It was in 2013 that the Belgium-based maverick brand Ressence launched its Type 3 watch. By this time, Ressence was already known for its Ressence Orbital Convex System (ROCS) mechanism that was at the heart of all its timepieces. A unique three-dimensional in-house module for an intuitive reading of time, on the dial of a Ressence watch, the hours, minutes, and seconds are presented on the same flat plane, making it easy on the wearer to read time. This involved convex discs where hands rotated and orbited each other on an ever-moving dial, while always maintaining the correct angle between hours and minutes. ROCS uses the same reading patterns to indicate the time as traditional dials with hands, albeit with improved reading ergonomics. Design-wise, Ressence watches are crown-free, and feature edge-to-edge sapphire crystal. While all these together are revolutionary, the Type 3 was a new milestone.
The Type3 was the first ever oil-filled mechanical watch. To cancel refraction of light, its dial was filled with 35.7 ml oil, making the watch legible from every possible angle. The watch was easy to read even in the dark, not only due to the oil-filled chamber but also because all engraved indications were filled with100% grade A Super-LumiNova®.
A magnetic transmission connected the dry lower half, where the calibre was located, to the oil-filled upper half, where ROCS was. To address the issue of the oil's expansion or contraction under heat, Mintiens created a self-equilibrating pressure-balance system, called the Bellow System. This was represented on the dial by a temperature gauge.
The Type 3 was a crownless watch – founder Benoit Mintiens reengineering the sapphire caseback as the means of winding and setting the dial. The watch displayed hours, minutes, seconds, date, and oil temperature. You can read more about Ressence’s path-breaking watches here.
Now, the brand has introduced the 44mm Type 3 EE in grade 5 titanium, which features a new colour (a black and a white were already a part of the brand’s range),and new details. The hour disc in the watch now features indexes every two hours, and weekend days and oil temperature indications are also in new pastel tones. The self-winding ROCS mechanism allows the watch a 36 hours power reserve, and the watch is water resistant to 10 metres. The timepiece is finished with a Honeycomb strap with a titanium ardillon buckle.
The watch is priced at CHF 38,200, and will be available worldwide from early October 2023, via Ressence’s official retailer network. Read more about the timepiece here.
Images: Courtesy brand
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