By Jovan K
We’ve seen many design collaborations over the years, but when two genuinely innovative minds meet, the results can often feel different from the rest.
Benoît Mintiens, Founder and CEO of Ressence, together with Marc Newson, Australian Industrial Designer
Ressence has partnered with Australian industrial designer Marc Newson for a Type 3 that does very well to capture the industrial aesthetics on the dial.
The case itself is titanium, measuring 45mm x 15mm; it’s a substantial piece of metal on the wrist, but the lug-less elliptical shape is instantly recognizable as Newson’s work, recalling his earlier watch designs. Ressence uses two sealed chambers here: the top one is filled with oil for the optical effect, and the bottom one houses the movement. The watch features a combination of DLC and PVD coatings, resulting in a dark, cohesive Grade 5 titanium appearance, with a water resistance rating of 10m.
The dial really exhibits Newson’s influence. Grayscale dominates with white-on-black peripheral scales for the date and minutes. The central rotating disc has this grainy grey finish, while the subdials flip between black and white with bright yellow hands. It looks like factory hazard signage, which is exactly the point. The ROCS display keeps everything moving in that orbital dance Ressence does, with subdials counter-rotating to stay readable as the main disc turns.
The ETA 2824-2 sits at the heart of the watch, with Ressence’s ROCS 3.6 module doing the heavy lifting. It delivers a 36-hour power reserve at 28,800 vph while handling hours, minutes, runner, day, date, and oil temperature indication, all while driving the entire orbital display system. Even though the movement still holds up in a fight, it has been in the game for more than 40 years, and in this context, a newer and more modern base movement with a longer power reserve would feel more in step with the forward-looking approach behind Ressence’s design.
The Ressence Type 3 Marc Newson Edition comes on a synthetic rubber strap with a titanium buckle, priced at CHF 46,000 and limited to 80 pieces.
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