Have you heard of UTOs? As witnessed all over the world, unidentified time-telling objects can appear on your wrist out of nowhere. One showed up on my left forearm today and I was able to try it on for a day.
After all, it may look like a spaceship, but it’s not entirely unrecognizable after all. Although the dial looks bland, true enthusiasts will notice the small hand icon symbolizing friendly intentions. If you flip this oddity around, you’ll see that it’s fully motivated to identify itself as a Ressence Type 9. It came not from a galaxy far, far away, but from Belgium, a 90-minute drive from our office in The Hague. Things don’t seem so scary anymore. Let’s try it!
Display of break time
Well, Rex did a great job introducing Type 9 a few weeks ago. Please stop repeating the list of specs and link to his article instead. While Lex shared the cold hard facts, I had to try it out and share my thoughts on the latest Ressence. I like this division of labor! I was able to get used to this.
Admittedly, this is my first time using Ressence seriously. I’ve worked with a few previous models from this brand, but I’ve never touched one for more than a minute or two. This Belgian brand (all of its watches are produced in Switzerland) focuses on design. To be precise, it is a very specific and minimal type of design. The idea is to create a pebble-like clock with an integrated regulator dial and hands. Rather than a series of hands spinning on a fixed dial, everything here moves and conspires to tell the time.
In case you haven’t seen it in action, here’s how it works. The entire dial rotates every 60 minutes. This also includes the hour subdial, which is always opposite the minute hand. The hour ring should rotate counterclockwise so that the numbers always face to the right. Finally, a disc with an hour hand printed on it rotates within it and points to the correct time. In short, it’s a regulator with subdials that move across the entire dial every hour.
Kickstart Ressence Type 9
Ressence watches always push me out of my comfort zone. This is no exception. The first task is to start driving and set the time. Considering the Ressence uses the ETA 2892-2 base caliber, it should be as easy as pulling out the crown and…oh, wait a minute….
Both setting and winding require a rotating disc located on the back cover. At Ressence, winding the automatic caliber is called “kickstart”, and this is a very complex process. Rotate the disc clockwise until you feel additional resistance, indicating you have reached the winding zone. Then keep turning until you hear a “click” sound. Then, wind it back and forth for about 10 minutes (the hand will move as you do this, indicating how far it has turned). The clock is currently running.
To set the time, simply rotate the disc in either direction until the time is displayed correctly. Two things to note are that it must be rotated slowly (about 6 seconds per revolution) to prevent damage to the movement, and that winding changes the time. In other words, you want to take your time and carefully interact with your watch. The rotating disc system does not fall out of the case or snap into place, which likely explains the 1 ATM’s minimal water resistance.
Fitting Ressence Type 9
Let’s secure this with a strap so it’s out of the way. It was easy to see why Ressence scaled down the Type 8 and developed the Type 9 as a result. Proportionally, this is the best Ressence watch I’ve ever tried. The case diameter is reduced by approximately 4 mm, and the external (fixed) minute ring further optically reduces the watch.
I like my new case. Ressence didn’t just shrink the Type 8, they redesigned the entire case. The most notable change is the inclusion of a relatively traditional rug. I fully agree with this choice. This is because it reduces the gadget vibe and gives the watch a more traditional, solid feel. As always with Ressence watches, the design features natural pebble-like lines, giving it a sophisticated and friendly aesthetic.
The outer minute ring gives off a subtle diver watch vibe on an aesthetic level. Optically, this reduces the size of the dial and makes the 39mm case even smaller. Overall, I found this to be the most fascinating Ressence yet. Type 9 weighs a very light 39 grams and is very comfortable to wear.
Appeal of Ressence
For some reason, I never really felt like I was wearing a watch. Even though it’s a mechanical watch with a relatively traditional case, it never feels like one. To me, it feels more like a device. Ressence’s design language clearly references modern technology. For example, the hand symbol looks more like an icon you’d see on an iPhone than a traditional watch brand logo. The overall layout of the dial is reminiscent of a smartwatch. To me, the Ressence Type 9 feels like a mechanical smartwatch, which is both a strength and a weakness.
The strength lies in the uniqueness of this design language. These watches cannot be confused with anything other than Ressence. If you like it, nothing else is enough. At the same time, I realized that I didn’t really think of it as a luxury watch purchase. That’s not to say it’s not worth the CHF 12,500 price tag, it just occupies a different space in my heart than other watches priced above €10,000.
This may have something to do with an approach that emphasizes design over everything else. These watches represent very specific, unique, and thoughtful design principles. At the same time, operational convenience, water resistance, and easy serviceability are sacrificed at the altar of design. To be clear, this is not a problem. I’m willing to make such compromises if the design language resonates with me. The reason I don’t do that is because I don’t want my mechanical watch to remind me of the connected device. But for those who like something unique and modern, I can certainly see how this could be very appealing.
What do you think about Ressence Type 9? Let us know in the comments section below.
