Ressence has long occupied a peculiar position within the horological landscape as a brand that refuses to acknowledge the conventional language of watchmaking, instead constructing its own grammar from first principles. The TYPE 7, unveiled in March 2025, represents the culmination of this philosophy, a tool watch that distils complexity into an experience of pure clarity.
Simplicity as a Discipline
The dial of the TYPE 7 represents something rather curious in contemporary watchmaking. Machined from Grade 5 titanium and rendered in either Night Blue or XV Aquamarine, it measures a substantial 75 mm in diameter, yet conveys an almost ethereal sense of presence. The surface is not decorated but engineered, with three eccentric biaxial satellites orbiting at precise inclinations: 9.75 degrees for the hours and temperature display, and 17 degrees for the runner and GMT function. As usual now, the running seconds features its own disc while the oil temperature can be observed via an oval aperture onto the hour disc
The engraved indications are filled with Grade A Super-LumiNova, ensuring legibility in conditions where lesser watches would surrender entirely. This is not cosmetic, it is functional beauty… The sort of finishing that serves purpose before it serves aesthetics. The dial exists in a dual-chamber construction, with 2.95 millilitres of oil occupying the upper sealed chamber. This oil performs a function that deserves explanation: it eliminates refraction. Where light would normally bend as it passes through air, glass, and dial components, the oil and sapphire possess nearly identical refractive properties. The result is a visual experience where the dial appears projected directly onto the crystal itself, an optical phenomenon that transforms legibility into something approaching visual poetry.
The Orbital Convex System
At the mechanical heart resides the patented Ressence ROCS 7 module, a designation that befits its remarkable character. Unlike conventional movements where hands sweep across static dials, the ROCS 7 suspends its display mechanism in oil, entirely separated from the base calibre. The system employs magnetic transmission using a series of micro-magnets positioned across a Grade 5 titanium membrane, driven by the minute axle of the customised base calibre. These magnets transfer information across this metallic barrier, orchestrating the orbital satellites with synchronised precision.
The specification sheet reads as an inventory of mechanical thoroughness: 37 jewels, 37 gears, 8 jewel ball bearings, 28,800 vibrations per hour. Power reserve extends to 36 hours, adequate for the watch’s intended purpose. Beyond mere timekeeping, the TYPE 7 introduces a compensating bellows system, a self-equilibrating apparatus that responds to temperature fluctuations between minus 5 degrees Celsius and plus 55 degrees Celsius. An oil temperature display, colour-coded from deep blue through green and yellow to vivid red, provides visual feedback of the movement’s thermal state. This is engineering that acknowledges environmental reality rather than ignoring it.
The GMT function, a first for Ressence, integrates seamlessly within the dial’s visual hierarchy. This is not a complication appended to existing architecture but rather an integral element of the rotating disc arrangement, communicating secondary time zones with the same intuitive clarity that defines the primary display.
Titanium Virtue
The case measures 41 millimetres in diameter and 14 millimetres in thickness, proportions that sit comfortably within contemporary sports watch conventions without approaching excess. Grade 5 titanium construction provides the requisite structural integrity whilst maintaining remarkable lightness. The complete watch, bracelet included, weighs merely 123 grams across 391 components.
The Ressence Compression Lock System represents a practical approach to water resistance, utilising a dual-position case back mechanism that locks and compresses the gasket whilst permitting manual winding and time setting. Water resistance reaches 50 metres (5 ATM), sufficient for daily environmental exposure without pretending capabilities the design does not require.
The fixed bezel contributes to structural integrity whilst preserving Ressence’s aesthetic minimalism. The Night Blue edition employs ceramic for the bezel, rendering a finish resistant to degradation. The XV Aquamarine, limited to eighty pieces and celebrating fifteen years of independent watchmaking, opts for lightweight aluminium, a material choice that privileges practicality over resistance to superficial marking.
The integrated titanium bracelet represents Ressence’s inaugural venture into bracelet design. Measuring 24 millimetres at the lugs and graduating to 20 millimetres, it features an ergonomic deployant clasp with five adjustable positions, ensuring a secure and personalised fit without the complexity of traditional adjustment systems. Alternative leather and rubber straps remain available, acknowledging different contexts of wear.
Ending Notes
The TYPE 7 arrives at a moment when mechanical watchmaking risks confusing complication with purpose. Ressence has pursued an alternative path entirely, designing a watch that acknowledges the temporal and technical demands of contemporary existence whilst refusing to sacrifice clarity in service of those demands. This is a tool watch that understands tools require simplicity, watches require mechanics, and meaningful objects require a philosophy.
The wearing is very comfortable and the exceptional rare lack of crown on the classical positions accentuates the wearability. Setting requires an adapting time. I still have issues setting/winding the ROCS system even if I would rather say I am familiar with it – as you can see in one of the clips above, I am struggling, although simple. The TYPE 7 is available from April 2025 at CHF 36,000 exclusive of taxes.
Ressence TYPE 7 N & XV Technical Specifications
- TYPE 7 Night Blue
- TYPE 7 XV Aquamarine
- CHF 36,000 (excluding taxes / € 47.700,00
Functions
- Hours
- Minutes
- GMT
- Runner 120” – Shock absorber
- Oil temperature – by colour
Movement
- Patented ROCS 7 module driven by the minute axle of a customised calibre
- Caseback winding and time setting with Ressence Compression Lock System (RCLS)
- Magnetic transmission from air to oil
- Compensating bellows system
- Self-winding
- 36 hours power reserve
- 28,800 vibrations per hour
- 37 jewels
- 37 gears
- 8 jewel ball bearings
Case
- Grade 5 titanium
- Two separate sealed chambers with the upper one filled with 2.95 ml of oil
- Double-domed sapphire crystals top and bottom with anti-reflective coating inside
- Fixed bezel in ceramic (TYPE 7 Night Blue) and aluminium (TYPE 7 XV)
- 41 mm (diameter) x 14 mm (thickness)
- 5 ATM water-resistance
Dial
- Convex Grade 5 titanium dial (75mm diameter) with three eccentric biaxial satellites inclined at 9,75°
(hours and t°) and 17° (runner and GMT) - Engraved indications and dial filled with Grade A Super-LumiNova®
Bracelet & Clasp
- Grade 5 titanium deployant clasp with 5 adjustable positions
- Grade 5 titanium bracelet (24/20mm)
- Optional leather or rubber strap
Components & Weight
- 391 components / 123 grams
ABOUT RESSENCE
Founded by industrial designer Benoît Mintiens in 2010, Ressence is redefining the essence of contemporary watchmaking. From the start, we have taken on a “Less is More” approach, stripping away unnecessary attributes that traditional watches have clung to for decades.
Combining Swiss-made calibres with our own innovations, we reimagine the interaction between mechanical watches and their owners. Our minimalistic designs aim to awaken the senses and provoke wonder, making our watches daily companions for today’s and future generations.
It all began with the Zero Series, featuring a revolutionary dial design where time is represented on flush two-dimensional rotating discs. Gone are the traditional hands — time reads like words on paper. This hallmark of simplicity continued with the TYPE 1, which got rid of the crown, resulting in a truly ambidextrous watch. The TYPE 3 pushed boundaries further with its oil-filled dial, eliminating refraction and enhancing legibility, earning the 2013 Horological Revelation Award at the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève and the ‘Best of Best’ distinction at the Red Dot Design Award in 2024. The TYPE 2 introduced the world’s first automatic self-setting crown, removing the need for manual adjustments. The TYPE 8 began a new chapter of minimalist design, embodying the most essential and graphically simplified Ressence display with only hours and minutes, and received the Red Dot Award for Product Design in 2023. The TYPE 9 continues this evolution as our smallest and lightest watch to date, offering refined elegance in a compact form. In 2025, the TYPE 7 joins the collection, combining functional design with refined comfort. With its GMT display and titanium bracelet, this tool watch embodies the perfect balance of elegance and performance.