Note: George Cramer passed away in early 2023, he was a great gentleman and is sorely missed.
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Over my many years as a watch collector, I have been exclusively interested in classic brands with long histories and traditional styles of watchmaking. But I recently embraced a fairly new watch brand, one with little history and a very forward-thinking, rather than classical, style of watchmaking: Ressence.
And I have done more than just embraced Ressence: remarkably, I put my money down and bought one of this brand’s watches, a Type 2 e-Crown.
![](https://quillandpad.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Ressence-Type-2-in-pocket.jpg)
Ressence Type 2 e-Crown on the wrist
Ressence is a cool Belgian watch brand founded by Benoît Mintiens that recently celebrated its tenth anniversary. The Ressence head office is in Antwerp, where Mintiens’ ideas come to life and the first sketches are made. The production of the brand’s five collections are completely undertaken in Switzerland.
Ressence stands for very modern design coupled with a unique way of reading the time. All models have dials that slowly revolve and are constantly in motion, providing a different view every time you look at these watches.
![](https://quillandpad.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Ressence-Type-2-e-Crown_2-2.jpg)
Ressence Type 2 e-Crown
This concept is found throughout the whole Ressence collection and is not based on an invention from the past. Mintiens’ way of looking at watches, however, is love or hate as his brand has such a different and unique approach.
Looking at the watches, one can clearly see that Mintiens has a background in industrial design. Even the smallest detail has been thought through. Everything is designed in a discrete and stylish manner. No huge brand name on the dial, just a small logo shaped like a hand that is also visible on the pin buckle.
The modern typeface used, the way the hands are painted on the disks, and the fact that most of the watches have no date all help to create a serene look. The design of a Ressence watch says something about both creator and wearer.
I find Ressence watches stylish and eye catching, but not obviously so.
![](https://quillandpad.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Ressence-Type-2-e-Crown_wristshot_2-1.jpg)
Ressence Type 2 e-Crown on the wrist
A word on the Ressence mechanics
Ressence watches have unusual dials without conventional rotating hands. The Ressence Orbital Convex System – simply called ROCS – is a highly complex mechanical module featuring a series of nested convex disks mounted on satellite gears, which rotate around a central axis. Both the dial rotates as do the subdials within the dial.
![](https://quillandpad.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Ressence_Type-2-side.jpg)
Ressence Type 2 from the side: curves galore
Domed subdials (flat would be too easy) are inset into a larger domed dial, all rotating 360 degrees thanks to an internal planetary gear system (see specifics on the assembly of the domed dial in How Do They Do That? The Ressence Type 3). The ROCS assembly is a difficult mechanism to make as each dial is tilted between 9.75 and 17 degrees. Additionally, the Type 2 sees accommodation of the e-Crown electronics so it can run fully mechanically, but also be manipulated by the electronic system.
![](https://quillandpad.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Ressence_e-Crown-Cluster-solar-panels.jpg)
Ressence e-Crown mechanism (top image) and solar panel shutters array (bottom image)
Ressence watches have no crowns; instead there is a lever on the back, recessed into the case, for winding the caliber and setting the time.
Why I bought the Ressence Type 2 e-Crown
While I have followed the brand since the first model, it was the Type 2 e-Crown – Ressence’s high-end model – that made me finally decide to go for the brand.
From a visual point of view, the Type 2 shares the amazing clean look that all other Ressence models have, but the e-Crown takes it a step further.
As well as being a two time zone watch with automatic winding, the Type 2 e-Crown packs some serious intelligence that makes it extremely convenient for setting the two time zones. This can be done on the Ressence app (iPhone or Android) instead of using the lever on the back. But more on that later; I’ll go through the movement first.
![](https://quillandpad.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Ressence-Type-2-e-Crown_back-1.jpg)
Fold out winding-setting lever on the back of the Ressence Type 2 e-Crown
The Ressence Type 2 is equipped with a customized and ever-reliable ETA 2892/A, which has proven to be one of the most reliable movements in the world for more than 25 years. This caliber has often been imitated, but never improved. So why try to develop something similar and make the watch more costly when the best solution is already available? For Ressence, reliable operation is what counts most.
I personally have experienced the ETA 2892/A as a trouble-free caliber over many years and I see this movement as ideal as the basis for such a complicated movement as we have here.
![](https://quillandpad.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Ressence-Type-2-e-Crown_3-2.jpg)
Ressence Type 2 e-Crown
It is a great pity that it is often thought that the Ressence Type 2 is a watch that completely depends on the iPhone (or Android) app. This is the biggest misconception since its introduction, and the opposite is true!
The app is only an extra to make the time setting easier and faster. The operation of the watch is fully mechanical and does not rely on a cell phone or electronics at all. The Ressence Type 2 does not communicate or interact with its app during daily operation. I repeat: it’s fully mechanical.
Every operation the wearer performs using the lever on the back – like setting the time and selecting time zones – can be accomplished faster and much more easily with the app. But only if the owner so chooses.
![](https://quillandpad.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Ressence-Type-2.jpg)
Ressence Type 2 e-Crown
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