Letter from the Publisher

What was your professional background prior to the launch
of Rebellion?
I was in the watch industry for ten years and I worked mainly
for high-end private label businesses. I then spent six years
working in cosmetics before returning to watchmaking. In
doing so, I associated with a longtime friend who shares my
passionate interest in both watchmaking and automobiles,
and with whom I nurtured a long-cherished dream of creating
a watch brand. The first concrete elements date back to
2007, with a few original sketches scribbled in the back of an
envelope, expressing certain strong traits of character and a
keen desire to power ahead.
If you had to explain Rebellion to the uninitiated, what
would you say?
We were both keen to establish a different and non-
conformist watch brand. To put things simply, we wanted to
be independent from a group and to be able to give life to the
kind of products we had always dreamed of. We also wanted
to build something that would last, since our long-term aim is
to be able to make movements and offer them to other brands.
What about market positioning?
We offer extremely exclusive products. What have we learned
from the crisis? That real values endure. Although we are
young, we aim to create a lasting brand. To do so will mean
avoiding the mistakes that proved fatal to some, which
means we must offer watches at justifiable and attractive
prices for collectors. Moreover, we still intend to remain a
niche brand, which naturally implies exclusive production.
That’s what we offer with Rebellion.
In which markets are you currently represented?
We are steadily expanding our distribution. Before entering
new markets, we want to be sure, on the one hand of being able
to start off with the best possible partners, and on the other
of being able to deliver the desired quantities. But at the end
of 2010, we were strongly active in Russia—while hardly at all
in the rest of Europe—and well represented in both Asia and the
United States. As far as the rest of the world is concerned, we
intend to gradually build our network with the finest partners.
top
The latest addition to Rebellion’s models, the Predator chronograph
features sectorial seconds.
right
The Predator chronograph comes in a single-pusher version.
How did things go in the beginning?
Initially, not too well. We made certain mistakes and didn’t
always make the right choices until we began working
with Laurent Besse, a design engineer specializing
in exceptional movements, whose experience and
competence gave the project genuine horological
credibility. We also enlisted the services of a brilliant
designer who is well recognized in the watch industry,
Eric Giroud. With these two professionals, we have been
able to develop highly demanding products that are
radically different from current standard
production. That’s what has kept us
going: the desire to be different
and non-conformist, and
a wish to keep pushing
the boundaries. That
is indeed Rebellion’s
very reason for being.
Shortly afterwards, we
developed the T-1000
and its 1,000-hour
power reserve—a crazy
but thrilling challenge!
Tourbillons 159 •