The Low-Down

Now here’s what you need to start the new year; a whole new way to read time. Ressence has been challenging, not to say altering the status quo of mechanical watchmaking since 2010.

The Antwerp-based company has just announced the release of the Type 3BBB, a new addition to the award-winning Type 3 series in a strikingly moody new monochrome design.

2022 could be the year you abandon traditional time telling and switch instead to Ressence’s Orbital Convex System (ROCS), a patented system entirely developed in-house. Unlike a traditional watch, there are no layers, all information is displayed flat and face on, just like reading from a piece of paper, making all information quick and easy to read. The ROCS system calculates hours, days and the date, with only the minute as a reference from the automatic movement.

The Type 3BBB, which stands for ‘Black, ‘Black’, Black’, is as monochrome as it gets. An evolution of the Type 3B and Type 3BB first launched in 2013. Launching on January 20th, the Type 3BBB will be produced for just one year, ending on December 31st 2022.

For the first time in the Type 3 range, the Type 3BBB features a polished black DLC-coated titanium case, designed to match the glossy edge-to-edge sapphire. The watch itself resembles a smooth, time worn black pebble, achieved by its crown-free case design and satisfyingly rounded form.

The 3BBB is not only monochrome, it’s also minimalist. All color has been stripped from the indicators, leaving only white and light grey to contrast with the black background. With a reference to the original GPHG award-winning design, in this new triple B version the running seconds indicator has been removed and the SuperLuminova has been switched from blue to an on-trend green.

Within the DLC-coated sapphire all necessary text has been engraved and painted in high-contrast white. The watch comes on an anthracite ‘honeycomb’ strap, which was previously used on Ressence’s Type 2A.

IMHO

The real genius behind Ressence technology is a trick of the light and some clever work not with mirrors but magnets.

In order to achieve distortion free, crystal clear legibility, Ressence uses an oil-filled screen. When the space between the dial and glass is filled with oil, the eye is tricked into momentarily losing its depth perception. The result is a view of the dial that appears unimpeded by glass at all.

To overcome the problems of immersing the movement in liquid, – never a good idea – Ressence developed a two-chamber system inside the Type 3 to keep the mechanical movement and oil separate. The lower chamber contains the customized automatic movement while the upper chamber is hermetically sealed with the ROCS display module immersed in oil.

To overcome the problem of there being no direct mechanical link between the movement and the ROCS display system, several micro-magnets are positioned in both the oil-filled upper chamber and the dry lower chamber.

Then, to compensate for fluctuations in the volume of the oil the watch is fitted with a system of seven small bellows that expand and contract depending on the increase and decrease of the oil’s volume.

All of this groundbreaking thinking is contained within a handsome 44mm grade 5 titanium case with polished black DLC coating.

But despite all the technological wizardry, it’s comforting to think that underneath it all, the watch runs on the old work horse, a customized ETA 2824/2 calibre movement with 36 hours power reserve.

Tech Specs

Size: 44mm x 15mm
Case: Grade 5 titanium with polished black DLC coating, 44mm x 15mm,
Dial: Convex grade 5 titanium dial, Engraved indications filled with green Superluminova
Water resistance: 30 meters
Strap: Anthracite Honeycomb with Ardillon Buckle in grade 5 titanium with polished black DLC coating
Price: CHF 36,500 (before tax)
Availability: From January 20th 2022

More information: ressencewatches.com