The 24 limited edition pieces worn by the Rebellion Racing drivers during the Le Mans 24 Hours are to be sold a la “race proven”.   The particular model shown below was on the wrist of Andrea Belicchi who was in the #13 car (Belicchi – Boullion – Smith).  Unfortunately, this team crashed out of the race just after the 9 hour and 18 minutes mark.  But the watch seems to have made it through just fine!

Features of this watch include a dial and bezel in black carbon fibre, 24 hour counter in red and special extendable racing clasp that can be adjusted to wear over racing suit.  If you are interested in more details, be sure to click-through to my previous post on this watch for more pics and info.

Team Rebellion competes in the LMP1 Category, which means:  mean and lean race cars!

What’s new?  The blue…

This is a new take on REB-7 Skeleton Regulator from high-end Swiss watch brand Rebellion.  This is a very limited production piece, with a price somewhere in the $20,000 range.   More on the watch — and Rebellion — after the jump.

The first REB-7 Regulator was introduced by in March 2009.  It is a big watch — 46 mm X 56.7 mm X 19.6 mm.  Function-wise, the watch displays central minutes and seconds, hours in sub-dial at 12 o’clock, large date at 6 o’clock.  The modular steel case is the work of highly acclaimed designer Eric Giroud (more on him over at the Watch Lounge).  The movement/regulator function was conceived and executed by master watchmaker and movement designer Laurent Besse.   Historically, regulators were known for being very accurate — the reference by which other clocks and timepieces are set.  Besse purpotedly “reinvented” the regulator for the REB-7, but what exactly this means I do not know.  Care to elaborate, Mr. Besse?

Laurent Besse’s fingerprints can also be found on other mold-breaking creations such as MB&F’s HM1 (Giroud contributed to this piece as well) and Maurice Lacroix’s Memoire 1, just to name two (of many).

As for Rebellion, the brand was launched in 2008 with the idea of drawing inspiration from motor sports but interpreted in a very non-conformist in nature.  For more you can check out the REB-5 Tourbillon Full Diamond, the Rebellion Predator,  and the Rebllion T-1000 Power Reserve which I previously wrote about.

Learn and see more at http://www.rebellion-timepieces.com.

Update:  VIDEO added (below)

Power reserve = 1,000 hours…

After the successful presentation in January of The Predator, their first watch with a round case, the young and audacious Swiss watch brand Rebellion decided to take on a new challenge – creating a watch with a 1,000 hour power reserve.  The result?  The Rebellion T-1000.  The body of the T-1OOO was designed in a collaboration of Eric Giroud and Rebellion and is inspired by elements of car racing.  Time is displayed via a vertical roller-display, while at 6 o’clock, a double balance releases the immense power at a precisely controlled rate.  A window in the side of the case reveals one of the mainspring barrels, with markers providing a natural “Fuel Gauge” of the state of the power reserve.  To generate the 1,000 hours of power generated by the watch, six (!) mainspring barrels are employed in what is a patented system.  The over-sized winding lever is all too appropriate for such a colossal power reserve.  Credit to Frank @ Monochrome and Ian Skellern for the pics above.

I’m still waiting on some better pics from Rebellion — it is still a bit difficult to understand/appreciate this watch from its one and only press photo:

T -1OOO – TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
Limited edition: 100 pieces
Calibre: REB T-1000, manual winding with integrated winding lever
Jewels: 14 ceramic & 22 rubies
Balance: double hairspring inclined at 39°
Winding system: Patented system of six mainsprings wound in parallel by chain and prop shaft.
The barrels discharge power in series to provide an optimal torque curve.
Indications: hours and minutes displayed on rollers
Power reserve: 1’000+ hours provided by six (2 x 3) vertical mainspring barrels
Number of components: 693 for the chassis
Balance frequency: 18’000 bph (2.5Hz)
Material: case in titanium and chassis in aluminium
Dimensions: 46,7 mm X 46,9 mm / 19,5 mm
Crown: time-setting mechanism using patented push-button clutch system
Water resistance: 50 metres
Strap: black alligator leather
Buckle: patented folding clasp with micrometric push button regulation allowing easy adjustment of length on the wrist.

Independent Watchmakers Find a Stage to Shine On

The inaugural Geneva Time Exhibition (“GTE 2010″) was held January 17-22, 2010, concurrent with this year’s SIHH.  Although I did not aggressively cover GTE 2010 here on First In Watches, I did express my excitement for the event’s potential in my January 9, 2010 article Geneva Time Exhibition 2010: Independent Watchmaker Showcase, particularly for its ability to bring much needed exposure to the  many independent watchmakers who will be there.  I previewed the Snyper watch and the Rebellion Predator, too.  Thus I am pleased to report that the event appears to have been a resounding success.

There were about 5,500 visitors from 5 continents in attendance, of which 500 were media people.  Perhaps the best measure of success, though, is that all 38 brands who exhibited indicated that they would be back in 2011.  On that high note, here is a neat video from Perpetuelle.com media partner The TimeTV who produced a video recap of the event.  In particular you will see and hear commentary from Florence Noël (GTE co-founder along with Paola Orlando and Dominique Franchino), along with “spotlights” on 3 brands:  ASPEN Watch & Jewelery Co. (Founder/CEO René van Ass), Volna (CEO Sébastien Bottinelli), and Louis Moinet (CEO Jean-Marie Schaller).

Congratulations to all – events like this are just what independent watchmakers need!  And stay tuned for the Mumbai Time Exhibition in September 2010!

The Full List of Exhibiting Brands

2/8/10 Editor’s Update: added high-res pictures and watch specs

Rebellion’s First Round Case Watch Will Be at GTE 2010

This watch was designed in collaboration with award-winning designer Eric Giroud.  Giroud is the creative mind behind watches including the Harry Winston Opus 9, MCT Sequential One, and MB&F’s HM-1, to name a few (by the way, recommended reading:  a fantastic and just published interview of Eric Giroud the Watch Lounge’s Tom Mulraney).  As with Rebellion’s other timepieces (you can see the Rebellion REB-5 Tourbillon Full Diamond here), the Predator draws inspiration from racing cars.  The honeycomb dial is also a unique design element.  The watch case is available several combinations (red gold, red gold/ceramic, steel, steel/ceramic and red gold/steel) with a bezel attached by 8 distinctive screws with heads in the brand’s logo (very cool – kinda like Hublot does with it’s case screws).

The only thing that gave me pause about this watch when I first saw the picture of it is that it somewhat resembles the Richard Mille RM025 Tourbillon Chronograph diver’s watch that was introduced not too long ago.  But as I look at the two more closely now I think they are actually quite different!

Movement

Automatic, RE-1 calibre, 28,800 vib/h, 50-hour power reserve

Functions

Hours, minutes, sectorial seconds, chronograph, date

Case

Red gold, red gold/ceramic, steel, steel/ceramic, Numbered middle Bezel affixed with 8 Rebellion screws, Red gold or steel crown with rubber ring, Screw-down sapphire back,Water-resistant to 100 m

Dial

DLC black honeycomb, Red gold or steel hourmarkers with Superluminova,Hour, minute and sectorial seconds counters at 6, 3 and 9 o’clock respectively, Date window at 4.30

Bracelet/Strap

Black rubber with red gold, ceramic or steel patented folding clasp

A Unique Piece With 319 Seamlessly Set Diamonds

Launched in 2008, Rebellion Timepieces is a young and audacious independent Swiss high-end watch brand, based in Lonay, on the shores of Lake Geneva.  Rebellion’s timepieces are crafted in extremely limited quantities, with precision-engineered cases and exclusive movements.   The brand recently unveiled a stunning new version of its REB-5 Tourbillon (itself unveiled at Baselworld 2009), the REB-5 Tourbillon Full Diamond.  The watch’s 319 baguette-cut diamonds (total 25.07 carats) were set using a technique developed by Van Cleef & Arpels for mounting precious stones without any of the setting claws showing.   Check it out:

Click here to view  more of Rebellion’s superb timepieces.  Also, feel free to post a comment below and share your thoughts.