Ressence Type 5 Night Blue

Ressence likes to do things like nobody else in the watchmaking industry… Its approach is both modern, technical and unique, and yet with lots of traditional mechanics inside. Already impressive with its in-house orbital display of the time, Ressence decided to improve the concept with an oil-filled piece, the Type 3. And then, benefiting from this distortion-free system, a dive watch was launched. For 2019, the Ressence Type 5 gets updated with a Night Blue dial – relevant for a dive watch!

The Ressence Type 5 is a truly unique take on the dive watch. Even if it meets with the ISO 6425 standards (the official norm for dive watches), it doesn’t look like anything else on the market. The Type 5 is all about a unique display – Ressence’s signature orbital indication of the time – mixed with a screen-like, distortion-free capacity thanks to its oil-filled upper module. We extensively reviewed the Type 5, which you can read about here.

Nevertheless, as a reminder, the Ressence Type 5 is a fascinating watch for various reasons. It is said to be the “first mechanical watch to be perfectly readable underwater regardless of the viewing angle”. A normal dive watch can be problematic underwater as, at certain angles, it becomes impossible to read the time (the crystal acts as a distorting, mirror-like glass). When developing the Type 3, a watch where the upper ROCS module is filled with oil, Ressence discovered that the combination of oil and glass, which share very similar responses to light refraction, created a “water drop” dial effect where the dial seems directly positioned under the glass with no distortion.

To achieve this, the brand relies on complex architecture. Ressence ingeniously designed a two-chamber system inside the Type 5 to keep the mechanical movement and oil separate. The lower chamber is comprised of the customized automatic movement (based on an ETA 2824) and the upper chamber is hermetically sealed with the ROCS display module bathing in 37.5ml of oil. The two movements are connected via a magnetic system, allowing the base calibre to transmit its motion to the upper “display” module. In order to compensate for oil volume fluctuation (dependent on temperature), the watch is fitted with a system of seven small bellows that expand and contract depending on the increase and decrease of the oil’s volume – and a temperature indicator is positioned on the dial.

In addition to being highly innovative, the Ressence Type 5 remains a true water-resistant tool (with a 10 ATM/100m pressure resistance). Its 46mm titanium case features a unidirectional rotating bezel with a 60-minute scale and the dial displays a running indication (a 90-second sub-dial). All the indications on the convex dial are filled with luminous material.

For 2019, the Ressence Type 5 will be available in a new Night Blue colour scheme, in addition to the existing black dial and black case/black dial models. The Night Blue dial is paired with a dark blue Cordovan strap (a blue rubber strap is also delivered).

The Ressence Type 5N Night Blue will be priced at CHF 29,500 (taxes excluded). More details at ressencewatches.com.