I get approached by quite a few people who want to start their own watch brands. Usually at events for watch collectors and enthusiasts, rather than, say, in the salad aisle at my local supermarket, but it happens more often than you’d think. Especially given the huge costs involved, the time, effort and woeful track record of horological start-ups.

A few succeed, of course (this is what provides a glimmer of hope for all would-be entrepreneurs). And, with the arrival on MR PORTER this week of its newest model, the B347 monopusher chronograph, this brings me to Bamford Watch Department.

Bamford Watch Department, as you probably know, exists primarily as a customiser of existing watch designs, an officially sanctioned collaborator with brands such as TAG Heuer, Zenith, Girard-Perregaux and Chopard. It started life as a very much unsanctioned customiser of Patek Philippe and Rolex, before turning legit, so to speak. It has produced some lovely watch accessories, as well as all manner of lifestyle bits and bobs. But the big shift came when founder Mr George Bamford reckoned there was a decent market for watches that just said “Bamford” on the dial, without the rock-solid presence of a globally known Swiss name to go with it.

He began with the entry-level Mayfair (now available in Date and Sport versions), which, although universally deemed great fun, in the grand scheme of things, caused barely a ripple in the horological pond. The Bamford London GMT followed, to greater acclaim. Without shaking things up too much, here was a proper tool watch with credible specs, at a competitive price, with – a must for any Bamford – a huge range of customisability.

Now we welcome the B347 and, I am happy to say it, another quantum leap. This, the third design under its own name, cements Bamford Watch Department as a brand with a real range of products and gives a flavour of George Bamford’s ambition. For the first time, BWD is offering something genuinely unmatched at its price point: a monopusher chronograph cased in forged carbon for £2,500. You will find reliable chronographs for similar money, but none with this lightweight, durable, contemporary case material and hardly any monopushers. They’re typically of interest to connoisseurs and tend to come with a price tag to match.

The B347’s build quality, during the few days I tried one out, seemed excellent and it wears comfortably. As you can see, it’s available in enough colours and styles to satisfy most tastes (though you do have to want the marbled black case that’s synonymous with forged carbon).

It impresses me all the more because the attention given to Bamford’s work tends, naturally enough, to accumulate around the co-branded designs with major brands or the tongue-in-cheek creations with Popeye, Snoopy and Sesame Street. All the while, Bamford has been building a brand that needs no other name to support it and, with the B347, that brand now has the hero product it needs.