Jewellery & Watch News
A celebration of a 150-year sporting legacy in time for the first England Six Nations game of 2021
In a year that has been incredibly challenging for the sports industry, the absence of a rugby match - the way us British like to celebrate it - has magnified just how much we miss it. Luckily for Bremont fans, the Henley-on-Thames manufacturer has extended its Bremont England Rose watch – a model from the ALT1-C offspring, characterised by classic chronometer DNA. Now, tying its diving roots in nicely with the world of sport, the new Bremont RFU 150 Limited Edition timepiece is clothed in signature team kit colours and pays homage to the 150th anniversary of the Rugby Football Union (RFU) with assets borrowed from the palpable Supermarine S500 model.
The release of the new Bremont RFU 150 limited edition watch tips its hat to more than this landmark in sporting history, however. It coincides with the British manufacturer’s first TV advertisement set to air during the first England Six Nations game this coming Saturday (February 6th). Furthermore, it nods to another recent achievement for Bremont. Just last year it announced its position as Official Timing Partner to both England Rugby and Twickenham Stadium. A plethora of timekeeping instruments was kitted out for Twickenham Stadium by Bremont during 2020, with match clocks emblazoned with the famous brand’s crisp lettering across their dials. The Bremont England Rose timepiece was released just before the Guinness Six Nations 2020 and was met with resounding success, dressed on either a very sophisticated steel bracelet or an eye-catching blue leather band.
In a sports game that depends so highly on values of reliability, durability and precision - it would seem apparent that no other British watchmaker could be more suited to the role of producing a timepiece in honour of the popular sport than Bremont. The chronograph movement that lies within is integrated with an innovative GMT function, suspended inside patented anti-shock technology and housed within an impressive 500-meter water-resistant case. In this way, Bremont encompasses the qualities that founded the partnership, whilst giving the wearer the chance to follow the duration of the match on the bezel of his watch.
The birth of the Rugby Football Union
The Rugby Football Union was formed in just 2 hours on 26th January 1871. 32 representees attended the meeting held by the Captain of Richmond Group, EC Holmes. Here, the Laws of the Game were drawn up by three former students, while the other sub-committee chose the first opposing team. The RFU finally joined the International Rugby Board in 1890 and built its own stadium in Twickenham in 1907. Ever since the stadium’s first iconic match between Harlequins and Richmond in October 1909, it has remained a cornerstone of Britain’s rugby heritage…
…and the home of England’s national team.
A unique way to follow the match
The new Bremont RFU 150 Limited Edition watch is engineered from sumptuous satin-brushed and polished stainless steel tones that bear a confident 43mm on the wrist. In addition to this, the watch features the brand’s patented anti-shock mount which forms a protective field around the movement and has also been equipped with a helium escape valve, a crown protector and a screw-in engraved caseback to ensure a stable, dry internal environment. The unidirectional rotating bezel which sits atop of the 500-meter water-resistant case is executed in a deep blue hue to match the colour of the dial that it surrounds. Upon this bezel, playing time is shown in a unique colour palette. The wearer can follow the minutes leading up to half time and full time in red. Extra added time is signified in a clean white tone via additional five-minute increments. The closed caseback of the Bremont RFU 150 watch features the Heritage Rose emblem, harkening back to the first rose that featured on the players’ caps from 1871 and thereafter.
Team kit-coloured dial
The inner dial ring of the Bremont RFU 150 Limited Edition watch, with a 24-hour scale, endorses the Twickenham name against a silver background. A metal blue dial with legible Arabic numerals and stick markers features injections of vibrant red seen in the arrow-tipped GMT hand and the central second hand. The chunky hour and minute hands and indices around the hour track are coated in Bremont’s Super-LumiNova coated treatment to assist with timekeeping during the night or when caught in dimly-lit conditions. The blue colour, of course, is a reference to England’s alternative team kit.
A masterfully crafted beating heart
The BE-93-2AV automatic movement is certified to chronometer standards and can oscillate at 28,800 times per hour, providing a useful 42-hour power reserve. Amongst its many components is a Glucydur balance, an Anachron balance spring and Nivaflex mainspring.
The Bremont RFU 150 watch is finished on a sophisticated 22mm stainless steel bracelet with satin-brushed and polished links that envelop the wrist with a folding clasp. It comes priced at an appealing £3995. More information on the limited edition timepiece can be viewed here.
Technical Specifications:
Case: 43mm satin-brushed and polished stainless steel - 500-meter water-resistant – blue unidirectional rotating bezel with colour-highlighted playing time and extra time markers - crown protector – sealed caseback engraved with the Heritage Rose emblem – anti-glare sapphire crystal glass front
Dial: Blue metal with Super-LumiNova coated central hands and hour indexes – date window at 3 – Red tipped second hand – red arrow-tipped GMT hand – inner dial ring with 24-hour scale stamped with Twickenham
Movement: Modified calibre 11 1/4''' BE-93-2AV automatic chronometer - 42-hour power reserve - 28,800 v.p.h
Strap: Satin-brushed and polished stainless steel bracelet with folding clasp
Limitation: limited edition of 150 pieces
Price: £3995
