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Ressence's first Prototype surprised many people, when it was introduced during Basel 2010.
It was in fact the talk of the town. Being a great fan of watches with an alternative time reading myself, I loved the simplicity of this complication at first sight. At Basel 2011 the watch was re-presented, (this time as a production version) slightly modified and shown with all options. 
The main difference between the prototype presented in 2010 and the Zero series presented now, is the redesigned module, the new module is conceived like a calibre and has been re-engeneered by Swiss movement standards. The redesigned module resulted in a 0.8mm thinner case. The crown is slightly enlarged and so is the strap, that went from 20 to 22mm, all more in line with the dimensions of the case. The crown consists of 13 components and is in itself a piece of art. 
Because the axis of the movement sticks out of the case, on a low level, there is a transmission mechanism in the crown, to ensure that the crown is symmetrical towards the case. The watch is completely symmetrical and therefor the crown. If the lever is folded (default), the watch can be wound. (if necessary since the movement is automatic) When the lever in the open position (picture) the hour can be changed, by turning the crown. Designer Benoît Mintiens succeeded to reduce the design of the watch to a simple timepiece, but in fact, this complication is far from simple. The idea was to avoid the hands superimposing over one another, at any time and Mr Mintiens reached that goal by letting all hands rotate simultaneously around a central axis point. The patented display system features a revolving module driven by a completely modified ETA caliber. These strong and reliable calibers are quite often the starting point for Independent watchmakers. 
The revolving dial plate points out the minutes, the sub dials inside the main dial plate indicate the hours, seconds and AM-PM. The sub-dials orbit around a virtual axis similar to the moons around Saturn, which gives the watch a completely different look every hour. 
While the watch is available in steel or titanium, with a choice of four different dial colors, there are also many strap options like natural calf, aligator, carbon fibre or even rubber. Besides these possibilities there are still options to customize to watch to the wishes of the client. (for example the crown can be put at 3 as well as at 9 o'clock) The fact that the Ressence Zero Series comes in steel or titanium, instead of precious metals only, puts the watch in an attractive price range. 
Specs: Movement : Automatic, modified 2824 caliber base, 28,800 vib/h. Module: Patented system designed & developed by Ressence, Ceramic bearing, Aluminum frame and dial-satellites, Triple bi-axial off-centered integrated & flush mounted orbiting satellites, Adjustment system in the crown, total 40 jewels. Functions: am-pm, Hours, Minutes, Seconds. Case: Titanium or Steel, dia. 42mm ex-crown x 13mm, 3D convex sapphire crystal on both sides with vertical flush mount interface on case. Crown at 3 or 9 o’clock. (option) Strap: Interchangeable ventilated straps with four screws mounted on the case with steel folding clasp. GEO Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/20/2011 08:41AM by Geo.
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