Introducing The Ressence Type 1 Slim Red

For its haute horological price point, Swiss watchmaker Ressence is a favorite over here at Worn & Wound. With impressively innovative designs, technology and plenty of intrigue to boot, the brand has made a popular name for itself not just here, but across the industry for its distinctive watches.

Earlier this year, the brand unveiled the first of its 2021 novelties, at the time as part of Watches & Wonders introducing the Type 2N Night Blue. Today, the experimental maker is unveiling its second design of the year, now introducing the new Type 1 Slim Red. The new watch follows the original, 2019-introduced Type 1 Slim, the design at the time updating Ressence’s classic 2014-introduced Type 1 collection with a namesake slimmer case and style. Like the 2019 model, the Red features a reduced case from 13mm to 11mm with an overall integrated shape, the silhouette of the case and lugs milled from a single block of grade five titanium.

Outside of shape, the obvious draw for the Type 1 Slim Red is in its color, the idea with the launch to bring a new “energetic warmth to the brand’s fundamental design.” The colorway notably marks a departure from the brand’s traditional palette for its designs, which typically don’t stray too far from black, greys, blues, and whites. On this model, the color comes on the heels of a 2020-introduced piece unique produced for the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation in the red Type 3 ‘MC,’ in effect making the new Type 1 Slim Red the first serially produced crimson wearer in Ressence’s catalog.

Like previous Type 1 Slim watches, the Red features a 42mm “pebble-like” case, complete with a prominently domed sapphire crystal, polished titanium sides, and being secured to the wrist via a bright red rubber strap fastened via a straightforward ardillon buckle. The case notably eschews a traditional crown, instead opting for a recessed lever on the case back for winding the movement and setting its time, the idea being to further improve ergonomics on the wrist and make it just as accessible a timekeeper on either a left or right wrist.

On the red and white Super-LumiNova accented dial, the brand once again puts to use its signature Ressence Orbital Convex System (ROCS) to display the time. The idea of the system is to essentially replace static, multi-layered dials and hands and their orthodox method of timekeeping in favor of a system that places each of the traditional aspects of timekeeping on a single plane. According to Ressence this improves legibility and efficiency for the wearer, with the brand’s signature oil-filled magnification working to further enhance these traits. A specially customized Ressence 2892/A caliber powers the system, the automatic mechanism capable of a 36-hour power reserve.

The new Ressence Type 1 Slim Red will be limited in production to 2021 only, so while not explicitly limited in production numbers, is limited in time of production. Currently the brand has the watch marked at 16,800 CHF or about $18,204 USD. Ressence.