Ressence founder Benoît Mintiens wanted to merge his universe with that of industrial designer Marc Newson, and the TYPE 3 MN is the watch they made together.
Ressence today introduces the TYPE 3 MN, limited to 80 pieces. It brings Newson’s design to the oil-filled TYPE 3 and its patented ROCS display.
The elliptical case is a form Newson has refined over decades, and the bold, minimal hands nod to his Ikepod watches of the 1990s. In Grade 5 titanium, it measures 45mm across and 15mm thick, in a palette of celadon green, grey, black and bright yellow.
The upper chamber holds 4.15ml of silicone oil, which cancels light refraction, so the time seems to sit on the glass. Magnetically driven discs show hours, minutes, a 180-second runner, day, date and oil temperature.
“In my eyes, one plus one can become more than the sum of its parts,” says Mintiens.
Two design languages, one dial: the TYPE 3 MN reads less like a crossover than a watch neither of them could have made alone.
The Basics
Brand: Ressence
Model: TYPE 3 MN (Marc Newson)
Diameter: 45mm
Thickness: 15mm
Case material: Grade 5 titanium; two sealed chambers, the upper filled with 4.15ml of oil
Dial: DLC and PVD coated Grade 5 titanium; convex discs with four eccentric satellites; blue and green Grade A Super-LumiNova®
Water resistance: 1 ATM (splash resistance)
Strap: Synthetic rubber, titanium ardillon buckle
Limited edition: 80 pieces
The Movement
Calibre: ROCS 3.6, on a customised automatic base
Functions: Hours, minutes, runner (180 seconds), day, date, oil temperature
Winding: Automatic; caseback winding and setting
Power reserve: 36 hours
Frequency: 28,800 vph
Jewels: 47
Images courtesy of Ressence.