Ressence Type 3 B automatic titanium black dial black leather strap 44 mm

At the forefront of watchmaking and micromechanical innovation 

The Belgian Manufacture Ressence is constantly seeking to offer a new vision of Fine Watchmaking. A vision that abolishes the aesthetic and technical limits of traditional watchmaking, in order to place itself at the forefront of innovation. And it is with the Type 3, a model launched in 2013, that Benoît Mintiens and his team manage to achieve a real break with what was known until now.   
The first oil-filled mechanical watch, the Type 3 required years of research and development to achieve a true feat of Haute Horlogerie. It uses physics in a way that no other watch has done before. Designed with a "water drop" effect, which makes its dial crystal clear to the user, the Type 3 both expresses watchmaking tradition through its patented ROCS - Ressence Orbital Convex System - and reinvents it through new micromechanical technologies such as magnetic transmission.   

Ergonomic design and construction 

The Type 3 has a 44mm pebble-shaped case, consisting of two curved anti-reflective sapphire crystals connected by a very thin central section of grade 5 titanium, to which the lugs of the strap are attached. With its curved design, the watch rests only on the middle of the wrist, which ensures unequalled comfort when worn, especially as the watch weighs only 79 grams. As with all Ressence watches, the absence of a crown is questionable. To set the time, or to wind the watch, one uses the case back. The case is completed with a grey strap, taking up the weave of a carbon fibre.   

On this Type 3 B "Black" reference, we find a black dial, which offers a contrast and a sense of modernity. Its display is managed by an exclusive module, composed of discs and dials that continuously gravitate around each other. The result is a clearer reading of the time. The information is displayed on a single plane, rather like words written on paper, making it easier to read because it is intuitive and 2-dimensional. Its dial is flooded in 37.5 ml of oil, which allows readability from all possible angles. 

Ressence Orbital Convex System 3 (ROCS 3) 

The unique time display is only possible with the patented ROCS 3 system, which replaces the hands with continuously rotating discs on a main dial that itself makes one complete revolution in 60 minutes. This module is curved to match the curvature of the sapphire crystal that covers it. This mechanism is driven by the minute axis of a customised self-winding base calibre 2824/2. It is composed of 215 parts, entirely made of grade 5 titanium.   
The entire device displays 6 pieces of information: hours, minutes, the second hand (over 360 seconds), the day of the week, the date and the oil temperature.   
This module and calibre assembly has a 36-hour running time and a balance with a frequency of 28,800 vibrations per hour.  

To function in this viscous universe, numerous innovations had to be introduced, such as a magnetic transmission to link the calibre, present in the lower part of the watch, and the ROCS module, immersed in the oil.  In order to cope with changes in oil temperature, a self-compensating system of 7 bellows has been implemented. 

Intuitive visually and in the movement, discreet in its aesthetics, the Type 3W is a perfect example of 21st century watchmaking according to Ressence. It eliminates optical complexities and superfluous elements to create a timeless object that arouses and inspires the imagination.