LIV Watches Rebel-A "Cosmic Grey"

Want your watch to make a statement? Check out the LIV Rebel.

Words/Photography: Me. LIV Watches provided this Rebel at no-charge for the purposes of this review.

The Rebel is LIV’s second line of watches, and it comes in a few flavors: a quartz GMT, a day/date quartz chronograph, an auto-chrono, and the automatic that I have here. The variety of combinations that the Rebel comes in has made for some really interesting color and strap combinations. So, while the Rebel I have here today is definitely a peacock, it is not the biggest peacock among its peers.

The Rebel is also the second watch from American-based and Swiss-made LIV to make its way on to my wrist. The first, the GX1-A automatic, impressed me with its build quality, Swiss automatic movement, and sporty good looks.

In fact, I called the GX1-A “the best automatic microbrand watch I’ve ever worn”.

Given that experience, I was excited to see what the Rebel was all about, as it shares the core components and concepts that I like in the GX1-A: the SW200-1 movement, top and bottom sapphire crystals, and its 100 m water resistance rating.

LIV Rebel Automatic Specifications

Model Number: Rebel-A Cosmic Grey
MSRP: $590
Case Dimensions: 41 mm high x 43 mm wide
Alternate Models: n/a
Movement: Automatic, Sellita SW200-1
Complications: Date display
Power Reserve: Est. 38 hours
Water Resistance: 100 m / 330 ft
Crystal Material: Sapphire

This Watch Works Out

The Rebel’s as tall as it is heavy, towering over the wrist atop a 14.3 mm perch, and it very much looks that way on the wrist. Worn without confidence and the Rebel is almost imposing; worn as intended and it’s a statement. That might be off-putting for some, but I welcome it. I don’t wear other jewelry – my watch is it. So, I don’t mind when a watch wants to make the decorative dance all about itself.

View price on Amazon.

Around the office, every person I loaned the Rebel to noted its heft. It’s not that it’s heavy so much as it’s memorable for not being not heavy. A big case with an automatic movement tucked inside, combined with an all-steel bracelet and clasp combo, will do that to a watch.

For most people, the Rebel is easily the heaviest watch they’ve ever worn, and that’s part of what makes it feel so badass.

An Entire Family of Weight Lifters

In addition to the automatic version I have here, you can get the Rebel in three other varieties: the DDC (day/date/chrono), GMT, and automatic chronograph.

REBEL DDC

Link
$390 USD
Ronda Z60 quartz chronograph movement

The DDC comes in five colorways, the most badass of which is definitely The Orange. Shown here is the Aspen, which is an almost-but-not-quite Panda dial.

With a day/date display, as well as a 30-minute chronograph, the DDC is a functional race-themed daily driver. You can even get it in definitely-not-Ferrari Venom Yellow.

REBEL GMT

Link
$330 USD
Ronda 515.24H quartz movement

The GMT series come in three colorways, including the always classy blue dial, rose gold, and leather combination shown here. If you want something more casual, you can opt for the Cobalt – featuring a blue dial, black case, and blue/orange nato strap – or the Aspen White, which is again a close-but-not-quite Panda.

REBEL AC

Link
$990 USD and up
Sellita SW500 automatic chronograph movement

The Rebel AC (auto chrono) comes in five colorways, including cosmic grey. Pricing for the Rebel AC normally starts at $1499, but as of today’s writing, the AC series is on sale for as low as $990. If you opt for the Signature Orange on a steel bracelet as shown here, the on-sale price climbs as high as $1,500 USD.

American Designed, Swiss-Made

One thing I appreciate about LIV Watches is that they are one of the few microbrands that unabashedly meets their intended objective of offering Swiss-made quality without the associated premium price. In this way, the GX1-A I reviewed earlier this month was flawless.

LIV is known for their multi-layer sandwich dials, and you can see it in full-force above. A dual-layer dial, like the one on the Rebel, conveys a sense of depth and texture in ways that a single-layer dial just can’t.

It’s worth mentioning that you rarely see sandwich dials at this price point.

The applied markers look good and are uniformly aligned. As you can see from the above photo, the finishing on the dial and markers is excellent; there are no visible imperfections anywhere on the dial, though there is a hairline scratch on the SW200’s rotor (shown below). Despite the scratch, it’s clear that care went into the construction of this watch.

Something Swiss Under the Hood

You can’t call your watch Swiss-made unless it’s got a Swiss movement inside of it. The Sellita SW200-1 fits the bill here, as it does for dozens of other watch models that would otherwise have opted for an ETA 2824-2 (or a Miyota 9015). You can see the scratch on the rotor underneath the printed “26”.

The movement itself is a workhorse movement, but it’s a Swiss workhorse movement that has acceptable specifications for a watch priced under $600: it hacks, enjoys approximately 38 hours of power reserve, beats at 28,800 bph, and has a date complication. The standard variant of the movement used in the Rebel auto is accurate from +/- 12 to 30 seconds per day.

My only complaint regarding the movement is not with the movement but with the LIV imprint on the caseback crystal. Given that the LIV logo is already on the rotor, it feels like an unnecessary distraction that obstructs the view.

The Rebel is a Looker With the Right Attitude

The size, weight, and style of the Rebel gives it a personality that is quite distinct from its price-competitive peers.

Firstly, there aren’t a lot of sub-$600 automatic watches with rectangle cases, and almost none of those are Swiss-made. If an affordable rectangle auto is what you’re after, the Rebel stands on its own.

It’s unfortunate that the example I have here has a scratched rotor, as its the only imperfection I can find on an otherwise flawless watch. To be fair, you have to angle the watch just right in order to see the scratch with the unaided eye.

Aside from a minor style choice on the caseback, I think that the Rebel is a great looking watch. Some other reviews have panned its style, and I don’t know why; the dial and exterior elements all align and share the theme of bravado and confidence. That adds up to a good looking watch in my books.

The Rebel is worth the under-$600 cost of admission and more. If its style jives with you, you’ll love the Rebel when it’s on your wrist.