I finally got the Black Rebel watch from Swatch. It was not difficult as there are many Swatch dealers here in Taiwan. I was told that this model is one of the most popular watches from the True Colours Collection. Here is a small review of the watch.
Collection: True Colours
Model Number: SUOB702
Manufacturer: Swatch
Basic specifications:
Function: Hour, minutes, seconds, day and date
Case: Polycarbonate (plastic?), diameter 41 mm, height 10 mm, lug width 20 mm, lug to lug 47 mm
Movement: ETA quartz
Crystal: Acrylic
Water resistance: 3 ATM
Retail: USD 65
CASE
The watch is a one-piece design. It is made of either polycarbonate or plastic. The case is well made and well finished. You can’t see the seams of the mold on the case. The case has a matte finish.
The case lugs have lughole to push out the strap pins. As with most Swatch watches, the lugs have two tabs. The case has two access points, the top and a battery access on the case back. The battery access hole is slightly raised at the edges. This does not affect the wear comfort of the watch.
The markings that you can find on the case back: # 036 which I suspect is the case mold number (I stand corrected on this), ‘Patented Water-Resistant’ in the middle of the case back. Below this you find the ETA logo, indicating the movement powering the watch, the SWATCH logo, Swiss Made below that and V8. I don’t know what V8 signifies. You then find the battery information. This is great, as you know what battery to get if you want to replace the battery yourself. The watch is fitted with the 390 type or SR1130SW.
The crown is made from stainless steel and is the only part of the watch that is not black. It would be great if it were also black. That would make the entire watch stealth like. The crown is not of the screw-down design. It measures 4.5 mm in diameter and 2 mm thin. It is unsigned. Although the size of the crown is small, it is easy to use. There is a notch on the case back that makes it a pleasure to use and operate. It pulls out to adjust the time, day and date.
MOVEMENT
This watch comes fitted with an ETA quartz, 3 hands with day and date movement. I cannot verify what movement it is as it does not have a display back and I cannot open the watch to see. Well I could but that would ‘damage’ the watch. All I can say is that the accuracy for this watch should be good, as good as any quartz movement should be. The movement should be very reliable as it is made by ETA. The movement 'hacks' as all quartz movement does. The movement has quick day and date setting capabilities.
DIAL
I have to say that I love the dial. The dial has a 'sun burst' design and it originates from the center of the dial. This sun burst design makes it easier to tell the time. Is has a reflective surface and contrast well against the matte black hands. The dial is black in colour.
It has a window at the 3 o’clock position, one for the day and the other the date. The day and date display is black on black. It can be difficult to read the day and date. You need to look at the watch straight on to read the day and date.
The hour index is of the baton type and it is matte black. It is ‘easy’ to see as it contrast well against the sun burst black dial. There are no minute markings between the hour indexes.
There are very little marking on the dial. You find the Swatch signature at the 12 o’clock position and Swiss below that. The only other legend is below the 6 o’clock index, where you find Swatch and AG 2010.
HANDS
The hands are of the stick design. The hands are rendered in black but it has a polished finish. This makes it ‘stand out’ against the black sun burst dial. The hands are well made and well finished.
The minute hand extends beyond the hour hand. This makes telling the time easy. The hands, except for the second hand, is luminous. It is filled with black luminous material called Glow Glow black. It is not very bright and does not last very long. You can just make it out on the photograph below.
CRYSTAL
This watch is fitted with a acrylic crystal. The crystal is domed and it extends about 3 mm above the watchcase. This makes it prone to chipping and scratching. However you can polish the crystal. The crystal lacks any AR coating, which is great as it makes reading the watch under very bright light easier.
STRAP
The strap I believe is made of silicon. It is very soft and very comfortable. However it does pick up dust and dirt very very easily. You can see this in the photographs.
The strap is 20 mm at the lugs and flares out to 24 mm. This makes it flush against the case and provides an appealing look. It then tapers down to 19 mm. The strap measures 80 mm on the buckle side and 115 mm on the other side.
The strap is ribbed on the underside. This makes it a comfortable wear as the ribbing provides cooling between the strap and your skin. The strap comes with a single floating strap keeper.
The strap is signed on one side with Swatch near the lug attachment point and ‘25/0’ on the buckle side near the buckle. As with all Swatch watches, the design of the strap (and lugs) makes it difficult to use independent straps.
The buckle is made of the same material as the case. It has a matte finish and is well made. It is of the double loop design. It signed Swatch on the top of the buckle and has the numbers 10, 05, 4 and 15 at the corners. I have no idea what the number signifies.
CONCLUSION
This watch offers great value for money. It comes with a movement from a reliable manufacture. The design is fresh. It is light and not very thick. It does stand out as it is very stealthy and that is the very reason for buying the watch. Telling the time is not as difficult as I thought it would be. It is easy to use and operate. It has day and date function, something you don’t find in watches at this price range. It is comfortable. What more can you ask for.
