Ressence
Novelty: Type 11
What’s new? Billed as its most complete watch, the Type 11 is the newest take on its pebble-shaped silhouette and “hands-free” time-reading concept. However, the big story for Ressence is inside the Type 11: its first in-house movement, the calibre RW-01.
Key features: Polished grade 5 titanium 41mm diameter pebble-shaped case with double-domed sapphire and characteristic caseback lever for manual winding and time-setting. Viewing aperture for movement on the caseback. Water-resistant to 30m. The convex titanium dial has a 100mm radius and features orbiting hour, minute and second discs, and a new patented power reserve indication (60 hours) with tiny ceramic micro-balls.
Inside: The New Ressence Werk calibre RW-01 is designed specifically to power the patented Ressence Orbital Convex System (ROCS) module. The RW-01 will ultimately replace the historically used and heavily customised ETA 2892/2 or ETA 2824-2 base movements in all models and provide a seamless integration between powerhouse and display.
Available in three colourways, 23000 CHF.
IWC
Novelty: Pilot’s Venturer Vertical Drive
What’s new? Everything. This is a tool watch for next-gen space adventurers.
Key features: To accommodate spacesuit gloves, even the timekeeping functions of the watch are done through a rotating bezel system and rocker switch on the side of the lightweight white zirconium oxide ceramic case, eliminating any need for a crown.
To ensure durability and extreme temperature resistance, this timepiece underwent rigorous testing by Vast, the company developing space stations, and is cleared for take-off on Haven-1, the first commercial space station. It has a paired-back matte black dial with highly legible indications to track two time zones.
A hybrid winding system uses both the oscillating weight and bezel (rotated anti-clockwise). As a spacecraft or station will orbit Earth every 90 minutes, it is essential to have a 24-hour display for the sanity of the astronaut who would experience about 16 sunrises and sunsets in the equivalent of one day back on Earth. Central hands are therefore synchronised to GMT or UTC to maintain a compatible routine in line with the rhythms of life on Earth.
A date indication is at 3 o’clock. The bezel and caseback are made from Ceratanium, and it is paired with a white integrated FKM rubber strap.
Inside: This future-forward timepiece is powered by the new IWC 32722 automatic calibre with a 120-hour power reserve and an integrated GMT module.
Patek Philippe
Novelty: Celestial Sunrise and Sunset (Ref 6105G-001)
What’s new? Yes, we are aware of the 50th anniversary of arguably the most coveted luxury sports watch in modern times, but we are also aware that Patek manufactures other exceptional watches besides the Nautilus. And this one is heavenly.
Key features: A bold futuristic case design with a distinctive X-shaped motif evoking the tubular structure of space modules. It has a lug-free white gold case 47mm in diameter and 12.39mm thick, with a black vulcanised rubber strap featuring an X-shaped relief that echoes the decoration on the side of the case. The overall design offers a fresh take on the Celestial Watch Reference 6102 launched in 2012.
It is Patek’s first wristwatch to display times of sunrise and sunset for Geneva. Its movement also has a clever mechanism for simultaneously updating the time of sunrise and sunset during the daylight saving changeover.
A transparent sapphire crystal disc is decorated with a starry sky chart and the Milky Way printed on the underside, as viewed in real time from Geneva or any city on the same latitude in the northern hemisphere. This disc makes a full rotation in 23 hours and 56 minutes — the length of a sidereal day.
Below this, a black PVD-coated second disc represents the observed movement of the moon across the heavens on its 24-hour and 50-minute rotation, while a circular aperture exposes the third disc that together creates the moon phases with extreme accuracy. The red hand points out the date indicated on the periphery of the dial.
Inside: New automatic calibre 240 C LU CL LCSO.
