Our guess is that no, you probably don’t have $48,000 to drop on a single watch – Who does? – but you’re welcome to join us in wishing so. The Ressence Type 2 is a true beauty and piece of watchmaking art, and were we into the prohibitive-expensive-luxury-watch scene, we’d probably line up for a second mortgage.
The Type 2 builds off the success of Ressence’s original mechanical watch, the Ressence Type 1, which was launched in 2011 and brought about a new, modern style of mechanical watchmaking – as elegant as classic watches and as well put together, but with technology and a futuristic bent that are 100% present-day. The Type 3 and Type 5 followed the Type 1, just as the Type 2 now follows those. It’s just as stylish and innovative, and with a new twist: it’s Ressence’s first foray towards smartwatch-esque design, a smart-enabled device with Bluetooth that looks as good as an Omega.
Just take a moment to look at it: it looks fantastic. Dive in to the function behind the watch face and it only gets better.
The Type 2 only really needs to be set once – when unboxed for the first time. After that, it will automatically set and correct itself when connected to your smartphone via Bluetooth, thanks to the Ressence’s E-Crown – the touch-activated, smart interface. The app also lets you set multiple time zones for those frequent travelers among us; when you press on the e-Crown, the watch hands will switch positions to the new time zone. (This can also be done via the lever on the back of the watch). Tap on the screen at any other time, and it will illuminate, displaying how much battery life remains.
Perhaps the most innovative thing Ressence included, however, is how you charge it – via solar panels located underneath the watch face. As long as you’re getting some sunlight everyday, the watch is constantly charging. The battery life is good for 36 hours, and the watch will automatically revert to analog function when the battery runs low; that’s the power of combining analog and smartwatches, we guess. Take the watch off your wrist for more than 12 hours, and the movement will automatically stop itself, too, before resuming to the right time once you’ve put it back on.
Another nice touch is the smart day/night watch face, which automatically illuminates itself (in a sweet blue) once it gets dark out (or when you enter a dim room). You can select between a black or grey dial, and a black fabric or leather wristband.
The tough part, of course, is that it retails for approximately $48,000. You know, enough for a down payment on a house.
