Bamford London is paying its respects to the extreme seventies styling of Swiss quartz watchmaker Nepro in its solar-powered OLED-screened Neprosolar.
The radical look of the original watch caught the eye of George Bamford, the Bamford London founder and one-time bad boy of watchmaking, who decided to make a version fit for the 2020s.
Most Nepro watches took the Seventies vibe slightly too far and would probably not quite fit with modern sensibilities, but the new take looks great.
Looks aside, although Nepro made a concept watch that they hoped would run on solar power, the technology had not evolved at the time to make it a reality.
While we might not yet be driving the solar-powered cars we have been promised, the tech has at least moved on enough to make solar watches possible.
The Bamford Neprosolar has a hi-res OLED display and solar cells linked to a powerful rechargeable battery.
In another modern touch, the stainless-steel case and tapered metal bracelet are both finished in black PVD.
The watch has two buttons: one on the left to set the watch; another on the right to control the blue OLED display. A touch of the right button illuminates an hour and minute display; a second touch shows the day and month; a third shows the power reserve.
The display is automatically programmed to turn off after four seconds, but can be set to remain lit for longer periods of time if required.
The power reserve of the watch’s rechargeable battery will vary greatly depending on usage: if you choose to set the display to remain constantly lit, the battery will last around 10 hours without recharge; if the display is never activated, the charge will last about three years.
The Neprosolar will be delivered in a black aluminium cylinder that releases from the top like a top-secret canister.
“Nepro is one of the unsung heroes of the watch industry and has a magical, wonderfully nostalgic story to tell,” George Bamford says. “When I first saw pictures of that 1970s concept watch a couple of years ago, I couldn’t take my eyes off it.”
He added: “The design was just so out there, a retro-futuristic thing that was somehow familiar and yet completely alien at the same time. I fell down the rabbit hole and the more I found out about it, the more I fell in love with it. How could this watch never have been put into production?”
“Meeting the family who still own Nepro has been such a thrill and I’m so excited to be reviving the name and the Neprosolar design. This watch is insanely cool and I can’t wait to see what people think of it.”
The Bamford London Neprosolar is available for pre-order at £699 for one week only at bamfordlondon.com