Ressence returns to the sport watch genre today with a new collection called the Type 7 GMT. Like the Type 5 and the Type 9, this watch gets an indexed bezel, and adds a GMT complication to the dial, and perhaps most surprising of all, features an integrated bracelet design crafted from titanium. The Type 7 GMT sets the stage for a new framework for the brand, while retaining their signature ROCS movement with an oil filled dial, bringing the information directly to the domed surface of the sapphire crystal. At 41mm in diameter, this is the brand’s smallest oil filled collection to date, and arguably their most practical.
The Type 7 GMT joins the Type 5 dive watch as another entry to the brand’s tool watch portfolio, and like the Type 5, takes an earnest approach to the practical needs of the genre. That said, there are some caveats here. The fully indexed bezel is fixed in place, for instance, and the depth rating is a mere 50 meters, but this is more of an all-rounder than a specialist, and what it is good at is rather exceptional. There’s a quality to oil-filled displays that can’t properly be conveyed through images, and when it comes to the Type 7, Ressence has yielded this fact to great effect.
The clarity of this dial is the true star of the show with the Type 7 GMT, which gets a domed display offering an unparalleled view of the rotating displays within. The oil under the dial brings the information directly to the surface, as if painted onto the crystal itself. It creates exceptional legibility from pretty much any angle, which is a good thing because this is a display that’s constantly on the move.
The Type 7 GMT uses the ROCS 7 movement which uses magnetic transmission to rotate the dial discs. This is set within the Ressence Compression Lock System (RCLS) for added stability and at least some water resistance. As usual, there is no crown here, with the winding and setting handled via the caseback. Because of this, that 41mm diameter takes on a slightly different context, though this is also an integrated bracelet design.
Ressence is using titanium for the case and bracelet, which keeps the total weight in relatively reasonable territory at 123 grams. The broad integration of the bracelet should keep the weight evenly distributed, though the flat midsection and bubble-like caseback could make for unwieldy daily wear.
There are two different variations of the Type 7 GMT at launch, one with a deep blue dial and bezel, and another limited edition featuring an aquamarine dial and bezel. Both host the rotating hours and minutes displays, and joining them is a 24 hour sub dial running in parallel. There is also an aperture displaying the oil temperature quality by color within the hour hand sub-dial, and a shock absorber register set in the negative space.
The Type 7 GMT is available now, and both examples are priced at CHF 36,000. Ressence
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