Ressence Introduces the Minimalist and Affordable Type 8

Pared back but still quintessentially Ressence.

The latest from Ressence dials back on technical complexity, but preserves the brand’s trademark aesthetic centred on a planetary time display. As a result, the Type 8 is substantially more affordable, while instantly recognisable as a Ressence wristwatch.

By doing away with a seconds indicator as well as simplifying the case construction, the Type 8 is priced at CHF12,500, or about US$13,500, making it the most affordable watch in the brand’s catalogue. The next most affordable model, the Type 1, costs about 30% more.

Initial thoughts

Ressence founder Benoît Mintiens once said to me that he wished he could make his watches more accessible, but that was impossible without more economies of scale. Ressence has evidently inched closer to Benoît’s vision, since the Type 8 looks to be an excellent product in both design and execution, while being affordable, at least relative to the brand’s other watches.

It sacrifices nothing in terms of aesthetics – the missing seconds but isn’t overly obvious – while still managing to be a Ressence.

In fact, the Type 8 case is entirely different from the brand’s other watches, bringing a new form to the brand’s design language. But it fits right into the catalogue and feels no different from the other watches, illustrating the coherence of the design.

Type 8C

The inaugural version of the model is the Type 8C, which has a grained blue dial. Minutes are indicated on the full dial, while the hours are shown on an “orbital” register with the Ressence hand emblem serving as a 12 o’clock marker.

Known as the Ressence Orbital Convex System (ROCS), the time display is essentially a series of discs that sit on ball bearings, which eliminate the need for lubrication according to Ressence. The ROCS is a module that sits on an ETA 2892-2 base movement that’s been modified for the crown-less case.

As is typical for the brand, the case has no crown. Instead the winding and setting functions are done via the case back, which has notches on its edge for better grip.

The titanium case has the typical rounded, fluid form that defines the brand’s styling. It is larger than average at 42.9 mm in diameter, but isn’t as large as the measurement indicates since the lugs sit under the case, rather than protrude out as is convention.