For 2011, watch-designer Eric Giroud has re-examined and re-worked the distinctive case he developed for Rebellion’s imposing RE-1 Chronograph. The RE-1 has undergone a revamp to emphasize its strength and power. The attention to detail has refined the look with deft and subtle changes, and yet one might even liken it to a rebirth.
A robust housing for the highly-tuned automatic movement, on a Concepto base, the RE-1 Chronograph’s chassis features Rebellion’s distinctive signature helical screw heads, with a large diameter crown that is both intrinsically masculine and easier to use. The new wedge-shaped chronograph pushers fall readily to hand: each pusher’s sloped surface follows the arc of a finger as it presses down, in turn creating an operational experience that provides a tactile sensation to match the aesthetic.
RE-1 is a chronograph for the 21st Century: forceful, emphatic, modern. Its visage is reminiscent of an engine, with touches that recall turbines, alloy wheels, competition dials and gauges. A bold sweep hand marks the crucial timing for events that warrant the operation of the chronograph functions. Even the pushers look like small cam covers, the crown reminiscent of a nut securing a wheel to a hub.
Rebellion’s RE-1 resolutely records time in an analogue manner during the digital era. Rebellion, indeed.