Ressence Type 1DXB

Ressence is a unique company… Half watchmaker, half 2.0 avant-garde designer, the brand is known for its bold and innovative timepieces – think Type 2 e-Crown – that combine a sleek design with a signature display of the time. Even if “challenging the status quo of mechanical watchmaking” is the philosophy of the brand, its products retain a certain elegance and distinction. Part of the novelties presented at the Dubai Watch Week is a new sand-coloured, open-worked version of the Type 1 Squared made with Seddiqi & Sons. Meet the Ressence Type 1DXB.

This Ressence watch is a new take on the brand’s elegant piece, the Type 1 Squared (my personal favourite). Thin, classy and more traditional than other pieces in the collection, it has a cushion-shaped case in polished grade 5 titanium, measuring 41mm in diameter and 11mm in height – nothing different from the standard versions.

The main specificity of Ressence watches is their unique time display. Instead of conventional central hands, time is indicated via a display module named ROCS – Ressence Orbital Convex System. Driven by the minute axle of a specially customised 2892 calibre, the ROCS indicate time by satellites rotating on their own axis and on the central axis of the watch, in an orbital way. The watch is, somehow, a modern interpretation of the regulator with the minute hand at centre stage and sub-dials for the hours, the seconds and week-day. All of that is driven by a complex series of gears that accelerate or slow down the motion of the minute axis. Intuitive, original and quite fascinating.

The main novelty on this Ressence Type 1DXB comes from the colours and the decoration of the dial. It draws inspiration from Arabic geometric patterns to create an open-worked dial, which interacts with natural light and creates a unique play of shadows – the pattern reminds me of the domed perforated roof of the Louvre Abu Dhabi.

To enhance the Arabic inspiration, the sandblasted dial is PVD sand-coloured and the watch is worn on a matching strap with a titanium buckle. The hands and indexes are white and filled with Super-LumiNova. The result is light, modern and fresh.

The Ressence Type 1DXB is made in collaboration with Ahmed Seddiqi & Sons, the UAE’s leading retailer of luxury watches. The watch will be available from them, and 19 pieces will be manufactured. Price is set at CHF 22,500 (excl. taxes). More details at ressencewatches.com.