches seem to work very well together. This makes sense if you think that both combine engineering and design, both tend to attract enthusiastic collectors and, when done properly, both can continue to be enjoyed for generations.
That helps explain why Land Rover and Bamford London working together works so well. The result of their second collaboration was the LR002. This is a Defender-inspired automatic watch limited to just 100 examples.
Designed by Land Rover, made by Bamford
The story of this watch began with the LR001, the first watch created in another collaboration between Land Rover and Bamford London. Land Rover’s designers took inspiration from the Defender and the practical field watches traditionally used by military personnel. Bamford London then helped turn that concept into a working timepiece.
The LR002 continued the same idea but gave it a much darker appearance.
While the original LR001 had a predominantly grey finish, the LR002 introduced an almost entirely black design. Its lightweight titanium case was given a black diamond-like carbon coating, commonly known as DLC. This created a tougher, more classic finish.
Land Rover Character
Some collaborations do nothing more than add a recognisable logo to a product that already exists. However, the LR002 goes a lot further than that. Its design reflects the same military influence that helped shape both early Land Rovers and traditional field watches.
The black dial uses highly visible white markers and hands, with small touches of Bamford’s signature blue appearing around the LR002 and water-resistance markings. Super-LumiNova helps make the face readable in low light, and the fixed strap bars take their inspiration from military watches.
Unlike traditional spring bars, fixed bars form part of the case itself. When combined with the NATO-style strap, this helps keep the watch attached to the wrist even if part of the strap system becomes damaged. Obviously, this is a relatively small detail, but one that shows the LR002 was made to be worn.
What is inside the LR002?
The Defender influence continues through the watch’s straightforward and practical specification.
Inside is a Swiss-made Sellita SW200-1b automatic movement. Rather than relying on a battery, the self-winding mechanism uses movement from the wearer’s wrist to keep the watch running. It also has a 41-hour power reserve, meaning it can continue to keep time for almost two days after being removed.
The 40mm DLC-coated titanium case is 13.25mm thick, and the watch is water-resistant to 100 metres. Titanium helps keep it light on the wrist, while the DLC coating provides the distinctive black finish and additional surface protection. Interestingly, there are no complicated additional displays or unnecessary functions. It simply shows the hours, minutes and seconds. This is, of course, very much in keeping with the functional nature of the Defender that inspired it.
Only 100 were made
The LR002 was launched in 2023, and production was limited to just 100 examples.
That rarity means the LR002 is likely to appeal to more than one type of collector. It sits somewhere between a serious automatic field watch, a piece of Land Rover memorabilia and an interesting part of the Defender story. With so few made, it is also unlikely that many people will ever see another one being worn!
You can win our Bamford x Land Rover Watch here.
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