Ressence "A watch, but more than a watch." The Type 8S lets you keep track of your own time.

Enjoying changing your watch depending on the occasion has become part of watch enthusiasts' style. But what options are available when you truly want to relax? Paradoxically, the ideal watch would be one that allows you to tell time in a way that is true to you, without being bound by time. Ressence, for example, realizes a unique time display with a spiral-like rotating disc. Its mysterious movement liberates something within us.

Needle-free ROCS (Ressence Orbital Convex System)

　With their dials and hands, watches have traditionally embodied the phenomenon of time. "However, the human eye has a tendency to focus on moving objects. When the hands are moving, we tend to focus on them, making them difficult to read. So why not just display everything on a disc?" One designer intuitively believed this was the ideal way for a watch. His name is Benoît Mintiens, creator of Ressence, a wristwatch with an extremely unique time display style.

　He began his career as an industrial designer, designing high-speed trains, airplane cabins, and medical equipment. He then founded the watch brand Ressence in 2010, garnering attention for his unique timepieces. This genius designer places particular emphasis on functionality and user experience when creating watches. In addition to ensuring legibility and ease of use, he values ​​the "something" that stimulates the five senses and captivates the viewer.

　The idea behind the pursuit and integration of these elements and ideals is the ROCS (Ressence Orbital Convex System). Unlike conventional watches, which display the time using rotating hands on the dial, ROCS is characterized by its minimalist style, consolidating all information on a single layer. All watches in the Ressence series use ROCS. The appeal of ROCS is that it has no hands. And because multiple rotating discs are perfectly integrated into a single surface, there are no protruding parts other than the base disc. The largest disc in the disc configuration is the minute disc, with the hour and second discs embedded within it. The hour and second displays are always linked to the minute disc, constantly moving in tandem, seemingly tracking each other, making it truly unique.

　With a streamlined and futuristic look, Ressence watches at first glance resemble quartz movements. However, they are essentially pure mechanical watches, powered by the automatic ETA2892A2 movement. Ressence's innovations, which began in 10, have spawned multiple variations and garnered great attention in the 23 current year. The "Type 8" in particular embodies Ressence's signature minimalism. It has no display functions other than hours and minutes, and is devoid of elements such as numbers. It leaves an extremely clear impression. This season, a new color, the "Type 8S," has been released, further expanding the range of the series.

The "Type 1" is a practical design with a dial featuring numbers in various places. It also features a calendar placed between the minute disc and the hour disc, making it highly functional. The "Type 3," released in 13, offers an even more special user experience. This model is groundbreaking in that it overcomes the "difficulty of viewing due to light reflection." The space between the dial and the crystal is filled with oil, resulting in improved visibility from all angles.

　Why do people choose to wear a watch? It's not just because they want to know the time; it's undoubtedly because they want to live their own life, their own way of spending time. In business situations where you want to gain trust, wearing a watch that is specialized for status is one option. However, when it comes to spending your time relaxing and being yourself, you want an item that is not only comfortable to wear, but also keeps time that is uniquely yours. A watch that truly lives with you, not just a watch for someone else. With its cutting-edge nature, Ressence watches may lead us into a dimension beyond conventional watches.

[Video] The Ressence Type 3.5-B: The most mysterious movement of any mechanical watch

　Ressence's Type 3.5-B features regulator-type minute and hour hands, as well as subdials for the date, day of the week, and thermometer, all rotating within an oil-filled sapphire crystal. Even those familiar with the mechanism behind the dial will get the illusion of a moving image.