Abraxas's review on his Ressence TYPE 1

As a collector and former engineer, I love asymmetry and innovative or unusual designs. So when I first saw Ressence, I knew I had to have one. In 2023, a Type One came up at auction, and I managed to win it for a reasonable price. It's one of the most visually impressive pieces of engineering that I've ever worn on my wrist. The dial, of course, is what steals the show. Strictly speaking, the display is not an entirely new way of organizing time: it is analogous to a regulator, with separate indicators for hours, minutes, and running seconds rather than traditional, co-axial hands. Ressence’s achievement is in making that familiar concept feel completely unfamiliar: the whole dial is a kinetic surface, with time rotating around the watch face. Watching time on this “orbital” display reminds me of a tiny solar system, or of the Earth slowly rotating on its (slightly off-center) axis. A true joy! Although it was listed as a Type 1S, the watch appears to be an early production Type One. The rotor is engraved with “Ressence Antwerp Type One 006,” and the entire transparent caseback is turned in order to set the time (unlike later versions with the pull-out lever). The watch is 13.2mm thick and is well-proportioned to its 42mm case. It wears smaller than its dimensions, thanks to its curved lugs, and the titanium construction keeps the weight at only 75g. The strap is a comfortable blend of leather backing and a textured textile, the clasp is solid, and the lume is great – you’d not think it was so well lumed from the dial and its colors. While I really enjoy this watch, there are a few minor issues. The crownless design and incredibly smooth surfaces all around, while visually pure, also make setting the time more difficult than it could be. A subtle texture integrated into the edge of the caseback would’ve made it easier to grip without detracting from the aesthetic. This is almost certainly why later models adopted that aforementioned folding lever for winding and setting. The caseback was also an issue for which I had to have the watch serviced: the time would shift while on the wrist! To their credit, Ressence repaired the watch for free (via Bucherer no less), no questions asked. The lightness of the watch is also a double-edged sword. On the wrist it feels elegant and almost effortless, but in the hand the tactile experience lacks the reassuring density one expects from a five-figure mechanical watch. Compounding that impression, the case makes a hollow rattling sound when shaken. Nothing appears to be wrong, but one consequence of such a light construction is that it can make the watch feel less substantial in the hand than its price would suggest. Then again, for decades collectors have lived with (and many love) the “Rolex rattle,” so it’s not a deal-breaker, just an observation. The brushed surfaces of the champagne dial have a surprising amount of contrast to them, even in quite bright light, but because of the reflective surfaces, it’s nearly illegible in direct sunlight. It also takes a bit of time getting used to orienting the watch the right way up on the wrist. Overall, though, I love this watch. It is wonderfully minimalist, innovative, and comfortable to wear. It isn’t the most practical mechanical watch ever made, but few watches genuinely challenge our assumptions about how time can be displayed. The Type One does exactly that, and more than a decade after its introduction it still feels different to anything else on the market—a rare achievement in modern watchmaking.