Introducing The Ressence Type 3 BB2, Black On Black

Ressence has developed a pretty diverse design language since launching its first watch in 2010, and has created a number of variations on its signature orbital display system – the ROCS, or Ressence Orbital Convex System. Its first watches used a mechanism for displaying the time which no one had ever seen before, and which was and is so far outside the realm of watchmaking standard engineering and design practices that to this day, it’s still amazing that the founder of Ressence, Benoit Minitiens, thought of it at all. The original ROCS system divides the case of the watch into an upper and lower chamber. The lower chamber contains the movement, including the mainspring and going train, and the upper chamber is filled with oil and contains the actual orbital display system itself. The newest version of the Ressence Type 3, the Type 3 BB2, combines the ROCS system with an all-black case and orbital display. The “BB2” stands for Black Black 2 as this new model is a sort of sequel to the 2022 Type 3 BBB, which was only offered for one year.

The ROCS system creates a unique visual effect – thanks to the optical properties of the system, the orbital displays appear to float directly on the upper surface of the dial, which is in effect also the upper half of the case. The oil with which the upper chamber is filled has the same, or at least a very similar, refractive index as the sapphire glass, which seems to disappear.

The illusion is simple, visually crystal clear, and immediately dramatic but the apparent simplicity of the illusion belies the complexity of the mechanism necessary to create it. Simply filling the entire case with oil would of course, cause the entire watch to stop as oil is too viscous to allow the train wheels, especially the faster moving ones, to rotate freely and the balance, escape wheel, and lever would be completely immobilized. The upper chamber however has to be somehow coupled to the movement, but in such a way that no oil is allowed to enter the lower movement chamber.

The coupling is achieved through the use of something watchmakers usually avoid like the plague: magnets. The movement causes a small ring of magnets to rotate, which in turn cause the orbital display system to turn. To protect the movement from the adverse effects of magnetism, the base caliber is enclosed in a antimagnetic shield.

The petroleum oil filling the upper half of the case will tend to expand and contract with changes in temperature and to help compensate for these changes in volume, the movement is equipped with an internal bellows system. One of the displays is an oil temperature gauge, which shows the range of optimum operating temperatures for the system. Hours are show by a rotating hand pivoting at the center of the movement – the ring of magnets rotates once per hour, carrying the entire carousel and its satellites around with it, and the smaller satellites are driven by differentials which ensure that they’re always right side up, regardless of changes in their position as the main dial rotates. There’s a proof of function indicator, which rotates once every ninety seconds, and finally, an outer date ring, which rotates once per month against a pointer at 6:00.

All of the numbers, markers, and hands (if you can call them that) are filled with Super-LumiNova, and thanks to the black on black design, as the light dims the visual effect of the oil filled satellite display system becomes even more pronounced.

The new Ressence Type 3 BB2 is available immediately, and the price at launch is €38,200. Technically, between the black upper display, black DLC coated titanium case middle, and black honeycomb synthetic strap, this is an all-black watch but unlike many such watches, which can seem a little forced or unimaginative, this is an example of using a monochrome pitch black palette to excellent and arresting effect.

The Ressence Type 3 BB2 (Black Black 2): case, grade 5 titanium with black matte DLC coating; two sealed chambers with upper half filled with oil; double domed sapphire crystals front and back; 44mm x 15mm, water resistance 10 meters. Movement, ROCS Ressence Orbital Convex System driven by the center pinion of a highly modified 2842/2, with magnetic transmission, bellows system, and 36 hour power reserve. Strap, black honeycomb synthetic with titanium pin buckle. Price, €38,200; for more information, visit RessenceWatches.com.