Ressence marks the 10th anniversary of its revolutionary approach to watchmaking this year, and has released a series of commemorative limited-edition watches to celebrate.
We hear that four watches will be produced under the Collection X banner, using a dark olive green dial as a common link. Given that the first applies this unique color scheme to the Type 1 Slim, it’s a safe bet that each of the remaining three will represent three other models from the Belgian brand.
Given the Silberstein-esque palette used for the watch Ressence just auctioned off to aid coronavirus research, the dark olive is a somewhat sober choice for a celebratory watch, but it does go well with the yellow-orange Grade A Super-LumiNova, a designation apparently given to batches of luminescent material that glow longer and 25% brighter than the standard. On any other watch, this color combination could serve as shorthand for a military aesthetic, but the Type 1 Slim X is too sophisticated to be confused for that.
The lume sits in the carved grooves of the watch’s German silver dial, or Ressence Orbital Convex System (ROCS for short), the name given to the complex arrangement of independently rotating discs that display seconds, minutes, hours, and weekdays.
Ressence plays with texture and color here; both the main minute disc and the smaller hour disc are bisected using contrasting smooth matte and circular-grained finishes. These line up neatly on either side of the watch at noon and midnight.
Since this (and other upcoming watches in Collection X) celebrate the Belgian brand’s first decade (the X stands for ten in Roman numerals), Ressence has replaced the 10 o’clock hour marker with a stylized X that morphs into an hourglass. It’s a good idea, but it’s also confusing and looks a lot like the number 8, so maybe a little too clever.
Elsewhere, the Ressence Type 1 Slim X is the same Type 1 Slim we know, with a 42mm grade 5 titanium case, integrated lugs, and crownless design (adjustments and winding are managed using a folding lever cleverly built into the caseback, which, we assume, is why the Type 1 Slim isn’t afraid of getting wet, with a water resistance of just 1 ATM, equivalent to 10m. Inside the custom ETA 2892/A, it beats at 28,800vph and has a 36-hour power reserve.
Ressence will produce 40 examples of the Type 1 Slim X, each individually numbered on the caseback.
Price and Specs:
Brand: Ressence
Model Name: Type 1 Slim X
Case/Dial: 42mm diameter x 11mm thickness, grade 5 titanium
Water Resistance: 10m (1 bar)
Movement: Proprietary ROCS 1 (Ressence Orbital Convex System) driven by a special split-axis custom 2892/A movement, automatic, 40 jewels
Frequency: 28,800 vph (4 Hz)
Power reserve: 36 hours
Functions: hours, minutes, seconds, weekdays
Strap: olive green calfskin with Ardillon buckle
Price: 17,650 pounds, limited to 40 pieces
More details on Ressence.
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