Rebellion Timepieces SA was founded in 2008 by Alexandre Pesci and is currently based in Lornay, Switzerland. According to the company website, Rebellion Timepieces was the result of combining a passion for watchmaking, high technology, and car racing.
Manor Racing
Rebellion Timepieces became the official timing partner of Manor Racing for the 2016 season, after the British team rebranded from the Manor Marussia F1 Team. The partnership resulted in the Wraith Drive Manor Racing chronograph. Similar to IWC Schaffhausen, images of Rebellion watches were printed on the drivers’ gloves for the season. Manor Racing folded before the start of the 2017 Formula 1 season.
Bruno Senna
Rebellion Timepieces announced the RE-Volt Carbon Forged Bruno Senna in 2020. The former F1 driver and nephew of Ayrton Senna drove a Rebellion R13 in the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2018 and 2019. His limited edition timepiece had a production run of 20 pieces.
Alfa Romeo F1 Team Orlen: Valtteri Bottas and Guanyu Zhou
Rebellion Timepieces made a return to the F1 grid by partnering with Alfa Romeo F1 Team Orlen in 2022, and released two models named after the team’s drivers and car: The RE-Volt Valtteri Bottas C42 and the RE-Volt Zhou Guanyu C42. The launch was held at the Monaco Grand Prix.
Limited to 50 pieces with the color of each driver’s national flag and offered a choice between two different straps, Bottas’s model included a piece of the rear wing from the #77 machine while the Zhou edition incorporated fragments of the #24 car’s sidepod. Buyers were given the opportunity to visit the Sauber Motorsport factory along with Rebellion Motors and Timepieces, as well as personally collect their watches from the drivers at an exclusive dinner.
Zhou Guanyu in the Alfa Romeo C42. (Photo: Roberto Monti, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons)
A company press release from March 2023 made references to the RE-Volt Valtteri Bottas C43 and the RE-Volt Zhou Guanyu C43, although it appears to feature identical images used for the C42 models. Whether or not these were a separate release is not well documented.
Exit from Luxury Watchmaking?
As of February 2024, the Rebellion Timepieces website displays the following message:
“The Board of Directors of Rebellion has decided to concentrate exclusively on automotive activities. We are therefore terminating the activities of Rebellion Timepieces SA. We thank you for your understanding and your cooperation over the years. If you have any questions, including after-sales services, please contact us at: info@rebellion-timepieces.com”
The above message has since been removed, possibly as recently as December of 2024. The status of the brand as a luxury watchmaker remains unclear, with social media updates dropping off by May of 2024.
Related Pages
References
https://rebellion-watches.com/rebellion-timepieces-with-manor-racing-team/
https://masterhorologer.com/2016/04/01/rebellion-wraith-drive-manor-racing-edition/
https://www.watchonista.com/rebellion/news/rebellion-timepieces-formula-1-team-manor-racing-wraith-limited-edition
https://www.bbc.com/sport/formula1/38530855
https://rebellion-watches.com/alfa-romeo-f1-team-orlen/
https://rebellion-timepieces.com/partnerships/alfa-romeo-f1-team/
https://www.timekeepers.club/articles/novelties/rebellion-re-volt-valtteri-bottas-c42-and-re-volt-zhou-guanyu-c42-limited-editions
https://rebellion-watches.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Rebellion-Timepieces-Alfa-Romeo-Collection-Re-Volt-WW23-A5-EN-1.pdf