# Ressence Type I watch



## shnjb

looks pretty mesmerizing.










Introducing The Ressence Type 1: Now Without Crown, A Modern Master Continues To Hone His Craft (Live Pictures, Specs, & Pricing)

$20,600 ($23,600 for the Guilloché)

http://ressence.eu/collection/type-1/

thoughts?


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## MarkingTime

Wasn't it one of these that had the oil filled space between the dial and crystal?


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## tony20009

Super cool watch!

This is the sort of innovation that should be coming from the great _maisons_, but alas, only the independents are trying to offer us something new. Movement junkies rejoice; this is something totally different and cool as hell to watch, and not just on the 28th of February.

Ressence on Vimeo

All the best.


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## Geof3

Wow, really cool, and not too outrageous a price!


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## tony20009

MarkingTime said:


> Wasn't it one of these that had the oil filled space between the dial and crystal?


No, this one has almost nothing between the crystal and dial.


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## AbuKalb93

Very Cool! I do however wish some change would be done to the day disk...but all in all very nice. What does everyone think of the price though?...


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## tony20009

AbuKalb93 said:


> Very Cool! I do however wish some change would be done to the day disk...but all in all very nice. What does everyone think of the price though?...


$25K for something completely different, good looking, modern looking, entertaining and innovative is fine compared to $25K for "more of the same," which is about what one'll get anywhere else one spends it among the "usual suspects." Of course there's always the Pita Oceana which is not quite as expensive and not quite as innovative, but still an interesting way to spend a tidy chunk of change. The Type 1 blows the doors off the Pita, but the Pita is "just" $5K. And that's the point: anything costing $10K+ ought to blow the doors off of a ton of other watches, not just be a more keenly honed version of the same old same old, which is basically what the vast majority of $20K watches are.

For me, when I think of receiving "value," something special, in return for my ducats, the Ressence and it's unique look and engineering is the type of thing I have in mind. I want one.

All the best.


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## shnjb

Yeah it is pretty amazing and unlike any other watch at any price point.
I don't have money to buy a novelty watch like this but I would be interested if I had a large collection with money to burn.


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## Bradjhomes

It's really interesting how they are trying to do something different. I'd want something more 'beautiful' for that kind of money (my personal opinion), but it stacks up with the very best when thinking about engineering and originality.

Very cool up close, too!


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## MarkingTime

Beautiful design


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## heuerolexomega

Interesting watch, is the kind of watch I would love to see it live. Very unique concept and that brings something different to Horology. But even with all that I still would't buy it, I think you will be better off getting something not that unique (buying an AP diver for example). Again in watches buy what you like and you will be a happier man.

Regards


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## tony20009

So, I was really intrigued with this watch, so I called the US distributor hoping to ask for more input. I called during standard business hours and got voice mail. The recording didn't even identify the name of the business I'd contacted; it was more the type of message one'd expect when dialing a private individual: "Hi, we're busy and can't come to the phone right now." 

Really? That from a company that distributes $20K+ watches? That really turned me off. It made me wonder if their distributor is that slapdash, what level of attention and customer care can I expect from the watch company itself given that they chose such a non-professional, perfunctory group to handle their U.S. and Canadian distribution.

All the best.


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## MarkingTime

Maybe you dialed the wrong number?


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## tony20009

MarkingTime said:


> Maybe you dialed the wrong number?


I didn't. It's funny that you mentioned that for when I started sharing my experience about it, I was midway though the post and I thought, "Oh, wait. Maybe I mis-dialed. I'd better check that before I finish writing this post." Low and behold, the number showing on my "outgoing calls" list on the phone matches what is on Ressense's site for the distributor, TWI (201.894.4710).

More surprising is that Ressence doesn't list a phone number for itself, not anywhere on the whole planet. Apparently they are more interested in dictating how potential and actual customers are to communicate with them rather than making it as easy as possible for us to do so. Again, that's the sort of thing one expects of an individual, not a business.

I don't know about you folks here, but if I made watches, or any product, as innovative and different as Ressence's watches, I would expect more than a few folks would have questions to ask me and I would want to be as receptive as possible to them so as to "put my best foot forward" in the hope of growing interest and positive feelings for my company as well as for my products. Surely the sort of arrogance Ressence displays re: customer contact is one reason why so many small companies stay small and find it hard to shift their supply and demand curves so as to increase the sum at which maximum economic profit can be achieved. The makers may know a lot about watches, but they seem to know little about business and economics.

All the best.

I was brought up to believe that the only thing worth doing was to add to the sum of accurate information in the world.
- Margaret Mead


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## ilitig8

I love the look of the watch and honestly the price isn't outrageous if it looks in person like it looks in pictures. However, there are just too many watches ahead of this type of watch on my list, despite the engineering.


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## tony20009

I guess a lot of folks would rather buy something familiar than something unique.

All the best.


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## aardvarkbark

MarkingTime said:


> Wasn't it one of these that had the oil filled space between the dial and crystal?


You, sir, have excellent recall. The Type 3 that was introduced at Basel last year is indeed filled with oil between the dial and crystal.









A good vid Ariel Adams did of it during Basel 2013:

Ressence Type 3 Liquid Filled Watch Hands-On - YouTube


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## not12bhere

tony20009 said:


> I guess a lot of folks would rather buy something familiar than something unique.
> 
> All the best.


I totally agree on the uniqueness, and I am inspired by a watch that actually receives Tony's enthusiasm. What concerns me here is two fold; 1) your initial experience with the AD/distributor and 2) Who will be able to service this mechanism. . .

Otherwise, I applaud every part of this watch's design. Are there are any pics of the movement doing the magic? Is it based off an ebauche or an in-house creation?


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## tony20009

not12bhere said:


> I totally agree on the uniqueness, and I am inspired by a watch that actually receives Tony's enthusiasm. What concerns me here is two fold; 1) your initial experience with the AD/distributor and 2) Who will be able to service this mechanism. . .
> 
> Otherwise, I applaud every part of this watch's design. Are there are any pics of the movement doing the magic? Is it based off an ebauche or an in-house creation?


You can see the watch do it's thing here: https://www.watchuseek.com/f381/ressence-type-i-watch-1011698.html#post7645745 . Indeed, were it not for that video, I wouldn't have given this watch a second thought. It's nice enough looking, but it's the way it works that makes it great.

I spoke with the distributor (https://totallyworthit.com/) about this watch. The movement is a very heavily modified ETA2824-A2. I was told that that movement is used because the watch needs a super torquey movement to move all that stuff and still have a 30-some hour power reserve. Being that Ressence was founded in 2009, it's not surprising that they haven't yet amassed the funds to craft from scratch their own guts.

I also found out that the watches are selling faster than they can make them and that production for the Type one is limited to 150 pieces. It wasn't entirely clear to me whether they've actually sold out (to end consumers or just to retailers) already or not, but that's what it seemed like.

I also found out that the US distributor can handle servicing on the piece but I didn't ask for pricing on doing so and that they have two or three week (IIRC) timelines for service. The Type 3 has to be sent back to the maker for servicing because of the liquid inside the watch case.

The lady who first answered the phone at TMI told me they didn't answer the phone when I called before because they were not yet back from Basel. I thought that they were very likely at Basel, but that still doesn't explain the personal style rather than business style voice mail message.

I shared with the distributor my thoughts regarding Ressence's not saying on it's own site a peep about the following:
- Their phone number
- Their email address
- Their postal addres
- Customer service, warranty or the lack of so much as an automated email reply roughly akin to so much as Outlook's "out of office" sort of thing.

I found out also that Ressence is literally a handful of folks headed by one dude, Benoit. That didn't surprise me and to his credit, the distributor (TWI owner) didn't try to make excuses for Benoit. That was quite professional of him and exactly what I'd have expected. Without going into the specifics of our conversation, I'll just say that the inordinately defensive lady who works for him could stand to take some cues from him.

In fairness, after my conversation with the TWI owner, my faith in them has been restored. I don't know about the very long term prospects of getting service for the watch. The guy didn't seem too confident that just any "local Joe" watchmaker would have the skills to service the Type 1. I feel comfortable about TWI's ability to do so. When I return to the U.S., I'm going to take a trip to Philly to check one out, provided they have one in stock.

All the best.


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## SteveNC

tony20009 said:


> When I return to the U.S., I'm going to take a trip to Philly to check one out, provided they have one in stock.
> 
> All the best.


Tony, Did you ever get to see one of these? I'm very interested in one. The CH in particular. Thanks, Steve


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## kvelertak

I don't have a good explanation to why, but this watch does not fascinate me. At all.


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## iim7v7im7

Call Martin Pulli in Philadelphia...he carries them

Martin Pulli - Fine Jewelry and Watches » Fine Jewelry and Timepieces.


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## Beaunecrusher

Gorgeous design, but what time is it?


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