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Source: Ressence Source: Ressence

When Ressence first showed off prototypes of the Type 1 watch in 2010, its system of rotating discs (instead of traditional hands) was something totally new. Then, with the Type 3, Ressence upped the ante and added sealed chambers filled with oil to the mix. While the watches have contained a few different features over the years (date, temperature gauge, day of the week), the formula has always been pretty consistent. So the question for collectors has always been, "what comes next?" The answer is a dive watch.

The Ressence Type 5 is a sport watch with the same essential details as the brand's earlier watches. Source: Ressence

The Type 5 starts with the same basic formula as Types 1 and 3 but adds some new features specific to diving. The 46 mm titanium case has a prominent silver-colored bezel around the main timekeeping dials, where the date indicator would be on the Type 3. It has grooves protruding from it between each of the 10-minute markers, letting you turn the bezel to time your dive (just as you would with any other dive watch). Crucially, it's not sealed inside the oil-filled compartment with the other discs, so it operates independently of the timekeep mechanism itself, and it's unidirectional, meaning you can't accidentally give yourself more underwater time than you have air for.

The dial itself contains a few indicators, all nested as with previous Ressence watches. The main hour dial now has big bubbly numerals at the 3, 6, and 9, making it a little easier to read quickly. What looks like the seconds dial is actually a "runner," a requirement for the watch to meet international diving watch standards (ISO 6425). This one makes a rotation every 90 seconds, not every 60, and functions as a shock absorber for the oil inside the watch too. Finally, an indicator for the temperature of the oil sits between the sapphire crystal and those discs (giving them that seamless appearance). On the Type 3, that indicator was mostly for fun, but here it's critical, as on deeper or colder dives the oil could cool off, gumming up the works.

On the wrist, the Type 5 is sleek and sporty. Source: Ressence

While a diving watch might not seem like the most logical direction for Ressence (I was pretty surprised when I saw a prototype a few weeks ago), there's a major benefit to a watch like this under water: Because the oil projects the markers up to the crystal's surface, you can view the time perfectly from every angle. There's no space between the crystal and the hands to create distortion or reflection, and the watch looks exactly the same in or out of water. There is a lock on the side of the case, too, preventing you from twisting the case to manipulate the time under water. That Ressence chose to make this an actual ISO-caliber diver (it's currently undergoing external certification) instead of just a "diving-inspired" watch, which is to be applauded.

The Type 5 isn't going to appeal to everyone who loved Ressence's earlier watches, though. While those have a restrained, minimalist aesthetic, this watch is a little more brash. The black and white are punctuated by bright green, blue, and red, the numerals are on the funky side, and the overall look is much bolder. These aren't bad things, necessarily. Rather than just create another extension of the Type 1/Type 3 families, founder Benoît Mintiens has made something genuinely new that might bring some new customers into the fold who found the previous models a little too austere. From early photos, I didn't think I would like the watch nearly as much as I did in person. It's new and different, but still very Ressence.

The locking mechanism along the side is critical to making the watch work. Source: Ressence

The Ressence Type 5 is priced at $35,800, putting it between the Type 1 and Type 3 in the lineup. The first pieces are hitting retailers now, and production will likely be limited to between 100 and 150 pieces per year, though it's not a limited edition.