A combination of the words renaissance and essentiel, is a young, independent brand with a unique approach to contemporary watchmaking. Their motto “Built on the expertise of yesterday, crafted with today’s technology, our watches are designed for tomorrow” - very much speaks to this, innnovative identity. Founded by the Belgian industrial designer, Benoît Mintiens in 2010, all of the brand’s watches carry ever-changing ‘regulator’ dials, in which the sub-dials and main-disc continually orbit one another.
First debuted at Baselworld 2014, the Type 1 followed on from the Type 3, as a reinvention of the original Type 1001, with a new crown-less winding system and thinner case. In comparison to the Type 1001 with its large crown and thick case size, and the with its innovative oil-filled dial, the Type 1 expresses perhaps the most minimalist vision of the brand.
The watch is split into two modules; a lower-half comprised of a customised self-winding ETA 2824/2 ébauche, and a display module, or ROCS (Ressence Orbital Convex System). Composed of 107 parts, 27 gears and 40 jewels, the gears in the ROCS calculates the hours, seconds and day, taking only the minute as a reference from the movement. In the Type 1, there's a mechanical link between the movement and the ROCS display.
The ’W’ in ‘Type 1W’ refers to the off-white colour of the dial and winding rotor, giving the watch an industrial feel. The orbital display shows hours and minutes on convex discs, as well as the day of the week (with weekends shown). All indicators are filled with generous quantities of Superluminova, for maximum low-light visibility.
With two highly-domed, sapphire crystals covering both sides of the watch, the Type 1 has an almost pebble-like appearance and is clearly influenced by current industrial design trends. The polished, grade 5 titanium case measures 42 mm, yet wears smaller than expected, due to the absence of the external case seen in traditional watchmaking. The watch also goes without a traditional crown, increasing the organic feel, with the user instead interacting with the domed, sapphire case-back to wind the movement and set the time.
This Type 1W remains in excellent condition and comes with its box, product literature and secondary Ressence strap, currently fitted on a grey suede strap and tang buckle. It will also be accompanied by a letter from the brand, detailing its original sale in Japan in October 2015.
Viewings can be arranged in Central London by appointment only.
Closer look
| Brand: | Ressence |
| Model: | Type 1W |
| Movement: | automatic ETA 2824/2 base, modified with in-house ROCS display module |
| Functions: | day, hours, minutes, seconds |
| Features: | regulator display, winding case back |
| Case: | 42 mm x 11.5 mm grade 5 titanium |
| Crystal: | domed sapphire front and back |
| Bracelet: | grey suede with secondary tan Ressence strap and original deployant titanium buckle |
| Year: | October 2015 |
| Box & papers: | box, product literature, letter from Ressence |
This Ressence Type 1W is in excellent condition was purchased in Japan in October 2015. It comes with it's box and product literature, accompanied by a letter from Ressence dating the original sale. It is guaranteed for authenticity and comes with a two-year warranty from A Collected Man.
