Brands and independent watchmakers searching for their big break all want what Ressence has — character. There’s nothing like it. Since its foundation 14 years ago in 2010, this Belgian brand has become a mainstay of the industry and a leader and inspiration in the independent space. While most “traditional” watch brands will focus on tweaking the established aesthetic elements of a watch — its case, dial, hands, etc. — Ressence not only defined its own, unambiguous visual language but enhanced the impact of that by making those aesthetic elements actively interact with one another to communicate the time.

The earliest models were typified by their oil-filled displays. This created an incredible “2D” effect, which made the watch’s dial look electronic rather than mechanical. For many observers, this writer included, the assumption was that Ressence was both these things — a novel way of displaying the time and unequivocally oil-filled — and that it would never drop one or the other for fear of dropping a huge facet of its personality. We were, of course, wrong, and several years into Ressence’s journey, Mintiens decided to focus more on the display and case shape than on maintaining the oil-filled schtick.

TYPE 9: A manifestation of Ressence’s strong identity

This transition to a clearer concept has enabled Benoît to achieve a couple of things. Firstly, more ambitious, swooping case and crystal profiles are now easier to produce and have fewer failure points to consider. Secondly, and very crucially to the brand’s continued success, a lower price point is accessible. That means for this kind of experimental and boundary-bothering horology, Ressence is, for the first time, starting to look like an absolute snip in comparison to its biggest rivals. Almost unbelievably, the Ressence TYPE 9 in either gray or aqua, can be had for a mere CHF 12,500.

Consider that. In an era when the ticket price of a Rolex Submariner Date is CHF 9,800, this is preposterous. Pricing has gone crazy over the past few years with previously affordable or at least aspirational models like the Sub or the Omega Speedmaster very quickly becoming the preserve of the very well-heeled. And while it might have been forgotten, there are some stunning parallels between this new release and Ressence’s very first series of watches released back in 2010.

The ZeroSeries is not often mentioned when discussing the origins of the brand as the oil-filled Type 3 was the model that really put Benoît and his babies on the map. However, the ZeroSeries came before everything else and was a proof-of-concept watch that, if we’re being frank, has been reborn with the TYPE 9 in a much more mature and elegant fashion than ever before.

The ZeroSeries had no oil. It was a stark, industrial interpretation of Mintiens’ concept. Coincidentally, the price for the ZeroSeries was between €9,500 and €11,500 in 2010. And now, 14 years later, we have a new piece from Ressence in either the warm gray that recalls the original titanium version of the ZeroSeries, or vivid aqua, which speaks to the fun and freshness of the brand.

Although I always aspired to own an oil-filled Ressence watch and, honestly, found myself somewhat disappointed when the brand reverted to oil-free cases, I’ve been coming around to the idea in recent years. This execution, at 39 mm (and 39 grams), in titanium, and no crown to speak of (as has been the case for every Series since the ZeroSeries), is perhaps my favorite yet (and not just because of the price (although that does help)). 

It seems almost unfathomable to me that you can get such a clean, classy, timeless iteration of this truly disruptive concept on your wrist for CHF 12,500. It is a triumph for Benoît and his team to have distilled everything the brand is into such a wearable and accessible package. And while the aqua model is very cool (and the exact shade I wish more brands would learn into), for me it is that warm, inviting gray, that recalls the brand’s first steps into the light, and looks so admirably serene on the wrist.

A Ressence was never about timing anything to the second. It was about taking a moment to appreciate the merry dance of existence. These watches, achieve that goal superbly.

Subtle tweaks to previous iterations’ designs have cleaned up proceedings drastically. The minute track has been moved to the bezel to keep things compact and the minimalistic hour disc displays just the 3 and 9 hour markers enabling one to orient one’s gaze along the horizontal axis. According to Mintiens, the TYPE 9 is the smallest watch Ressence could produce with its current technology.

The TYPE 9 Gray is available now, and the TYPE 9 Aqua will hit the shelves in February 2025.

Tech Specs: TYPE 9 

Movement: Self-winding patented ROCS 9 – Ressence Orbital Convex System; 36-hour power reserve
Functions: Satellite hours and peripheral minutes
Case: 39mm × 11mm; grade 5 titanium; 10m water-resistance
Dial: Grade 5 titanium in gray or aqua
Strap: Synthetic woven strap with titanium ardillon buckle
Price: CHF 12,500 (excl. taxes)