Ressence continues to embrace their collaborative side with a new Type 9 IKE designed with Japanese artist Terumasa Ikeda. No stranger to working with artists the world over, Ressence has a knack for letting their work speak through the watch itself, without ever feeling like artwork that’s been applied to a watch. As a result, the collaborative watches we see from Ressence feel well and truly inspiring in their own way, all while retaining clear Ressence DNA at their core. That is certainly the case here, with Iked’s sci-fi inspired work creating an awe-inspiring and engaging experience with the Type 9 as a canvas.
Last year, Ressence released collaborative watches with artists and designers like Marc Newson and Daniel Engelberg, each time creating a distinct and emotional experience by way of different Ressence references. With each, both the art and watch take on new meaning as the means of expression has shifted. This Type 9 featuring the work of Terumasa Ikeda is equally enlightening, with layers of iridescent colors built up over a black base, evoking the feeling of a futuristic artifact of sorts.
Terumasa Ikeda is used to working on three dimensional forms from blocks to pyramids, so the domed dial of the Type 9 represents familiar territory for the artist. A new challenge here is the inherent movement of the dial pieces, creating different compositions with each passing minute. The movement adds another dimension to the other worldly sci-fi vibes happening with Ikeda’s art, adding an element of the unknown and perhaps unknowable. The dial could pass for the cover of an Arthur C. Clarke novel (Rendezvous with Rama, perhaps?), and it’s unlike anything Ressence has done before.
The movement comes courtesy of Ressence’s patented ROCS (Ressence Orbital Convex System) driven by the minute axle of a customized ebauche. There are no hands, no chapter rings, and not a digit in sight. The design itself forms up around pointer shapes to indicate the minute and the hour, but that feels very much besides the point with this conceptual masterpiece.
The dial is created by Ikeda by layers of lacquer and ultra-fine mother-of-pearl inlay atop a black abyss. As such, only eight examples will be produced, and each will be unique. The colors are also embedded with luminescence, creating an equally amazing sight in low light conditions. All of this is set within a 39mm black DLC coated titanium case to push the focal point to the art within the dial. Pricing is set at CHF 32,000. Ressence
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