Everything's Better In Rose Gold, Especially High-End Watches
Ressence has always felt like the Apple of high-end watchmaking, because it strips away everything that gets in the way of pure time. No crown. No hands. No clutter. The comparison becomes clearer when Ressence explores rose gold, a soft but warm hue coveted by the tech giant's devotees that makes everything, from watches to laptops, look that much richer.
Its new Type 1 Round Rose Gold turns that core concept into something warmer, even something precious.
Unveiled at Dubai Watch Week, the limited run of 70 pieces revisits one of the brand’s earliest silhouettes. Ressence launched with the Type 1 in 2010, setting the timepiece up as the blueprint that introduced its entire worldview.
This new rose-gold edition refines, rather than reinvents the Type 1. The dial is plated in 4N rose gold with a soft sunray finish that gives the whole face a copper glow.
Ressence is a Belgian independent that looks at watches as a design problem rather than heritage objects.
You can imagine its designers asking themselves, " What would timekeeping look like if it were invented today?" Their answer is a crownless case that looks more like a small design object than a traditional Swiss watch, down to the smooth back lever that replaces the crown.
Time is displayed through the brand’s ROCS system, a set of orbiting discs that rotate together. Hours, seconds, and the day of the week glide in coordinated motion, creating a calm wrist ballet instead of the usual hands ticking over a dial. It feels intuitive, almost graphic, even though the mechanics underneath are complex.
The rose gold dial softens the entire watch, giving it a warmth rare for Ressence or any other maker in its field. Paired with a light grey suede strap, it feels especially modern, though, in the US, there is a chocolate leather option for a deeper feel.
Priced at $22,800, the Type 1 Round Rose Gold is proof that preciousness not need be ornate. Sometimes the most luxurious thing a watch can be is simple.
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