Sunday Rewind: A Look Back At (And Inside Of) Ressence
A peek inside an oil-filled marvel of watchmaking.
191 articles · 1 video found · page 6 of 7
No crown, no hands, an oil-filled dial and a founder from industrial design. Ressence started in Antwerp in 2010 and just released its first fully in-house calibre. here is the whole story.
The latest Art Watch from Ressence pairs its orbital dial with a hand-drawn maze by Belgian artist Jules Wittock, and yes, it actually works as a puzzle.
A peek inside an oil-filled marvel of watchmaking.
This one-off Ressence raises money for COVID-19 research.
Ressence celebrates a decade of decidedly unconventional horology.
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Founded only a decade ago, Ressence has already left an indelible impression on watchmaking. Lauded for a design philosophy that is centred on legibility, wearability and intuitive function, the brand’s unusual perspective is thanks to its founder Benoît Mintiens, an industrial designer by profession. To mark its 10th year, Ressence has debuted the Type 1 Slim X, the first of four watches in the commemorative Collection X – “X” being a Roman “10”. Limited to 40 watches, the new watch is essentially identical to the standard Type 1 Slim, but face-lifted with an intriguing dial in a single shade of olive green but finished with contrasting surfaces to achieve a two-tone effect. The remaining Collection X watches will be dressed in a similar shade of green. Initial thoughts I have long been fascinated by Ressence and its watches. The first time I laid eyes on a Ressence, I assumed that it was just an electronic watch with a high-pixel density display; the dial on it was truly flat. When I found out what it was – the effect was due to the oil-filled time display chamber – surprise was an understatement. They are in a class of their own in terms of design, and are, in fact, great examples of “postmodern” mechanical watchmaking. The dark olive dial on the anniversary Type 1 Slim is a first for the brand. The colour is attractive but not as widely used as I would like, with the exception of military-style timepieces, which this is definitely not. To see i...
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Ressence celebrates 10 years with the newType 1 Slim X - olive green dial with 2 sides - 1 side in matte and the other brushed with a circular grain.
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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...
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Ressence and Sotheby’s Reveal the Winner of The #WatchesAgainstCovid19 Design Competition. The winner was decided by the watch community on social medial
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After the brand chose four finalists, the winner was selected on Instagram.
Revolution
Ressence and Sotheby’s join hands to combat coronavirus in a novel, crafty way.
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Get your colored pencils ready – it's "Time To Draw."
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Intended to raise funds for medical research, independent watchmaker Ressence has just announced Time to Draw, a wristwatch design contest. The contest calls for participants to design the dial of the Ressence Type 1 Slim wristwatch, and the winner will turned into an actual, one-off wristwatch – with the designer’s name engraved on the case – that will then be sold at Sotheby’s. The Type 1 Slim Proceeds will go to KU Leuven in Belgium, specifically to support the university’s COVID-19 coronavirus research programme that is working on a vaccine and advanced detection of the virus. Taking part in the contest is easy: Download the Type 1 Slim templates from Ressence.com Get to work with any type of design tool – physical or electronic (there are no restrictions on design tools) Specify the exact colour of every component, including typography and luminous paint Submit the design by email before the closing deadline – 2:00 pm GMT on May 12, 2020 For the design template and more details, visit Ressence.com.
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The Ressence and Sotheby's Auction House launches a competition to design a watch. The Winning Drawing will be turned into a watch to be auctioned. Proceeds go to the KU Leuven Covid-19 Research Programme.
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The left field of watchmaking has yielded many unusual and exotic time displays, but few have the same sense of function and purpose as Ressence. In fact, the essence of the brand is its name, which is short for the “Renaissance of the Essential”. Perhaps a key ingredient of the renaissance is the fact that its founder is not a watchmaker. Ressence was founded a decade ago by Benoît Mintiens, a Belgian industrial designer whose past work included trains, newsstands, and luggage. From the start, the identity of Ressence was crystal clear. The brand’s debut line of watches had dials that relied on a planetary gear mechanism to indicate the time (as well as a crown, which has since been removed from all its watches). Akin to a 21st century regulator-style display, it was an avant-garde way of displaying time, while still surprisingly intuitive. Benoit Mintiens Even more surprising was the longevity of the planetary time display, which has since spawned various iterations, often accompanied by novel innovations ranging from the oil-filled time display in the Type 3, to the more recent Type 2 that’s a mechanical watch that can set itself thanks to an electronic module. When Benoît visited Singapore in late 2019, I got a chance to explore his design philosophy, especially on how his background in industrial design helped inform his unique approach to watchmaking. He also delved into the subtleties of a Ressence wristwatch, and dropped a few hints about a new time ...
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Watchscapes: The Ressence Type 1 DXB. A new 19 piece limited edition featuring a charming sand coloured dial with geometric patterns.
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Our top six picks of watches announced at the Dubai Watch Week. From Greubel Forsey, Armin Strom, Ressence, Cha. Frodsham, H. Moser and Genus.
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Belgian watchmaker Ressence releases a limited edition of its Type 1 Squared to mark its partnership with UAE luxury retailer Ahmed Seddiqi & Sons.
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Created for Ahmed Seddiqi & Sons, the largest watch retailer in the Middle East, to mark Dubai Watch Week 2019, the Type 1DXB is an unusual twist on the typically minimalist Ressence design. Though the watch retains the brand’s signature orbital disc time display, the dial has been skeletonised in a geometric motif inspired by traditional patterns found in Arabic and Islamic culture. Unlike most watches made for the Middle East that sport Eastern Arabic numerals, this is is literally an Arabic dial. The dial is sand-coloured and finishes with a matte, granular surface, matched with white Super-Luminova. Visible through the dial are the gears that drive the unusual time display, all contained within a proprietary Ressence module sitting on top of an ETA 2892 base moment. The 41mm case is square in form, identical to that of the Type 1 Squared. But it is made of titanium, instead of steel as is standard for the Type 1 Squared. And as is standard for Ressence, time setting and winding is done via the case back, hence the lack of a crown. The Type 1DXB is limited to 19 watches, available only at Ahmed Seddiqi & Sons. Key facts and price Type 1DXB Case diameter: 41mm Height: 11mm Material: Titanium Water resistance: 10m Movement: ROCS 1 (base ETA 2892) Functions: Hours, minutes, seconds, day of the week Frequency: 28,800 (4Hz) Winding: Automatic Power reserve: 36 hours Strap: Calfskin with titanium buckle Limited edition: 19 pieces Availability: Only at Ahmed Sedd...
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Are you ready to rock?
Revolution
Introducing the Ressence Type 2, a slimer Type 1 and a new dial for the Type 3.
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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.
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The Swatch Swatch Piú Nero ref. SUOB157 with pricing, images, and quick look at this very affordable Ressence alternative.
This year, at SIHH 2018, Ressence presented the Ressence Type 2 e-Crown Concept watch, an automated setting technology for mechanical watches.
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We explain the Ressence Type 2 e-Crown and why it is an exciting development and the dawn of a new era of smart integration between the mechanical watch and the internet.
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Video to demonstrate the Ressence Type2 e-Crown Concept as explained by Gaetan Gaye of Ressence in the recent SIHH 2018.
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Ressence presents the Type2 e-Crown, just days before SIHH 2018. The Belgian brand comes an interesting concept of a self-setting watch using a mechanical movement and an electrical-mechanical module.
Revolution
Ressence and Mr Porter introduce the Ressence Type 1 MRP, two exclusive limited edition timepieces, solely available on www.mrporter.com
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NEWS: RESSENCE and MR PORTER collaborate to launch two exclusive limited-edition timepieces - the RESSENCE Type1 MR PORTER.
Time+Tide
When Gaëtan Gaye moved from Richemont’s Amsterdam office to Ressence in 2015, he doubled the size of the Antwerp-based team, which was quite the change in scale. What hasn’t changed, is his twin passions for watches and cars, as evidenced by his Instagram feed. NAME: Gaëtan Gaye OCCUPATION: International Brand Director for Ressence HANDLE: @alpagota FOLLOWERS: … ContinuedThe post WHO TO FOLLOW: @alpagota appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
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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.
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Announcing the new grey dial for the Ressence Type 5G, an addition to the Type 5 family, with pictures, specifications and price.
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