When we talk about independent watchmakers in most cases we are looking at completely unique watches created by skilled masters who wanted to break traditional patterns to create something innovative and completely unique.
In this very wake of departing from tradition, Ressence, an independent fashion house with a single goal: to improve the functioning of the mechanical watch in the context of the 21st century, was born in 2010.
Ever since the introduction of the first watch, brand creator Benoît Mintiens has wanted to connote his timepieces with a completely unique and never-before-seen way of indicating time.
(For more information about Ressence, I invite you to read a recent article of ours dedicated to the maison.)
After several models that have earned the brand its well-deserved success over the years, the Belgian house unveiled the Type 8 C last year, a completely minimalist watch that now sees a new version join it.
It is the Ressence Type 8 S, a watch that fully reflects the house’s style by combining easy readability with a totally minimalist design.
Il Ressence Type 8 S
Introduced during last year’s Watches and Wonders, the Ressence Type 8 C represents the sixth watch family the brand has introduced since its inception to date.
With this collection, defined as “entry-level” by the house due to its lower price than other models, Ressence created to offer an “affordable” watch so as to spread its watchmaking concept more widely.
A concept I have always been intrigued by and that has led me to love all of Ressence’s creations as I find their timepieces outside the box yet without losing the core concept of watchmaking.
What fascinates me about these watches, all the more so in the Type 8 collection, is the minimalism that distinguishes them but, at the same time, makes them extremely fascinating thanks in part to the unique way they display the time above the dial, which, to the untrained eye, might appear as a “screen.”
Like the other models, the Type 8 collection also features a simple, ergonomic design that can perfectly integrate the watch with the wrist.
Unlike the model presented last year, which featured a metallic matte blue dial, the new Type 8 S was made with a sage green dial also with a metallic matte finish.
Similar to the previous model, the Type 8 S also has a 42.9 mm diameter case made of grade 5 titanium with a polished/satin finish. Due to the use of this material, the weight of the watch is only 42 grams (gray leather strap with titanium buckle included).
The slender eggshell-shaped case encloses in a thickness of 11 mm the ROCS 8 (Ressence Orbital Convex System) automatic caliber, a movement based on ETA caliber 2892/2 with a 36-hour power reserve.
Turning the watch over, we can see the case back (also made of titanium), which, in addition to covering the movement of the watch, serves as a crown through which the watch can be started when stopped and subsequently set the time.
The operation of the Ressence Type 8 S
Whenever I happen to talk about these watches with people who are not familiar with them a spontaneous question arises in them, “but how do you read the time?”
While this may seem difficult at first glance, once you learn to read the dial of a Ressence the time display will be quite immediate and intuitive.
Above the Type 8 dial this is indicated by the rotation of two disks above which are the two fixed hands.
The main disk (the larger one), formed from a domed piece of titanium, rotates clockwise and indicates the minutes on the (fixed) track located at the end of the dial through the hand located on the same disk.
Another smaller disk is then placed on the same, which, rotating clockwise together with the larger one and turning on itself, indicates the hours through the short hand above the (fixed) hour track.
As time passes during the day, the dial will appear to be constantly changing and moving.
The hour and minute hands and scales are coated with blue SuperLuminova, allowing the time to be read even in the dark. Featuring a minimalist look, as with the rest of the watch, discreetly placed above the hour dial is the house logo at 12 o’clock.
Price
The new Ressence Type 8 S will be seen at a list price of CHF 12,500 (excluding tax) corresponding to approximately EUR 12,600 (excluding tax).
For more information on Ressence I invite you to visit their website and our section dedicated to the maison.
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