Bremont have just launched their new RFU 150 limited edition watch to mark their association with rugby and 150 years of the Rugby Football Union – hence ?RFU?.  The RFU is the governing body for English rugby. As W&W?s UK correspondent, explaining rugby, that very English of games, to readers in the US, is something of a challenge. As this is an introduction to a watch with a rugby link, rather than an article about the game, suffice it to say that rugby is a little like football (not soccer, that?s different over here) but with 15 rather than 11 players and without the armour, detailed set plays and the rather splendid marching bands. 

Bremont?s new RFU 150 has a helium release valve and is waterproof to 500m. It has Bremont?s neat rubberised shock absorbing system that first saw the light of day on their MB series watches. This?ll make sure your watch survives getting shot from a plane in an ejector seat. The case is stainless steel. The unidirectional bezel is ceramic. The sapphire crystal is scratch-resistant. This is a nailed-on, robust, drop-kickable watch. Whatever you throw at it (or throw it at, for that matter) it?s going to survive. This is sensible. After all, rugby has a reputation as a tough game. To duplicate the feeling of being tackled by an England forward (the big blokes at the front), simply have a friend drop a fridge on you. But watches are not particularly a rugby thing. In fact, the RFU?s rules pretty much prohibit wearing one...