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Ressence Adds a Fully-Lumed Dial to Its Type 5 Dive Watch

Ressence Type 5 L 0 Hero
Photo: Ressence

Watches are never boring but even some of the most legendary models can be visually derivative. That’s not the case for Ressence, who’s burned its ethos into our brains ever since stepping onto the scene in 2010. Since then, the Belgian watchmaker has wowed enthusiasts with its minimalist yet striking aesthetics and domed oil-filled dials featuring a series of orbiting subdials rather than hands — with slight variations to its overall design language, from the Type 1 to the Type 8. 

In 2015, the company debuted its first dive watch, the Type 5, which by nature broke free of the status quo and we’ve been loving it ever since. Now, Ressence has hopped on the lume dial train with the Type 5 L and we’re totally here for it.

Ressence Type 5 L 1
Photo: Ressence

How the Oil-Filled Dials Work

Anyone who knows Ressence is familiar with their oil-filled dials, which precludes the typical refraction that happens when viewing a watch at an angle. While this wasn’t revolutionary upon the brand’s application of it starting in 2013 with the Type 3, oil-filled dials were reserved for quartz timepieces simply because the nature of mechanical movements mustn’t allow oil (or water) to seep inside. Thus, for Ressence’s idea to work, they had to separate the domed dial from the bottom chamber that housed the automatic movement. But then came the issue of communicating between both components, with magnetic transmission being the answer.

Ressence Type 5 L 2
Photo: Ressence

Ressence Type 5 L Basics

Specs-wise, the Type 5 L is not much different than your typical Type 5. Meeting ISO 6425 standards with 100m of water resistance, the watch has a 46mm grade 5 titanium case with a 60-minute graduated bezel. And instead of a crown, the watch is adjusted via the rotating caseback which can also lock the compression gasket to waterproof the watch. 

Powered by the ROCS 5 (a Ressence Orbital Convex System using a customized ETA-base 2824/2 automatic caliber), the dial also features the typical orbiting disc with a pseudo-minute hand. That disc features three subdials: one for the hour, one for the oil temperature, and one for a running 90-second counter. For this version, of course, almost the entire dial is coated with Grade A Super-LumiNova that glows green at night!

Unlike other fully-lumed dials, which are white or faded yellow/green in color, the Type 5 L is a light gray. And in order to see the time better, both during the day or when the dial is glowing, the indices, hour markers, and numerals are mostly colored yellow or white with black borders to maximize contrast. The watch is paired with a gray fabric strap with white stitching, which matches the case and dial combo. 

Ressence Type 5 L 3
Photo: Ressence

​Spec Sheet

Case Size: 46mm
Case Thickness: 15.5mm
Case Material: Grade 5 titanium
Water Resistance: 100m
Movement: ROCS 5 (customized ETA 2824/2 automatic)
Band: Gray fabric strap
Limited Edition?: No

Pricing & Availability

Like other Ressence watches, the Type 5 L won’t come cheap. Priced at ₣34,500 (~$38,392), the fully-lumed Type 5 L is now part of the permanent collection. Head over to the brand’s website to learn more.

Recap

Ressence Type 5 L

Ressence takes its domed Type 5 dive watch and adds a fully luminous dial for better nighttime visibility.

Ressence Type 5 L 0 Hero