Time is of the Ressence

Time is of the Ressence Independent watch brand founder Benoit Mintiens on creating unique timepieces by focusing on the user experience.

- LYNETTE КОН

When you first glance at a Type 3 model or Type 5 dive watch by Belgian horology brand Ressence, you might well mistake it for a smartwatch. All of its regulator-style displays — featuring separate subdials for the hours and minutes — are unusually crisp and appear to be placed directly on the watch’s curved sapphire glass.

What makes this possible is the oil that fills the upper chamber of these watches. The refraction of light through the oil creates the illusion that the dial displays are floating on the surface of the watch glass. It is not just about aesthetics: For Ressence founder and designer Benoit Mintiens, it is about optimising the function of a watch, which is telling the time. (Indeed, for the Type 5 dive watch, this all-around clarity takes on added importance by enabling the dial to be legible from every angle while its wearer is underwater.)

Thanks to this revolutionary design, the Type 3 was awarded the Horological Revelation prize at the Grand Prix d'Horlogerie de Geneve in 2013, the year it was launched. One of the key models for Ressence, the timepiece also showcases the brand's signature aesthetic: In a crown-less case that comprises mostly curved sapphire glass, the time is shown via pointers on continuously revolving discs that orbit the dial, like moons around a planet.

A UNIQUE PERSPECTIVE