An Insider-Favorite Brand Just Launched One of the Most Advanced Tool Watches Ever

It’s a lot of horological ingenuity packed into a single tool watch.

Published March 20, 2025

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Ressence is almost certainly the most unique tool-watchmaker in the business.

Thanks to the brand’s numerous innovative technologies — like its oil-filled dials and magnetically-driven ROCS display of rotating discs — Ressence watches look like no other mechanical watch. They more closely resemble digital watches thanks to their unique displays, but there are no batteries or electronics involved — everything is mechanical.

We’ve seen Ressence tackle everyday watches and dive watches, and now the brand has launched what it’s describing as its most advanced tool watch to date. And since every Ressence watch is radically advanced, that automatically makes the new Type 7 one of the most advanced tool watches I’ve seen from any brand.

Behold the Type 7, Ressence’s most advanced tool watch to date.

Ressence

Advanced Versatility

The Type 7 marks two big firsts for Ressence, which together help make this the brand’s most versatile watch yet.

First and foremost is the bracelet.

This is the first time we’ve seen a Ressence watch on a bracelet, and the brand knocked it out of the park. Crafted from rugged and lightweight Grade 5 titanium, the integrated bracelet of the Type 7 features screw-in links and a micro-adjustable clasp with a slider on the outside, which presumably means the wearer can adjust the size of the bracelet — up to five positions — while it’s on the wrist.

the bracelet and clasp of a ressence tool watch — The new titanium bracelet includes a clasp with five positions of on-the-fly micro-adjustment.

The bracelet appears integrated into the flat tonneau-shaped 41mm case, also in Grade 5 titanium, and a polished chamfer runs along the sides of both for a cohesive look. The bracelet can also be removed and replaced with a rubber or leather strap, as it’s not traditionally integrated but rather mimics the look of the en-vogue sports watch style.

The other new addition to Ressence’s repertoire is a GMT complication. Here, it’s executed in typical Ressence fashion via a 24-hour ROCS rotating disc. The GMT hand is set by turning the caseback, just like the other hands, as the Type 7 lacks a traditional crown.

a closeup of a ressence tool watch dial — The Type 7 marks the first time a GMT complication has appeared in a Ressence watch.

The bracelet and the travel function combine to make this Ressence a solid option for practically any situation, as the watch is both more useful and a bit more traditional-looking on the wrist compared to previous models from the brand.

Oil and Magnets

Typically, oil and magnets are two of a mechanical watch’s greatest enemies. Oil-filled dials are generally not seen on mechanical watches, as there is a danger of oil leaking into the movement and gumming up the works. Magnetism, meanwhile, can affect the delicate metal parts of a movement and disrupt its timekeeping.

But to the Ressence Type 7, both oil and magnets are critical. The oil-filled dial is completely distortion-free, as the oil and the sapphire crystal refract light in a remarkably similar fashion. That’s why the dial looks like a digital screen — the oil makes the hands and subdials appear as if they’re projected directly onto the underside of the crystal.

a closeup of a ressence tool watch on a mans wrist — The Type 7 is arguably Ressence’s most versatile watch yet.

The oil is completely separated from the automatic movement by a titanium membrane, meaning there’s no possible way for the oil to enter the movement. So then how does the movement direct the hands of the dial? To quote Stargate SG-1‘s Jack O’Neill: Magnets.

A series of micro magnets on each side of the titanium membrane magnetically connect the movement to the ROCS axle, allowing the movement to turn the hands and discs via magnetic transmission. Ressence developed magnetic conductors to reduce and pinpoint the field of the magnets, while also using a special alloy to protect the watch’s escapement. As a result, the magnets have no adverse effect on the timekeeping.

Pricing and Availability

The Type 7 is available in two versions. There’s the dark Night Blue, which features a fixed ceramic bezel with a 60-minute scale, and the lighter XV Aquamarine, which has an aluminum bezel.

Both versions retail for CHF 36,000, which as of this writing converts to around $40,800 USD. Remember, despite the unorthodox looks of its watches, Ressence remains a luxury watch brand packed with proprietary horological technology and is priced accordingly.

The Type 7 opens up a whole new world for Ressence thanks to its more traditional luxury sports watch looks and travel-ready GMT complication, and I think it’s great to see the brand expand on its trademark design language in such a radical way. It makes me wonder what else we’ll see from them in the future — maybe a chronograph? Maybe a moonphase? The possibilities are tantalizing.