The latest edition to the Ressence family was released last autumn, but as this new collection is going to be the brand’s star piece at Watches and Wonders, we thought we would take another look.
1. Post-Covid Colour
History has a funny effect on watchmaking. After World War I, there was an explosion of shaped watches. It was out with the traditional round watch and in with the square, rectangle, oval, and every other form that could possibly house 12 numerals. After World War II, tastes took another radical change, moving away from decorative dress watches towards performance tool watches as the spirit of adventure took hold. Something similar happened after the COVID-19 pandemic, but not with shapes or style, but with colour. Everything from lime green, to hot pink, turquoise to yellow, it was like we needed colour, we needed fun.
The Ressence Type 1 M is part of this new desire for a little craziness, offering a refreshing and colourful twist to its Type 1 collection in blue, green, yellow, red, and white. Since its inception in 2010, the brand has mostly favoured uni-coloured dials in black, blue, grey, and white, so this polychromatic explosion is something entirely new for the brand and we love it!
2. Rock ‘n’ Roll
The patented technology behind the Type 1 M is what really makes it stand out from the crowd. Called ROCS – R for Ressence, O for Orbital, C for Convex, and S for System – this mechanical module blends the different information layers into an animated mono-surfaced display. The convex discs with three or four eccentric bi-axial satellites are inclined at different degrees, giving the watch its distinctive style. The sub-dials continually revolve, as does the main disc into which they are set, rather like moons around a planet, allowing for an intuitive reading.
3. Comfort
Comfort is the one thing that is often overlooked by watchmaking journalists – myself included – but if you try on a watch in a boutique and it doesn’t fit right on your wrist, you just aren’t going to buy it. For the Type 1 M, this isn’t ever going to be an issue thanks to its ergonomic form, flexible rubber strap, and no crown, it fits like a glove, even on my skinny chicken wrists!
4. No Crown
Not only is the non-existence of a crown great for comfort, but it also means that Ressence had to find another solution to set and wind the watch. As with all Ressence timepieces, the time is set by turning the caseback. This has the additional function of winding the watch at the same time. How cool is that?
5. Something Totally Different
One of the things that I personally love about the Ressence Type 1 M – and all Ressence models for that matter – is that they offer something completely unique. Most watch brands can be compared to other brands in some way or form. But this is not the case with Ressence, and for that alone, they are worth the detour.
So what are you waiting for? Get your tickets to Watches and Wonders and check them out for yourself.
