How Ressence Watches Work

Ressence Explained

By Blake Buettner

Great watchmaking doesn’t always begin with a watchmaker. In fact, some of the best expressions of independent watchmaking are born not of technical expertise, but of creative ingenuity. Belgian industrial designer Benoît Mintiens founded Ressence in 2010 with the intention of creating an entirely new experience around reading the time, doing away with hands and static dials altogether in favor of something more dynamic. More expressive. The requisite engineering to bring this vision to life was created in service to this creative vision, and some truly novel watchmaking happens to be a fascinating side effect. 

No longer a necessity, watches can play a different role in our lives than purely being tools that tell the time. Free of this restraint, a watch can serve a much broader role in how we experience time and how we express ourselves. Ressence watches take an approach that begins with the exterior, and works its way inward. In the process, they challenge conventional wisdom in how we experience time. 

At the heart of this experience is a dial that has no hands. Instead, each segmentation of time is afforded its own rotating dial piece, meaning the entirety of the time shifts with each passing minute. It’s a ballet of motion rendering the time in a dynamic, engaging manner. The information design is clean and modern, making the process of reading the time intuitive, not to mention beautiful. 

Seeing the dial in motion conjures a curiosity about how it works. There is no crown in sight, and no visible elements of the mechanics within. In order to bring this vision to life, Ressence developed what they call an ‘orbital convex system’ or ROCS (Ressence Orbital Convex System). 

The Ressence Orbital Convex System

Before we delve into just how the ROCS works, let’s take a moment to consider how it’s powered. Every Ressence watch uses ROCS, though there are variations in how much complexity they bring to life on the dial. Make no mistake, ROCS is the mechanical soul of Ressence watches, not the underlying power source. The system itself sits atop a highly modified in-house or ETA base, and is powered in its entirety through a single input shaft, or through a series of magnets. 

The orbital convex system allows each of the individual dial spaces to rotate freely, depicting the time and any complications present. At its core, this is a deconstructed take on reading the time, a bit like a regulator design, with each element freely turning at its own rate. The hour hand is always set within the most prominent sub-dial, while the minute hand occupies what could be seen as the negative space between the chapter ring and the sub-dial. While the hour hand rotates, the entire sub-dial containing it ‘wanders’ around the broader dial landscape, and it’s the same with any additional sub-dials containing extraneous complications, from the day of the week, to the temperature of the oil (more on that later). 

The power is supplied and regulated via the base, while it’s distributed within the planetary gear train of the ROCS, requiring a high demand for enough torque to keep the entire system moving. All power comes from the minute hand (canon pinion), which acts as a hub for all of the other complications. In the oil-filled cases, Ressence uses a system of micro-magnets to transfer the movement between the sealed compartments, with conductors to keep the rest of the watch protected from magnetic fields. 

With the Type 11, Ressence has introduced their first integrated, in-house movement for a more unified user experience. While ROCS remains the true differentiator that brings a Ressence watch to life, the use of a new unified base caliber will provide a greater level of efficiency, and a more streamlined operation.

One of the first things you’ll notice about Ressence watches is their symmetrical, pebble-like case designs that eschew the use of a traditional crown. Setting and winding the movement is handled entirely through the caseback. This generally involves the use of a tab that lifts off the caseback, allowing the user to twist clockwise to wind, and counterclockwise to begin setting the time. This allows for a seamless experience on the wrist, and also means that they can be worn on either wrist without affecting that experience. 

Oil-Filled Watches

There are three categories of Ressence watches, each with their own unique references within. The first of these are the Type 3, Type 5, and Type 7, all of which feature oil-filled cases. Well, almost. These references use special cases that contain two separate compartments: one at the bottom of the case containing the power source filled with air, and a sealed-off top half containing ROCS and all dial pieces under a domed sapphire crystal. Oh, and that top half is filled entirely with oil. 

Not only does this keep the ROCS completely lubricated at all times, it also allows for one of the most unique watch displays not just in the independent space, but in all of watchmaking. When light passes through air and glass, it refracts a small amount, distorting how our eyes perceive whatever is contained on the other side of that glass. By filling the display with oil, there is no refraction, and the information contained in the dial is brought directly to the surface, as though it were painted on. This resulting HD effect cannot be adequately described through words, and pictures don’t quite do it justice, either. These watches provide a truly remarkable experience, and serve the heart of Ressence design language brought to life holistically. 

Type 3

Each of these oil-filled references defines a different genre within the Ressence stable. With the Type 3, we find the classic pebble-shaped 44mm titanium case boasting the most pure dial real estate of the bunch. There is a true edge-to-edge viewing experience with this watch unlike any other Ressence. The Type 3 gets an hour and minute display, along with a day of the week, oil temperature, and ‘runner’ complications. 

Type 5

The Type 5 wanders into dive watch territory, with a rotating bezel framing the dome of the dial. This watch meets ISO 6425 standards, and receives a depth rating of 100 meters. The Type 5 uses a 46mm titanium case, and features a more focused set of complications, displaying the hours and minutes, as well as the oil temperature and running seconds. 

Type 7

Finally, the Type 7 represents Ressence’s take on the integrated bracelet sport watch. This is the first Ressence watch to use a bracelet, and it does so in flat-link titanium style. The Type 7 uses a trim 41mm case that also gets a fixed ceramic bezel matched to the color of the dial. As for complications, this one gets the hours, minutes, and a 24-hour display alongside the runner. The oil temp is still displayed, though it’s been moved to an aperture within the hour sub-dial. 

One feature that all of these oil-filled watches share is a self-equilibrating pressure-balance system of bellows. This is why each of these watches has an oil temperature gauge, which works with the bellows system to keep the volume of oil consistent within the dial to compensate for changes in temperature. As oil cools, it contracts, and the bellows will expand to ensure the liquid remains evenly distributed throughout the chamber. As such, these watches have a recommended operating temperature between -5 degrees and +55 degrees Celsius. 

Air-Filled Cases

The second category of Ressence watches uses a more traditional air-filled case, while retaining much of the same design language and HD visuals. This allows for a greater use of finishes and textures to come through, revealing a new personality within the same framework. If the oil-filled cases bring a maximalist version of the Ressence design language to life, the air-filled cases tend to take a more minimal, serene approach to presenting time. 

Type 9

This approach is best represented in the Type 8 and Type 9, both of which display only the hours and the minutes. The Type 9 gets a 39mm titanium case with an external bezel, while the Type 8 gets a slightly larger 42.9mm titanium case and a bezel piece that sits under the crystal. Both of these references lend themselves to collaborative efforts thanks to their blank-canvas-style dials, which have been brought to life beautifully by artists such as Daniel Engelberg, Terumasa Ikeda, and most recently, Jules Wittock. 

Type 8 DE

Moving to the Type 1 and Type 1 Squared, we find a more traditional approach with wire lugs and a cushion-shaped case respectively, and each of these gets a day of the week and running seconds complications. What sets these designs apart are the finish and subtle color palettes of the dial plates. There is a level of refinement with both of these references that eludes other Ressence watches, dipping ever so slightly into formal territory as a result. 

Finally, the aforementioned Type 11 houses the brand’s first in-house caliber, and will serve as an inflection point for a new generation of Ressence watches to come. The Type 11 gets a slightly more refined take on the Type 1 design language, and again makes use of an interesting color palette to accentuate the graphic nature of the information being presented. 

E-Crown

There is one last segment that stands alone, and that is the E-Crown and the Type 2 that it sits within. The Type 2 is a hybrid mechanical watch that uses an electric component between the movement and the ROCS to control the information on the dial. It does not interfere with the mechanical movement, and it’s better instead to think of it as an automatic crown system that can adjust and set the time on the fly, through an app on your phone. 

This technology involves an incredibly small, and incredibly efficient cluster that consists of 87 pieces, including a touch sensor (taps on the crystal are used to communicate with it), a microprocessor, and an energy management system. This kind of functionality is of course nothing new for wrist watches, but it’s very much a novelty in a watch such as this. At no point does it interfere with your experience of the watch from a design or mechanical standpoint, rather it’s a purely additive feature to enhance how you interact with it. 

In general, you might see this as a conceptual decision meant to push the boundaries of how we view and experience the Ressence brand, but it’s one that also reveals a company focused on innovation. For its part, the design falls closely in line with the well-defined Ressence DNA, with a few apertures that reveal something mysterious about the nature of what’s happening within. It’s forward-looking, but never abandons the core principles of what makes Ressence so compelling in the first place. 

Big Picture

Taking a step back, Ressence has shown a remarkable evolution of their original raison d'être, consistently refining a novel approach that fundamentally shifts how we experience time through a watch. That experience remains front and center, and just as compelling today as it was in 2010. Through that period, Ressence has been careful to preserve and build on their core identity without compromise. What began as a concept with no mechanical means to realize turned into true watchmaking innovation with the creation of the ROCS. 

Type 1 Squared

A watch may no longer be a necessity, and that fact makes the existence of a brand like Ressence all the more special. There's no pretension here about what a watch is supposed to be. Ressence watches sit at the intersection of artistic expression and mechanical innovation while the end result seems to transcend both.

View the full Ressence collection here at Collective Horology.