A Closer Look at the Ressence Type 8S and Type 1 Round (w/ Video)

It’s hard for a brand to stand out in the halls of Watches and Wonders. After all, the place is literally filled with some of the newest and finest horological creations. Yet Ressence manages to, even if they maintain a relatively low profile overall. Their booth isn’t elaborate, nor is there loud music or flashy lights to draw you in. Instead, their evenly lit room invites you in with a seat at a bar that doesn’t serve drinks, but rather a unique vision of watchmaking.

And, naturally, it’s the watches themselves that make the booth stand out. While certainly in the realm of the high-end, their watches aren’t ornate or fussy. They aren’t traditional. There are no tourbillons or minute repeaters to ooh and awe at, nor gold or platinum to catch your eye with a glint. Instead, they are a reprieve from such things. Their watches look like precision technology from a future utopian world.

And, well, that’s half true. Meeting with Ressence is a combination of seeing novelties and talking about manufacturing. A color change and how that affects tolerances. Years of R&D to make already incredibly fine gaps between the moving components even finer. The word “micron” gets used with some frequency. They are a brand about precision technology, cleverly executed for a seemingly effortless result.

This year, the focus was on two novelties: the Type 8S, and the Type 1 Round. The former was a new version of last year’s big announcement presented in a soothing sage green. An exceptional, soft tone of green, I don’t believe I’ve seen a color quite like it on another watch. It was particularly impactful given their ROCS system, and the large, minimally decorated dial surfaces of the Type 8S. Paired with their new cognac strap, which had a sort of Hermes flair, one should wear it in a hover limousine, sometime in the hopefully not-too-distant future.

The Type 1 Round was the bigger release in terms of newness. An evolution of their core line which set the DNA of the brand, it features a new, sleek case that is thinner than previous lugged versions (the Type 1 Slim was the same but with a different case shape). Down to just 11mm, which feels even thinner given the flowing forms of the case, large crystal, and titanium construction. It also weighs just 64 grams.

The case received the lion’s share of updates, but the dial had a few refinements as well. Numerals ending in 5 were removed from the minute index, and replaced with larger markers. This opens up the dial just a little, which has a surprising visual impact. Additionally, the typeface has been switched to their in-house typography, which features open six and nine characters, as well as other stylized elements.

Lastly, Ressence updated its “midnight blue” color. Available on the Type 1 Round, as well as square models, the new blue is deeper and richer than the previous. It also features a texture that is milled despite being incredibly, imperceivably fine, rather than brushed (I imagine) as it was previously. On the Type 1 Round, the result is striking. A blue you can see for miles. But, should that be too loud, it also comes in matte black, which despite being so understated as to almost belie the impressiveness of the watch, suits the aesthetics quite well.

The Type 8S will be available starting in May for 12,500 CHF or around $14,500 USD, and the Type 1 Round will be available in June with a retail price of 16,800 CHF, or about $20,100 USD. Ressence