Ressence

Ressence is an independent brand founded in 2010 by industrial designer Benoît Mintiens. 

Goal: to reimagine the essential functions of a 21st-century watch, and reinvent the way we tell the time.

How? By removing everything in the watch that is superfluous – all those things that have stuck around for centuries because no one thought to question whether we still needed them.

Behind this minimalistic approach to design, encapsulated in the mantra “less is more”, Ressence design intrigues, awakens the senses and radically transforms the guiding principles of mechanical watch design, for current and future generations.

Benoît Mintiens began with the ZERO SERIES, a completely novel dial concept that represents the time on two-dimensional flush-mounted rotating discs. Traditional hands are nowhere to be seen – the time is displayed like words on paper. Then came the TYPE 1, which did away with the crown so that the watch can be worn on either the right or left hand. The TYPE 3 then eliminated glass refraction by partially immersing the movement in an oil bath. And finally, the TYPE 2 removed the need to adjust or wind the watch, thanks to the world’s first self-setting automatic crown.