The New and Playful Ressence Type 1 Round M

In 2010, Benoît Mintiens introduced his initial Ressence prototypes, unveiling the original concept of replacing traditional watch hands with revolving discs that gracefully orbit the dial. Over the years, Ressence has captivated enthusiasts with diverse Type-iterations, ranging from oil-filled and sub-aquatic designs to innovative eCrown-connected endeavours. Despite these variations, the Ressence DNA has consistently remained true to its core principles, which often include monochromatic styles. In this regard, the new Ressence Type 1 Round M is breaking the norm.

Earlier this year, Ressence revealed the Type 1 Round, an evolution of the brand’s core Type 1 collection in a new, sleek case with flowing forms and domed crystal, thinner than previous lugged versions. The dial also got some updates, like the latest typography and the necessary – design-wise – removal of some numerical indices from the minutes track, which were replaced with markers. At the introduction, the Type 1 Round offered dials in black or dark blue; the new Ressence Type 1 Round M plays on a much brighter side of the colour palette.

Designated with M for Multicolour, this new Ressence Type 1 Round model boasts a titanium case with a double-domed sapphire crystal top, measuring 42.7mm x 11mm. The dial features a light grey background, with hands in a darker hue accentuated by coloured tips. The minute track, adorned with markers of varying length, is blue with white indicators for 5-minute intervals. The hour disc shines in green, the seconds in yellow, and the day of the week in red, with weekends clearly marked. All engraved indications are filled with grade A Super-LumiNova.

The ROCS 1.3 (Ressence Orbital Convex System) module drives the circular movement of the discs, drawing power from the ETA 2892 base calibre. Through 27 gears, the discs rotate on a single, slightly convex plane to indicate hours, minutes, seconds, and weekdays. All operations – time-setting or winding – are seamlessly performed with the retractable lever on the caseback, executing a rotating motion. Setting the time simultaneously winds the timepiece. The self-winding calibre offers a 36-hour power reserve, operating at 28,800 vibrations/hour.

The new Ressence Type 1 Round M comes adorned with a light grey rubber strap featuring an ardillon buckle. The watch is priced at CHF 16,800, excluding taxes, and is available from the brand’s official retailers. For more details, please visit ressencewatches.com.