Ressence Type 1 Squared X Time by Colour

Celebrating ten years of life, today Ressence presents the fourth and final piece in its Collection X. Challenging the traditional concept of displaying time with hands, Ressence has created a new visual language for telling the time. Renowned for its distinctive ‘beyond hands’ display, Ressence watches tell the time with revolving sub-dials powered by the brand’s patented Orbital Convex System (ROCS). Using highly graphic, revolving sub-dials, time literally circles around the dial like planets orbiting the Sun. Nothing is static; everything is in constant motion, like time itself. The last tenth-anniversary model is based on the Type 1 Squared, the smallest of the family and the only model with a more conventional cushion-shaped case. Representing time in an even more intuitive way, the Ressence Type 1 Squared X Time by Colour uses different colours to indicate different moments in a day.

The X Quartet

All the watches in the Collection X quartet feature a special symbol at 10 o’clock on the dial, a fusion of a Latin X and an hourglass, and all are limited to 40 pieces. The first watch in the celebratory Collection X was the Type 1 Slim X. With an attractive olive green dial, the 42mm case is 2mm slimmer than the standard Type 1 thanks to its sealed caseback with a retractable key. The second watch for Collection X was the Type 5X, a racing-inspired collaboration with Automobili Amos. The third piece, Type 3X, was also the fruit of a collaboration with graphic designer Stefan Sagmeister.

This last anniversary piece not only uses motion to capture the inexorable flow of time but also uses colour to represent different moments in a day. According to a study conducted by Professor Christopher Harvey of the department of neuroscience at Harvard, the way Ressence represents time is a far more natural and intuitive way of capturing the true dimension of time. Another conclusion of his study was that colours are the easiest and fastest way for our brain to determine a moment in time. Light, or the lack of light, regulates our biological clock.

Time by Colour

Putting theory into practice, Ressence has taken Prof. Harvey’s findings and incorporated 48 coloured ceramic balls to indicate the approximate time at a glance. Four different coloured balls  – yellow, grey, blue and black – placed on a rotating sub-dial (usually reserved for the small seconds) are used to indicate the different moments of a day. The morning hours, starting at 6 am, are represented by yellow beads (like the sun rising) while the evening hours, starting at 6 pm, are blue. Although there are four colours, you will only ever see three colours represented at any one time on the dial.

Case and dial

This anniversary edition is based on the Type 1 Squared introduced by the brand in 2017. The main difference between the Squared and other Ressence watches is the presence of a case. Not that the other models don’t have cases, but they are not a prominent feature of the watch. Although the Type 1 Squared relies on the Orbital Convex display system, it has a 41mm cushion-shaped case with a closed caseback and a reduced height of 11mm. (The Type I Squared was the smallest and thinnest watch at Ressence up until the appearance of the Type 1 Slim model.)

For the first time in its short lifespan, the Type 1 Squared comes in a brightly polished titanium case (usually it is made of steel) and features the attractive olive green dial of the other anniversary watches. The layout of the dial is similar to a regulator clock with the minutes placed on the periphery and the hours relegated to a sub-dial. The sub-dials corresponding to the ‘time by colour’ indication and the days of the week are smaller than the disc for the hours. The olive green areas of the dial are brushed concentrically, the numerals and hands are picked out in white, and there are markings in a lighter green tone and yellow.

Like all Ressence watches, the dial is in constant motion thanks to the patented ROCS driven by the minute axle. With no crown to interrupt the smooth rounded contours of the case, there is a retractable lever on the caseback to wind the movement and adjust the settings. Another attractive feature is the generous amount of Super-LumiNova applied to every indication on the dial.

Customised 2892 calibre

The patented ROCS 1 module is driven by the minute axle of a customised automatic ETA 2892/A base calibre. Beating at 28,800vph, the hours, minutes, days of the week and ‘time by colour’ will keep rotating for 36 hours.

Availability & Price

The Ressence Type I Squared X Time by Colour comes with a matching olive green calfskin strap and titanium pin buckle. It is limited to 40 pieces and retails for EUR 23,200 (incl. VAT).

More information at Ressence Watches.