Predator 2.0 Regulator Tourbillon
Rebellion Predator 2.0 Regulator Tourbillon
Fusing exceptional watchmaking and racing car technology within the Predator 2.0 Regulator Tourbillon, the Rebellion brand hopes to steal a significant lead by running its rivals off the racetrack.
By Vincent Daveau
Contributor
In a watchmaking world embarked upon the race against time to cast a new spell on the profession, the future appears to belong to those who will able to steal a lead through their creativity. A professional of the racetrack circuit, Rebellion Timepieces this year rolls out a super machine of predator-like proportions on the prepared watch market to trigger the sector's metamorphosis. Codename of this competitive beast? Predator 2.0 Regulator Tourbillon.
Built to win
No racer ever took to the steering wheel of his car without being firmly convinced of a win. What holds for racing drivers also holds for watchmakers in search of their place in the market. For Rebellion Timepieces, a brand known for its radical technological choices, cutting-edge mechanics is not a problem. Designers, watchmakers and mechanics outrival each other every year to find ingenious ways to attract a growing audience of enthusiasts whose budgets know no limits. To satisfy this appetite to impress others, the brand is proud to present the Predator 2.0 Regulator Tourbillon: a watch produced in a 30-piece limited edition, complete with 48 mm diameter case, depicted here in DLC-coated titanium, 5N red gold and carbon, and sporting a spattering of automobile codes, such as the upper arm of an engine's piston.
Inspiration is everything
But the comparison with a racing car is particularly evident at dial level. There is every indication to suggest that it is inspired by the instrument panel on cars, especially those produced by Zenvo, the Danish automobile constructor with whom Rebellion very recently announced a partnership. It's perfectly plausible since the powerful graphics of the piece are strikingly similar to those of the vehicles produced by the company so beloved of racing car fans. Designed to resemble the instrument cluster on a GT, the dial of the Predator 2.0 Regulator Tourbillon therefore showcases a particularly complex spatial arrangement that watchmakers call a "regulator".
The term derives from the high-precision clocks commonly installed in watchmaking workshops, which carried a dial where the hours, minutes and large seconds hands were engraved into the pivot of the corresponding wheel. The seconds hand was therefore assigned to the escapement wheel, which completed one revolution per minute (thanks to the one-meter seconds-beating pendulum), and the minutes hand to the minute wheel, while the hours hand was usually coupled to the central wheel. This elaborate construction made it possible to reduce the number of wheels and therefore the degree of possible friction. This led to a noticeable increase in precision and meant that the hands did not all need to be centred in the middle of the dial.
For the sake of accuracy
The same applies in this case. Powered by an ultra-powerful automatic calibre (power reserve of 65 hours) based on the Télôs Watch, this watch is therefore regulated by a tourbillon of supreme craftsmanship. Fitted with an organ patented in 1801 designed to improve the accuracy of watchmaking calibres by enabling the balance wheel to escape the effects of gravity (when worn in a vertical position), this piece sets out to ensure above-average temporal accuracy. To further optimise its precision, the piece echoes the classic construction of the regulator clocks found in watchmakers' workshops, but also plays on the metaphor of the racing car world; a sector in which Rebellion is heavily involved, as seen from the brand's presence on the racetrack circuit as a sponsor of Rebellion Racing, the team that continues to distinguish itself in the LMP1-L class.
In a dynamic, playful approach to time-telling, the dial displays the time in a counter at 10 o'clock, heavily inspired by the on-board tachometer. The minute counter is positioned at 2 o'clock and the permanent seconds is in the centre, to give the impression that time is speeding by. And to prevent it from accidentally slipping off, the watch is secured at the wrist with a vulcanized rubber strap (in a wide choice of colours) and deployant buckle. No doubt such a virile, high-tech creation, offering graphical aesthetics and high-performance, is certain to win the heart of Camille Lacourt, the famous French swimming champion, Gold medal winner, and ambassador for the Rbellion brand since January. With such a hot partnership, the sparks are sure to fly… Watch this space!
Rebellion Timepieces Predator 2.0 Regulator Power Reserve
Power reserve and GMT
And as if Rebellion's tribute to the Regulator wasn't exceptional enough, the brand is also adding two more versions, aside from the Tourbillon model, dedicated to what is commonly known in watchmaking parlance as simple complications (!). Fans of the brand will thus be delighted to see the Predator 2.0 Regulator Power reserve. The power reserve indicator, somewhat reminiscent of a fuel gauge indicating the quantity of fuel remaining, is clearly visible at 6 o'clock, while the date feature is positioned at 4 o'clock. This time, the supremely crafted automatic mechanical calibre beating at a rate of 28,800 vibrations an hour and boasting 46 hours of power reserve comes equipped with a module specially developed for Rebellion.
The second limited edition to go down in this model's archives is a timepiece entitled the Predator 2.0 Regulator GMT, which will be limited to just 25 pieces. Housed in its centre is a calibre offering unrelenting stability, also with automatic winding and beating at a rate of 28,800 vibrations an hour (4 Hertz), and enhanced by the ingenious addition of a system peculiar to Rebellion. Here the power reserve of the watch is 42 hours, its case a virile 48 mm in diameter, offering, by means of a complex construction, many different customisation possibilities, while remaining water-resistant to 10 ATM. And last but not least is its ability to transport the wearer into another time zone.
REBELLION Caps Off An Eventful Year Of Racing And Watchmaking
By Josh Shanks
, Contributor
In 2019, the independent Swiss-based racing team and watchmaker competed against some of the biggest and came out on top.
Rebellion Timepieces T-1000: the race against time
By Laetitia Artal
A power reserve of 1000 hours, or 40 days and 40 nights. Never has the term "timekeeper" been as appropriate as for this model designed and made by...
Endurance and sophistication: the most amazing sapphire case by Rebellion
By Joel Grandjean
, Editor-in-Chief
There are some crazy challenges that go further than the diaphanous magic of sapphire. It took 99 working days to make the modular sapphire case of the 540...