Being completely honest I have never heard of Ressence before, but when I saw this watch I had to write about it. Looking at the dial alone it will definitely confuse a lot of people especially on how to read the time on it and I tried using their interactive time simulator and I was still confused by the end of it. While it looks like a futuristic smartwatch it is run entirely by an automatic movement which is even more impressive as to how the dial functions.
Since I never heard of Ressence before I thought to first look at their current catalogue of watches and they all had very similar dial designs and functionality. While I personally would not own any of these watches, the impressive thing for me personally about the Type 3BBB is that it is entirely powered by a mechanical movement. As the minute hand moves around the dial all the other sub-dials move around with it, and there is also a date wheel around the dial that also moves around to be pointed at the 6 o’clock position. That is my best attempt at explaining how the watch works, but to see for yourself you can use their interactive time simulator on their website to see how it works by clicking here.
The case is made out of grade 5 titanium and comes in a case size of 44mm and only wears 79 grams. There are two separated sealed chambers that are filled with 3.75ml of oil and interestingly enough has a sub-dial dedicated to check the oil temperature on it. The convex dial surface and the domed sapphire crystal is filled with oil, giving it a very distinct look. Due to temperature changes oil will either expand or contract, to counter that it has seven miniature mechanical bellows which alter the volume of the assembly. While other oil-filled watches usually have a very high-water resistance this one is rated only for 30m. The movement is a modified 2824-2 automatic movement with a power reserve of 36 hours. The watch also does not feature a crown, instead the sapphire case back can be used to wind and also allow it to change the date and time. On the case back however, I noticed there is an operating temperature warning of 10oC – 30oC so I guess if you live in a very cold or warm environment this watch might not be ideal.
Forgot to mention this but Type 3 BBB stands for Black Black Black and also features blue Superluminova across every thing on the dial except for the actual dial. The watch comes paired with a Black Baernia leather strap and will be priced at CHF 36,500. The watch will only be produced during 2022 and is available through authorised dealers check it out in more detail through their website here.
The Watchlist 