“For us it makes sense to make a rugged tool watch that is capable of more extreme lifestyles,” said Ressence founder Benoît Mintiens. Given the brand’s form-follows-function approach, it is almost a surprise they haven’t done it before in the company’s 15 years of existence. Ressence – with handless rotating discs and non-existent crowns – have always been associated with off-the-beaten-track watches. “We have an approach mainly driven by industrial design, and we really go through the whole design process, so this is why our watches work differently, look different, express time differently.”
According to Mr. Mintiens, there is one challenge with being different: despite the technique having a track record of a decade and a half, it is more complicated for the retailers to sell Ressence compared with traditional watches. “Normally, salespeople in a multi-brand environment think of a watch that is a bit more or a bit less than a competitor when it comes to certain qualities or features. But as we have not a lot in common with the competitors, it is more difficult to explain what we do.”
Speaking of retail, Mr. Mintiens also revealed to Worldtempus readers that Ressence has a trick up its sleeve to counter changing order patterns from retail. “Unlike most brands we do not have an e-shop. Instead, we have developed a different concept that is ready to launch. It is a Ressence watch finder to support our retail partners,” he said, adding that 2024 was the brand’s best year so far, with sales of almost 700 watches. “But 2025 is still a question mark as the market is more conservative.”
Micro Magnets
So, what are the essentials of the Ressence TYPE 7? Its dial is filled with oil, which creates an optical phenomenon: the spinning discs for hours, minutes, seconds and the 24-hour GMT time zone appear to be printed on the sapphire glass. Thanks to the oil, refractions and optical distortions are but a memory, despite the domed shape of the glass. This display system called ROCS 7 is separated from the base calibre; yet connected with micro magnets through a micro membrane made of titanium.
“Most of the parts inside our watches are made of titanium. The whole module must be as light as possible for the inertia and shocks. If it was in steel, the whole mechanism would be too heavy and break the gears in the driving movement,” said Mr. Mintiens.
The dial comes in two shades: Night blue, which also features a ceramic bezel, and a limited-edition XV Aquamarine, an ocean-green hue, where the bezel is made of aluminium. Just like the 41-millimetre case, the three-link bracelet is crafted in grade five titanium, and the industrial design approach can be seen in that the deployant clasp has five adjustment positions to fit all wrists in all climates.
“All our innovations are functional, they are all driven by the fact that we are trying to improve certain aspects of ergonomics: readability, comfort, wearability. There is always ergonomic reasoning behind our watches,” said Mr. Mintiens. As for titanium, when asked if he was following a trend, he pointed out that Ressence used titanium in all its watches for 13 years.
“Just about everything you see on our watches is titanium. The material is ergonomical and it is a pragmatic choice, since titanium is light. Some people say it is too light, that it doesn’t feel qualitative. But my view is that you should forget your watch once you wear it, it should be part of you, it should merge with you, it should be in complete sync with you,” he said, before alluding that Ressence TYPE 7 could mean a repositioning of the brand in the minds of design-driven collectors. “As a brand we are seen as an industrial design brand. And with this watch we also show that we are not so far away from watchmaking when it comes to iconic designs.”
