Words: Justin Hast
Roughly a decade ago, I had the opportunity to interview Benoît Mintiens, founder of Ressence, the independent watchmaker based in Belgium. I was seriously excited, given what a fan I was – and still am – of the design language he had created (I think you either love it or hate it, which is exactly as it should be). I was taken back by its singular approach to timekeeping – or, more specifically, reading the time.
It began when Mintiens, a trained industrial designer, became frustrated that we have to teach children to read the hands on a clock face rather than have something intuitive. And, so, he set to work on developing a stand-out dial with a long minute hand that gives you a quick-and-easy visual as to how far through the hour you are; a sub-dial for the hours (less important); and, then, depending on model, the day of the week, running seconds, and oil temperature (indeed, some models, like the Type 3 and 5, have oil in them for improved legibility).
And, while I have been a passionate advocate for the brand since that meeting, it is fair to say that even a neutral will likely think that Ressence is a special breed of product design. There’s really nothing else quite like it on the market, which is incredible given how many labels there are. And, as production numbers are also so low (possibly in the hundreds every year; Rolex, by comparison, produces millions), you are unlikely to ever see one in the wild.
As a design-led brand, Ressence always does a wonderful job when it comes to colours and palette. And its latest launch is the Type 3 EE, in ‘eucalyptus’ green. Done out in a lightweight 44mm case in titanium, the timepiece features a multi-rotating titanium disc display with hours on an inner dial, the minutes pointing on an outside track, the day of the month, day of the week, and oil temperature (which is important, as oil changes density with temperature). To appreciate it, you really have to see it in action moving around the dial – it’s pure art. A ballet of the horological kind, if you will. There’s also green Super-LumiNova on the dial to make it legible at night.
Priced at roughly £35,000, it is a significant investment. But, with little doubt, with its growing legion of hardcore fans (many of which are in the tech and design sectors), this model will bring huge joy to the right wrist.
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