Marie de Pimodan
My office colleagues can testify to this: I've fallen head over heels for this watch! Its titanium case, round and soft as a pebble shaped by the roll of the ocean, its flying saucer silhouette, the absence of a crown, the ingenious hours and minutes indication, its domed cobalt-blue dial and domed sapphire crystal... Everything about this Type 8 appeals to my eye and flatters my wrist. Beyond appearances, I especially like the watchmaking step forward taken by Ressence which, thanks to an innovative watchmaking technique, has been able to transform the watch into a design object. Watches without hands are nothing new on the watchmaking scene. But Ressence has managed to find its own distinctive tone and voice, recognisable at first glance. Minimalist, intuitive, essential!
Mathieu Rotzer
The first thing that struck me with the Ressence Type 8 is the simplistic, yet complex, dial. Only one glance is needed to notice the different shades and vibrant tones of blue radiating from it. To me, this watch symbolizes serenity with its beautiful domed crystal, soft edges, ultralight weight and very comfortable size. I must admit, being used to wearing watches with multiple pushers, that the lack of crown was not immediately to my liking. On the wrist however, I really appreciated the freshness of this futuristic design, which infuses creativity in the watch industry. What is great about Ressence is that their innovative engineering backs up their innovative design. Through and through, this was a piece I very much enjoyed wearing and I look forward to seeing just how far the Belgian brand continues to innovate.
Sophie Furley
I have always been intrigued by the psychology of watch collecting. Why do we feel the need to have a collection of mechanical watches when one watch is enough? There are many answers to the question as people collect for different reasons, ranging from aesthetic appreciation to self-expression, social interaction to the pleasure of the quest.
Over the years, I have spoken to many people about this particular topic and I remember a fascinating conversation I had with Laurent Picciotto from Chronopassion in Paris, who told me that it was like when you are at school and you go into the playground with a brand-new backpack and all the kids go “wow”! It is a special kind of happiness. He likened this to turning up to the office on a Monday morning with a new timepiece. It takes you right back to the playground and being the coolest kid in school!
Why am I telling you this story? Well, it is Monday morning and I have the Ressence Type 8C on my wrist and literally everyone in the office has stopped me to ask me what I am wearing. Its domed blue dial with flush indications and titanium case ooze a minimalist coolness that makes me feel like a rock star and I don’t want to give it up!
Allissa Pataki
I have been fascinated by Ressence and its original take on horology since I had the pleasure of meeting Benoît Mintiens, the founder and CEO, at Geneva Watch Days last year. The brand had just launched the Type 3 EE and Benoît gave us a demonstration of how the timepiece works. And I was completely blown away. So, when they offered to lend WorldTempus a Type 8 for the week, we jumped at the opportunity. And what a treat! To start things off, the watch came in a modern egg-shaped box made from recycled plastic. We decided to unwrap it in front of the full team during one of our famous Monday meetings, as a surprise. After a bunch of "oohs" and "aahs", the watch was out of its box and passed around for closer inspection. Although we are a team of very different tastes, the Type 8 was an instant crowd-pleaser! Many pointed out how surprisingly light the timepiece was (thanks to its titanium case, only 42 grams!) and how much they appreciated its sleek and modern design. I explained to them how to read the time and pointed out that like all Ressence watches, there is no visible crown. When they found that out, they all wanted to take turns setting the time by rotating the case back (which they were also surprised to hear also winds the automatic mechanical movement!). Seeing my colleagues engaged with the Type 8 was a full circle moment, taking me back to August last year. Witnessing the team’s excitement reinforced a realization I’ve had over my year here at WorldTempus - although watches’ primary purpose is to keep track of time, they have evolved into works of art, capable of evoking emotions and bringing people together.
Suzanne Wong
I’ve always thought of Ressence as the brand that would get you into mechanical watchmaking, if you’re not the kind of person who’s into mechanical watchmaking. In other words, Ressence is to mechanical watchmaking what Beyoncé is to country music. The Type 8 is the purest iteration of what makes a Ressence timepiece so appealing. It is clearly a design object. Its indication of time, with planetary rotating dials, is intuitive and mesmerising. It is immensely tactile, thanks to its curved profile and polished surfaces. It’s driven by a tried-and-tested automatic mechanical base calibre with 36 hours of power reserve, which is easy to maintain if you wear it on a daily basis (and trust me, if you own a Ressence Type 8, you will be wearing it every day).
