Ressence and The Armoury Team Up for the TYPE 9 Scattering Sun (Live Pics)
There’s something exciting about seeing two brands you admire collaborate, especially when those brands represent relatively different aesthetics, if shared sensibilities. So, when we heard that Ressence, the independent watch brand known for its unique ROCS dial displays and futuristic aesthetic, was teaming up with The Armoury, a traditional menswear retailer and tailor, our collective interest was piqued. And the result is, well, oddly exactly what one might expect: a more formal take on Ressence’s most wearable watch to date, the TYPE 9. Called the TYPE 9 Shattering Sun, it meets the two brands in the middle. The TYPE 9, which came out at the end of last year, is the smallest Ressence in diameter, and very thin at 39mm x 42.5mm x 11mm. Additionally, it’s one of the lightest at 39 grams for the head. Unlike other Ressences, it pushed the minute index from under the glass to an external bezel, which further compresses it visually. I reviewed that watch earlier this year and was taken with its wearability. It puts the unique aesthetic and dial display Ressence is known for into a form that would be easy to wear daily. Identifying this, the ever sartorially-savvy and horologically inclined Mark Cho, founder of The Armoury, took the TYPE 9 and remixed it to lean toward dress watch aesthetics, and, more importantly, work with a suit. The dial, originally in silver or teal, has been rendered in warm, copper-toned salmon with a subtle sandblast finish. The explorer-esque...