1,121 articles · 158 videos found · page 5 of 43
The 1954 French military flyback chronograph - reborn in-house in 2023.
Monochrome
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 […]
Deployant
We met up with Benoît Mintiens, CEO of Ressence and he explains the Type 7 novelty in the video. With our hands-on impressions.
Worn & Wound
Last year, when Ressence announced the Type 8, it was met with great excitement and surprise by their fans, including yours truly. A simpler and less expensive Ressence wasn’t something that seemed on the horizon. The watch was a stripped-down take on the seemingly magical Ressence display, reduced to hours and minutes. A lack of numerals, matched with an expansive, heavily domed dial, gave the Type 8 a different mood from Ressence’s other watches. Rather than leaning toward the technical, they felt meditative, which is perhaps to say, they felt less about the engineering and more about the resulting experience. I shared my thoughts in a review you can read here. A year and a half or so later, Ressence has dropped one of the biggest surprises of 2024: a follow-up to the Type 8, which is logically called the Type 9. This wasn’t at a big event like Geneva Watch Days or Watches and Wonders but rather a random week in December, making it even more unexpected. Adding to the shock, it’s another departure from the Ressence norm, featuring their most compact case, and yet continuing the simpler hours and minutes only dial. However, where the Type 8 felt like a radical change, the Type 9 feels more like a spin-off. It’s not a new story but a subplot or side quest. Perhaps, even an alternate take on the Type 8. Case Typically, with Ressence, the dial is the star of the show, but for the Type 9, it’s the case. The dial is special, too, but it feels like a variation on the...
Quill & Pad
This is the story of GaryG's pursuit, and eventual capture, of a classic vintage watch: a Type 20 “big eye” flyback chronograph manufactured by Mathey-Tissot.
SJX Watches
The latest from Ressence is a departure from the usual cosmetic variation. Created for its Tokyo retailer Shellman, the Type 8 Indigo features a dial inlaid with indigo-dyed Japanese silk thread that’s been tightly packed into shallow recesses on the dial surface to form a swirling motif. This watch is one of several editions conceived by Shellman that are cumulatively known as the Indigo project. Each is a collaboration with an independent watchmaker that sports a blue dial, in a nod to the traditional Japanese indigo dyeing technique. Initial thoughts The Type 8 was originally the entry-level model within the brand’s catalogue, fulfilling founder Benoît Mintiens’s wish to make his distinctive watches more accessible. At CHF25,000, the Type 8 Indigo cost almost double the basic Type 8. So it is no longer entry level, but the price is justified by the hand-made dial that takes two days to complete according to Ressence. Importantly, the silk-inlaid dial looks good and complements the brand’s aesthetic perfectly. While the Ressence is not typically known for traditional decoration crafts, the dial decoration adds a little more variety to the brand’s watches, which are typically minimalist and hyper modern. At the same time, this is also more interesting than Ressence’s recent limited editions, most of which have been simple dial variations. Indigo-dyed silk Being based on the standard Type 8, the Indigo edition retains the same titanium case that’s 42.9 mm in...
Video
A few years ago I purchased my grail watch to celebrate a decade of making watch content on YouTube. That watch was the Breguet Tradition 7057 (ref. 7057BR/R9/9W6) and today, I not only travel to Switzerland to see wh...
Fratello
The all-new Ressence Type 9 is a sleek creation in either warm gray or a fresh shade of aqua blue. Its pebble-like titanium case measures 39mm wide, making it the smallest Ressence timepiece ever. The watch is a slimmed-down and refined version of the Type 8 and shows only the hours and minutes. It’s not […] Visit Introducing The All-New Ressence Type 9 In Warm Gray And Fresh Aqua to read the full article.
Monochrome
The latest oil-filled mechanical wonder from Ressence features a blacked-out theme that’s aesthetically similar to the limited Type 3 BBB from 2022, but a splash of dial colour was added for contrast. Unlike the standard Type 3 Black, the watch is in full stealth mode with a black DLC-coated case that merges with the glossy […]
Fratello
In January 2022, Ressence introduced the Type 3 BBB, a “Black, Black, Black” version of its oil-filled mechanical watch. My colleague Dave dubbed it “the brand’s best model yet.” However, Ressence limited the production of the watch to that year only. If you were looking for an all-black Ressence Type 3 after that, you were […] Visit Introducing: The Ressence Type 3 BB2 In Nearly All-Black Attire to read the full article.
SJX Watches
Ressence has gently tweaked its flagship model to create the Type 5 L. Already unconventional in its original form, the new Type 5 is similar in style and function to the original but with a fully luminous dial that maximises legibility in the dark. As is tradition for the brand’s higher-end offerings, the Type 5 L features an oil-filled case that enhances visibility of the dial by eliminating a common problem underwater: refraction. Initial thoughts Dive watches rarely deviate from orthodoxy, exemplified by the Rolex Submariner. But then there is Ressence, which is unorthodox across all its watches, but in a sensible and thoughtful manner. The Type 5 L underwater The Type 5 L meets the ISO 6425 standard for a dive watch, but looks nothing like a typical dive watch. Even though the planetary sub-dials take some getting used to, legibility is good once you’re familiar with the dial layout. And the addition of lume enhances visibility, making this a logical evolution of the model. As is often the case with most of the brand’s top-end offerings, the only downside is the price of CHF34,500. Granted, the Type 5 L is unique in construction and form, and also executed to a high level of quality – but it is still pricey. The entire dial of the timepiece is luminous for legibility in dim light Oil-filled dial In terms of dimensions and materials, the Type 5 L is identical to its less luminous counterpart. The case is titanium, measuring 46 mm in diameter and 15.5 mm high....
Fratello
I love Ressence, and I love classic night divers, so when I read that the Belgian brand would release a version of its Type 5 dive watch with a full-lume dial, I was all eyes and ears. But I was also curious to discover how Ressence founder Benoît Mintiens would make that work. My initial […] Visit Introducing: The Spectacular Ressence Type 5 L - A Full-Lume-Dial Version Of This Stylish Dive Watch to read the full article.
Video
These budget Japanese Explorer 2s are killer daily drivers, but have opposite personalities.
Worn & Wound
The Ressence Type 3 collection welcomes a new member this week with the introduction of the serene Type 3 EE. The brand continues to work in subtle and interesting green hues, following up on the sage Type 8S (reviewed here) with this rich eucalyptus green dial. It’s a slightly unconventional execution within the more dramatic Type 3 collection, which we’ve only seen rendered in black and soft white up to this point. In person, the green is a perfect companion to the Type 3’s primary accent colors and rotating dial sets. Given the case it’s set within, that green is given an oil filled canvas for maximum impact. The Type 3 is one of two oil filled Ressence watches, along with the “world-proof” dive watch, the Type 5. The effect is remarkable in person, and one that I’ve always found core to the Ressence experience. The Type 3 EE features the eucalyptus green on both the font and back panel of the watch (hence the EE), and comes through brilliantly, as though it were painted directly on the crystal, thanks to the oil filled dial. The color is subtle but rich, somehow, and the colors used for the various displays have been desaturated enough to hit the same value scale as the green itself, so as not to create a distracting level of contrast. The Type 3 is on the maximalist side of Ressence, boasting the oil temperature gauge, a dial for the day of the week, and the date itself, on top of the hours, minutes, and seconds, of course. It all leads to a rather dra...
Deployant
Our first acquaintance with Ressence came in the early part of last decade, when the young upstart produced the now iconic Type 3. The Type 3, even in today’s age, still looks extremely modern and refreshing. Imagine how amazed we were when we first saw the timepiece a decade ago. That was also perhaps theRead More
Quill & Pad
The Watches TV founder Marc-André Deschoux explains how the personal Type 2 E-Crown of Ressence's founder, Benoît Mintiens, works in this video.
Quill & Pad
Check out The Watches TV founder Marc-André Deschoux as he explains how the personal watch of Ressence's founder, Benoît Mintiens, works in this video. Mintiens wears the Type 2 e-crown and lent it to our pal Marc-André for several weeks.
Revolution
Ressence’s new Type 8C is a new entry-level watch, price-wise, but as a non-conventional, “non-central hands” time-telling machine, it packs a mighty punch.
Video
The new IWC Ingenieur Automatic 35 in Pool Blue might just be my favourite Ingenieur yet. In this hands-on review, I take a closer look at IWC's latest integrated bracelet sports watch and explain why a simple dial ch...
SJX Watches
As the COVID-19 pandemic was reaching its peak, Ressence announced Time to Draw, a design competition inviting contestants to reinterpret of its Type 1 Slim, with the winning entry being sold to benefit COVID-19 research at KU Leuven, a university in the company’s native Belgium. Triumphing over 465 other entries, the winning design was created by Englishman Raymond Ramsden. Named after his two sons, the Type 1 Slim “Ayrton & Finlay” is a bright rendition of the Type 1 that is a striking departure from the brand’s typically monochromatic style. The finish watch alongside the winning drawing Clad in pastel colours, the watch clinched the prize because it looks vastly different from the standard offerings of Ressence. Ressence founder Benoît Mintiens stated “[we] wanted to create a genuine one-off, so we opted for entries that were far from our own artistic direction”. By extension, the watch is distinct in personality – the bright pastel colours are more cheerful and extroverted compared to the usual Ressence wristwatch, which has a no-frills, technical appearance. I love this design for its fun, fresh, and vibrant look. Apart from the facelift, the rest of the watch is everything that you know about the Type 1 Slim. The watch has 42 mm, tonneau-shaped titanium case that’s 11 mm tall. Because of its almost lug-less design and concave profile, it sits very compactly on the wrist. The orbital display is the Ressence Orbital Convex System (ROCS), the brand...
Quill & Pad
When Joshua Munchow first saw the Parmigiani Bugatti Type 390, Megazord from the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers crept into his mind. In this interesting technical treatise, he explains why this is so. And you might be surprised.
Revolution
Bremont, loudly blowing the horn for a resurgence of Britain’s once-great watch industry, has launched a watch that celebrates the ferocious Jaguar D-Type.
Time+Tide
Zenith is rather proud of the fact - and understandably so - that they hold the trademark for the “Pilot” name on watches, so it makes sense for them to proudly emblazon the name on the dials of their aviation-inspired pieces. This latest limited edition is extra special (also mentioned on the dial), because of its … ContinuedThe post INTRODUCING: The Zenith Pilot Type 20 Extra Special Silver appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Deployant
The Ressence Type 2 with e-Crown which we were so excited about in SIHH 2018 is now a commercial reality for 2019. Details: specs and price here.
Video
Today's video is all about my EDC Essentials for 2026! In this annual video I share new additions to my Every Day Carry, including must-have EDC items and favorites. From my most worn watches this year—including (sp...
Deployant
The Ressence Type 1 Squared launched at SIHH 2017, seven years into the brand's inception is faithful to the DNA of the original Ressence Type 1.
Revolution
The Zenith Pilot Montre d’Aeronef Type 20 line has certainly proven to be one of the more astute introductions into the market by former CEO, Jean-Frédéric Dufour. As a way to connect to the brand’s past, it ticks all the right boxes, with a retro styling that remains true to the originals that Zenith used […]
Monochrome
What is Ressence if not one of the most recognisable identities in independent watchmaking? From the crownless Type 3 (check out the recent Type 3 Marc Newson) to the oil-filled Type 5, Ressence founder Benoît Mintiens has consistently challenged the conventional relationship between display, ergonomics and mechanical watchmaking, leading to the introduction of the Type […]
Monochrome
Young, independent Dutch brand VPC (Venustas Per Constantiam) returns with its next release, the Type 39VM, following its debut model, the Type 37HW. Founded by Thomas van Straaten, watch journalist at Fratello, collector, and now the founder of the design-driven microbrand, VPC was created around a beauty-through-restraint approach. After setting a standard with its hand-wound […]
Deployant
Ressence releases the latest addition to their popular Type 1 Round case with a rose gold model in a rose gold plated dial with a soft, copper luminescence.
Video
Hamilton dropped this gem on America's 250th birthday, and we gotta talk about my favorite Hammies available right now.
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