hat would a mechanical watch look like if it evolved following the laws of nature rather than those of engineering? That question sits at the heart of the new Ressence Type 10 DN (Dark Night), limited to 100 pieces.

Type 10 began in 2022 with a few promising sketches on Post-its, stuck to Benoît Mintiens’s computer screen. Every few months, another layer was added. A lasagna of ideas slowly took shape, each sketch building on the last. What began as separate watch components gradually evolved into one coherent form. Four years later, Type 10 emerged: Ressence’s first oil-filled watch powered by its own movement. Carved by time and thought.

“The first cars were essentially carriages with engines added to them,” he says. “Over time, all those separate elements became increasingly integrated. You see the same thing with aircraft, fromwings and bodies bolted together to the shape of a modern fighter jet. Type 10 went through that same evolution, on Post-its.”

Its form draws on the same principles of adeptness, seamlessness and hydrodynamics that shape animals in nature. Flowing surfaces meet precise edges. The case continues into the strap; the sapphire follows the form of the case; the dial appears to rise towards its surface.

Type 10 becomes one continuous object, shaped by the question of what form a watch might naturally evolve towards if it were sculpted by nature.

A second concept essential to Ressence is dematerialisation. Take away the physicality of the components to obtain a seamless volume. The boundaries between components visually dissolve. On the wrist, Type 10 DN reads as a monochromatic monolith.

“It should feel as if it is one seamless object,” says Mintiens. “Almost as if you took a piece of material and carved the watch out of it.”

Case, dial and integrated rubber strap share the same deep blue tone: Dark Night. The polished Grade 5 titanium case has a hard DLC coating, while the sapphire blends into the shape of the case thanks to the oil-filled dial. Oil visually brings the dial towards the upper surface of the crystal. Ressence’s rotating discs (ROCS) replace conventional hands. Oil pushes the effect further, visually removing the separations between the discs. Hours, minutes, a second time zone and runner appear across one continuous graphical surface.

The Type10 DN offers a remarkable combination of shape, finish, colour and clarity. The high- definition in all its details and finishing generate a futuristic feel.

That visual clarity conceals an extraordinary amount of engineering. Type 10 DN contains 538 components, including 196 in the oil-filled ROCS 10 module. Type 10 has 49 gears, 47 jewels and eight ball bearings. All this complexity serves one purpose: seamlessness.

At its heart is Ressence’s in-house designed RW-04 self-winding calibre, configured specifically for Type 10. It consists of 252 components and offers a 60-hour power reserve through two barrels. Particular attention went into the minute track. Its 24 titanium segments alternate between small, sandblasted inserts filled with luminous paint and larger, linearly brushed surfaces. The direction of the brushing shifts by 30 degrees from one segment to the next, so each catches the light differently. As the wrist moves, light travels around the minute track in subtle facets, bringing an otherwise continuous surface to life.

Simplication is Ressence’s way of envisioning complexity. We believe that simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.

The oil-filled display gives Type 10 much of its distinctive visual clarity. It also creates an engineering challenge. The mechanical movement beats in air. The ROCS glides through oil. Type 10 brings these two very different environments together in two separate, hermetically sealed chambers. Half air-filled, half oil-filled. The RW-04 movement drives a disc fitted with micro-magnets on the air side. A second, similar disc mirrors it in the oil. Magnetic attraction transfers the movement through the titanium case, allowing both sides to move together without physical contact.

The two sets of magnets sit just 0.2 mm apart, separated by a 0.1 mm titanium membrane. No shaft. No opening. No leak.

Oil also expands and contracts with temperature change. An expansion chamber absorbs these changes in volume, preventing gas-bubbles from forming as the oil cools. Every oil-filled Ressence is temperature-tested before shipping. Running one hour at 60 C° and one hour at -5°. In real life conditions, those extreme temperatures are impossible to reach if the watch is kept on the wrist. Purpose in every detail.

Type 10 displays hours and minutes alongside a second time zone, a 120-second runner that doubles as a shock absorber, and a colour-coded oil temperature indication inside the hour disc. Every indication earns its place.

The second time zone reflects the life of a wearer moving in space and time. It adds information without disturbing the clarity of the display.

The 120-second runner also has a mechanical role. It helps stabilise the magnetic transmission against shocks as the watch moves on the wrist, keeping the display in step with the movement. The temperature indication makes the behaviour of the oil visible. Green marks its normal operating range – around 25C° +- 10C°, while the extremes of the colour scale show when the system approaches its limits.

The Future is lighter. For all the mechanics inside it, Type 10 weighs just 82 grams. Its 41.5 mm case is made from polished Grade 5 titanium with a hard DLC coating. Double-domed sapphire crystals sit front and back, while the RW-04 movement remains visible through the case back sapphire in a donut shape. The Ressence Compression Lock System provides 5 ATM water resistance.

For Mintiens, lightness follows the same evolutionary logic as the watch itself. As objects evolve, parts integrate, construction becomes more efficient and unnecessary weight disappears. Type 10 was designed as a daily companion. Its organic shapes, its light weight, its ultra-clear graphics and overall considered design make it easy to wear, easy to read and easy to forget. Quietly present on your wrist, until the moment you look at it.

Type 10 started with a question around evolution. It ends with a particular vision of the future. Fluid lines and seamless finishing give Type 10 a distinctly future-forward form. An inimitable shape made only possible by the three-dimensional Ressence ROCS 10 display, where time itself becomes part of the architecture .

Separate elements become one seamless whole. Mechanical parts visually dissolve. More than 500 components resolve into a clear graphical display. Two sealed chambers behave as one system. Titanium keeps the watch light on the wrist.

The complexity remains inside. Simplicity is what you experience. Perhaps that is the most natural evolution of Type 10.

The Ressence TYPE 10 will be unveiled at Watch Time New York on 16 October at 10am EDT. Price: CHF 45,000 excluding taxes Availability: as of November 2026 Production: limited to 100 pieces

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

• Name TYPE 10 DN ( Dark Night )
• Functions: Hours Minutes Second time zone 120-second runner / shock absorber Oil temperature indication by colour
• Movement: Patented ROCS 10 module driven by the in-house calibre RW-04 Case back manual winding and time setting Magnetic transmission from air to oil Expansion membrane compensating for changes in oil volume Self-winding 60-hour power reserve 28,800 vibrations per hour
• Dial: Convex Grade 5 titanium dial, 75 mm diameter Three eccentric biaxial satellites inclined at 9.75° and 17° Engraved indications filled with Grade A Super-LumiNova®
• Case: Polished Grade 5 titanium with hard-DLC coating Two separate sealed chambers; upper chamber filled with 2.95 ml of silicone based oil Double-domed sapphire crystals front and back with internal anti-reflective coating Fixed bezel constructed from 24 individual titanium segments 5 ATM water resistance 41.5 mm diameter
• Bracelet & Buckle: Integrated rubber strap Grade 5 titanium polished buckle with hard-DLC coating
• Components & Weight: 538 components RW-04: 252 components ROCS 10: 196 components in oil 47 jewels 49 gears 7 jewel ball bearings + 1 stainless-steel ball bearing 82 grams
• Price: CHF 45,000 excluding taxes