Designing functional avant-garde mechanical watches that actually serve a purpose, Ressence has made a name for itself since 2010 with its highly unique timepieces, whether far out there or ultra-simple. The boutique brand has transcended the idea past mere works of art that typical unconventional timepieces may offer to craft products that have utility while also managing to look intriguing.
Taking on the Type 8 model, the Belgium-based watchmaker has now made an intriguing variant that utilizes indigo dye and silk fabric.
The Type 8
Debuting in 2022, the Type 8 is Ressence’s latest watch family. It’s an automatic timepiece that takes the simplicity of its previous models and goes a step further. With a dial that only consists of a minute hand rotating as the smaller face reads the hours, the watch bears a unique look. The hour display orbits on the same plate as the minute hand, while its own small hour hand ticks by. Each hand and tick mark is lit by blue-glowing Super-LumiNova.
Sporting the same domed shape introduced by Ressence in its Type 2 model back in 2019, echoing a Space Age modern aesthetic, the Type 8 is wound and set by turning its case back, allowing for ambidextrous wear and ergonomic comfort due to the lack of a traditional crown. The brand’s lightest watch so far, the Type 8 weighs in at 1.48oz (including strap) while being 42.9mm in diameter and 11mm thick, thanks to its case built from grade 5 titanium.
Garish Minimalism
Ressence is no stranger to a stunning use of colors, maximizing their watches’ minimalism by finding ways to amplify their physical attributes. And while the result is largely low-key at the end of the day, this new indigo-dyed variant might be their most garish.
The Japanese have been indigo dyeing ever since the plant was brought to the nation some 1500 years ago. The process of “aizome” requires the extraction of the blue colors from fermented indigo leaves. After that, they can be applied to various fabrics like silk.
For this watch, Ressence chose silk thread, which together with the indigo dye, creates a beautiful spiral pattern on the dial that displays a range of blue hues. The process was aided by Swiss artisans who employed 2.5m of Japanese silk thread, requiring two days of work to make each individual dial. Because of how the silk had to be applied, the dial design looks slightly different than previous Type 8s in that it features cutouts around the edges to lock in the fabric.
Adorned with a warm grey Saffiano calf leather strap, the watch is powered by the patented ROCS (Ressence Orbital Convex System) 8 movement, an automatic ETA-base caliber that allows the seconds subdial to rotate around the dial on the same plane as the minute hand.
Spec Sheet
Case Size: 42.9mm
Case Thickness: 11mm
Case Material: Grade 5 titanium
Water Resistance: Splash-resistant
Movement: Ressence ROCS 8 automatic
Band: Warm grey Saffiano calf leather strap
Limited Edition?: Yes, 8
Pricing & Availability
Extremely limited to just 8 pieces (numbered on the caseback), the Type 8 Indigo will also have a steep price tag of CHF 25,000 (~$28,219). Head over to Ressence’s website to learn more.
Recap
Ressence Type 8 Indigo
Ressence uses Japanese indigo-dying techniques for this silk thread Type 8 watch, bringing garishness to the model’s minimalist design.
