The 2022 Dakar Rally racing event recently concluded in Saudi Arabia. Its official timekeeper is the exclusive Swiss watchmaker Rebellion Timepieces. The Dakar Rally is known as one of the most extreme and dangerous motorsport events in the world. The series began as an endurance race from Dakar, Senegal to Paris, France in the late 1970s. Due to security concerns, the race was later moved to South America, where drivers began in Peru. Even more recently, the Dakar Rally was moved to Saudi Arabia, and its home for the foreseeable future will be in the Middle East.
Rebellion watches has a long history in motorsports and began sponsoring the Dakar Rally (Instagram channel here) in 2019. As a multidimensional brand, Rebellion specializes in more than watches — including vehicles — and you can learn more about Rebellion Racing (also based in Switzerland) via its dedicated website, where you can read about its successful history with FIA World Endurance Championship racing events. As a spirited underdog with a tenacious spirit, Rebellion is among the few independent teams able to take on major names such as Porsche, Audi, Peugeot, and Toyota.
The Dakar Rally is an ideal event for Rebellion, a brand that thrives on adventure and values teamwork, performance, and the latest in technology above all else. Anyone who participates in the world of endurance racing, especially racing in the wilderness, knows that anything can happen. Prior to the outset of the 2022 Dakar Rally, the team Rebellion vehicle caught fire during testing and burned to the ground. A video of that scene is included among the media in this article. Did that set Rebellion back? Not at all.
In fact, the Rebellion Dakar racing team would like to especially thank Toyota of South Africa (and Toyota South Africa CEO Andrew Kirby) for taking extreme steps to loan them an alternative vehicle for the long-distance racing event. The South African connection is related to the fact one of the “Rebels” (brand team and friends) is from South Africa and maintains important contacts in the country.
What does the Dakar Rally entail? The race spans a vast distance of 8,000 kilometers across a period of two weeks. A crucial component of the race is that drivers are supposed to be unfamiliar with the off-road course prior to driving it. This is where much of the excitement (and danger) come into play as drivers and their team have only brief notice of where they are supposed to drive prior to the start of each course. Teams must plan both a safe and expedient path through the course, and the failures to do so appropriately can have serious consequences, including death. More frequently, the courses and terrain just destroy the cars. The Dakar Rally isn’t for the faint of heart or the risk averse — it’s known as the “craziest” endurance race for a reason.
To celebrate the wild and technical nature of the Dakar Rally, as the official timepiece maker of the race series, Rebellion has crafted three novel limited-edition wrist watches for the 2022 event. Each of the watches has special Dakar Rally branding and “desert colors,” including a sand-colored strap (with a sporty Velcro-style enclosure) and a masculine black-colored case.
The first of the three limited-edition watches is a version of the Rebellion RE-VOLT Chronograph known as the RE-VOLT Chrono Dakar. The highly technical case is produced from grade five titanium and is DLC-coated in black. The case is 40.4mm-wide and 13.5mm-thick with highly detailed architectural lines that offer a wearable and futuristic timepiece experience with a bold dial and 60-minute chronograph complication. Inside the watch is a Swiss Made automatic chronograph movement that operates at 4Hz with 42 hours of power reserve. Attached to the case is a sand-colored textile strap, which is made more comfortable by having a rubber inner lining. This same style of strap is used for each of the Dakar Rally limited-edition watches. The Rebellion RE-VOLT Chrono Dakar is a limited edition of 20 pieces with a retail price of $29,995 USD.
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Next is a version of the Predator Chronograph known as the Rebellion Predator Dakar. The 48mm-wide case is produced from steel and PVD-coated black and has gold accents, including the side plank and proprietary Rebellion case screws. Water-resistant to 100 meters, this round-cased sports watch contains a Swiss Made automatic chronograph movement produced especially for Rebellion by Swiss Concepto. The 12-hour chronograph uses subdials with spinning discs, as opposed to the more traditional subsidiary dial hands. The honeycomb dial offers a partially skeletonized view to the movement below. Also limited to 20 pieces, the Rebellion RE-VOLT Chrono Dakar has a retail price of $30,995 USD.
Finally, as a limited edition of 300 pieces and at a more affordable price point, the final Rebellion watch for the 2022 Dakar Rally is the Rebellion Twenty-One Dakar. The Twenty-One Three-Hand’s case and dial are inspired by vintage American cars with a face that evokes vintage polished metal steering wheels. The cushion-style case is 47mm-wide and 16.4mm-thick and contains a Swiss Made automatic movement. It has special articulating lugs for wearing comfort and red accents on the dial for added boldness. Price for this limited-edition Rebellion Twenty-One Dakar is $4,150 USD. Learn more at the Rebellion watches website here.
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