The Ressence Type 1 Squared – Candidate for Watch of the Decade

One reason I love watches so much is the creativity behind the timepieces. The industry is filled to the brim with competition, all subject to roughly the same formula.

A brand which sets the standard for me in terms of innovation is Ressence. They approach the concept of time telling from a wholly different angle, and with their newest model have created something truly exceptional. The Ressence Type 1 Squared is the kind of watch that makes perfect sense when you hold it in your hands, and yet is so alien that you could never convince yourself you’d have been able to think of it on your own.

What they have done is taken their household complication and put it into something more refined form. It is this fusion of the revolutionary with the classical that creates a truly amazing appeal. The lugs are small and unobtrusive melding into the case seamlessly to provide for a clean look. The case is made out of stainless steel rather than titanium adding a reassuring weight.

Next to the technical upgrade of a new quick set date mechanism my favourite improvement has to be the lever on the caseback. Where previously you turned the back of the watch with your fingers now there is a lever which pops out of the caseback to aid you. This brilliant little feature not only makes the watch easier and more accurate to set but best of all reminds us of traditional winding keys for old school clocks.

Just over a decade, old the pace at which this brand moves is incredible, with the Ressence Type 1 Squared having a huge impact at SIHH 2017: they fitted their complication into a watch fit to be an icon.

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