People modify nearly all aspects of watches, but those intrepid souls who dare to irrevocably modify the case fascinate me. Swapping out a dial, hands, or a bezel insert is like changing your clothes; cutting into the metal of a watch?s case is like tattooing your forehead. Modifying a watch case takes real guts, heaps of confidence, and serious skills.
Typically case modification takes the form of decorative engraving, with noted daredevils including George Bamford, MadeWorn?s Blaine Halvorson, Tom Inslay, and Orion Watch?s Nick Harris. A scattering of other folks who engrave guns, knives, lighters, and jewelry?many via Etsy?will also carve into your watch, but when it comes to trusting someone to mod your valuable and/or cherished timepiece, there are few proven horologically-minded artisans to turn to.
Bamford’s current work for LVMH.

George Bamford was the leading Rolex modder, buying up Rolex watches himself and bravely cutting into them. Jean-Claude Biver snatched Bamford up into the LVMH Group, where Bamford largely modifies models from Zenith, Tag Heuer, and Bulgari. Often blacked out, textured, and given a whole new colorway through manipulation of metals, Bamford is working with LVMH exclusively now?so, no more Rolex mods.

Halvorson ‘s creations are full-on. Image via MadeWorn.

Blaine Halvorson is probably the most visible of the watch case modders. He outsources engraving to experts, instead acting as co-creator with his clients, who must...