Not all images were able to load for printing. Please close the print window and try again. Deciphering The Oil-Filled Ressence Type 3 BB2 (Incl. Video)
Ressence's pebble-shaped "smart" watch looks, feels and wears unlike anything else on the market, and I love it!
Dressed in all black, the Type 3 BB2 is the perfect representation of what independent watchmaker Ressence is all about. Founded in 2010 by industrial designer Benoit Mintiens, watches by Ressence are pretty much incomparable to anything else on the market thanks to the brand’s out-of-the-box thinking, technical innovation and no hands or crowns. In the conventional watchmaking sense, at least. The Type 3 was the first oil-filled watch by Ressence, and since its release in 2013, it has become a cornerstone model. The Type 3 BB2 is the latest and perhaps greatest of the series so far, so it’s well worth a closer look!
The Type 3’s party trick looks very simple, but is actually rather complex to master. First, following the concept of the Type 1, it ditched the traditional crown for winding and setting the watch. Then, and this is even more important and impressive, it is filled with oil. And as many, if not all, of you undoubtedly know, fluid and mechanical watch movements generally don’t go well together. But through clever engineering, Ressence has found a way to make it work and reap the benefits.
a Mind-bending pebble
The Ressence Type 3 BB2 is a fascinating watch to touch and wear, even puzzling some people not “in the know” about what it is exactly, and tricking them into thinking it’s a digital smartwatch. That’s mostly down to the pebble-like shape and feel of the case, and that distortion-free domed display. It almost looks like a digital screen, which you potentially could swipe left to right or up and down on, but it’s not. The Type 3 is full-analogue, full-mechanical. The sapphire crystal chambers, separated by only a thin black DLC-coated titanium mid-case, split the movement in two, basically. The top chamber is filled with 3.57ml of oil and houses the patented in-house Ressence Orbital Convex System, or ROCS module. The bottom one is filled with air and holds a heavily modified ETA 2824 automatic movement.
What’s interesting, and baffling at the same time (to me at least), is that there’s no physical connection between the two chambers. No pionion, no staff, no axles, no nothing. Similar to the Type 7 GMT and the other oil-filled watch by Ressence, the Type 5 diver, there is a magnetic transmission between the two to transfer kinetic energy from one side to the other. The magnetic levels are strong enough to power the ROCS module, but weak enough not to deregulate the mechanical movement. A special shock absorber also reduces the risk of damage to the ROCS module, and a system of bellows compensates for contraction and expansion of the oil due to temperature changes, so the crystal doesn’t pop off.
Zero Distortions
The benefit of this clever piece of work is a display with absolutely no distortion – something that Brice experienced with the Type 5 underwater, and it’s quite fascinating. As the top chamber is entirely filled with oil, light is refracted to the point that it magnifies the indications. Think of it when you stick a pencil in a glass of water. The bit that sticks out is still seen as a normal-sized pencil, but if you look at the bit in the water, this now looks bigger! The result is a super-legible watch under all angles, even underwater. The domed construction also allows for a much larger dial in comparison to traditional flat ones. This allows Ressence to not only display the hours and minutes, but also the date, day of the week and oil temperature, all positioned on a single plan. And best of all, thanks to the ROCS system, all the indications rotate in and around each other during the day.
The biggest pointer, for lack of a better word, is for the minutes. This is paired with the largest of the three subdials, which is reserved for the hours. Then there’s the weekday and oil temperature in the remaining two subdials, and on the outer edge, there’s the date indication. What’s also pretty handy is that everything lights up at night thanks to Super-LumiNova.
Setting a Ressence takes a bit of getting used to, with all adjustments made through the back. We’ve discussed it in detail before, and here it basically works the same. The watch can be wound by hand if needed, time can be set in both directions, and you can also set the day and date without any issue. If you follow the correct sequence of movements, and once you’ve gotten the hang of it, it’s all quite easy to use.
My Personal Experience
Wearing the Ressence Type 3 BB2, or any other Ressence for that matter, is quite special. The whole experience is completely different from conventional watches. It still tells time at a glance, but the design of the watch, the way you interact with it, the way it feels on the wrist…. It’s so different, it’s honestly brilliant! During the time I had with the watch, which was longer than what we normally have for a review, it attracted a lot of attention. Partially from people who know me and are curious to see what I have on. But also from people who never met me, wondering what it is I am wearing! And 100% of the time, they are amazed by the ingenuity and creativity.
The Type 3 BB2 is part of Ressence’s permanent collection and retails for EUR 50,600. It’s not limited by number, but do realise it’s produced in relatively low numbers. The reason is very simple: a limited production capacity. It’s not the easiest of watches to make, so it takes a bit of patience to get hold of one! But when you do, you will not be disappointed!
For more information, please visit RessenceWatches.com.
