Get Lost In Ressence’s New Type 9 Art Watch By Belgian Artist Jules Wittock
Recently, Lex wrote an article asking, “When are watches art?” Of course, there wasn’t a clear answer, as “art” is often an ungraspable concept. However, every once in a while, Benoît Mintiens makes the dial of a Ressence watch available to an artist dear to the Belgian brand. In doing so, he tries to blur the lines between a functional object (the watch) and visual art. This year, he invited Brussels-based artist Jules Wittock to draw one of his mazes on Ressence’s Type 9 dial. The result is a playful and interactive Type 9, available in either black or emerald green.
Jules Wittock next to one of his 10m-long paintings
When Jules Wittock draws one of his mazes, he tries to immerse himself in the moment, blocking out any possible distractions. That approach complements Benoît Mintiens’s clean, unobstructed designs very well. Usually, Wittock paints his mazes with acrylic or oil paint on linen canvases. However, in recent years, he has also created bronze and aluminum sculptures. In that sense, the Grade 5 titanium dial in the Ressence Type 9 isn’t even that big of a change. Let’s take a closer look.
The Ressence Type 9 Jules Wittock
I’ll start with the watch that serves as the canvas for Jules Wittock’s maze. It’s the same Type 9 that Ressence introduced in late 2024 and has already used for several collaborations, for example, with The Armoury, Ahmed Seddiqi, and another recent art watch by Terumasa Ikeda. It features the same 39mm Grade 5 case with an 11mm profile, including the crystal. The case itself is polished, while the fixed bezel features a circular brushing.
Inside is a modified automatic 2892-2 ETA movement that drives Ressence’s ROCS 9 module with its minute pinion. The movement runs at 28,800 vph, features 31 jewels, and has a 36-hour power reserve. As with most of the brand’s watches, you wind and set it not with a crown but by turning the case back. By the way, that case back features another one of Jules Wittock’s mazes, and he added his signature to it.
For this art watch, you can choose between a version with a black PVD-coated case and dial or another with an ALD-coated emerald-green dial. On both versions, the maze and hour markers are white.
Get lost while checking the time
Usually, each of Jules Wittock’s paintings is a maze with an entrance and an exit. This Ressence Type 9 art watch is no exception. As you can see on the bezel, you get a hint of where to start and where you should end up. However, the dial only lines up at noon and midnight. Additionally, the path to the solution forms a word. The word on the Type 9’s dial is something for the new owner to discover. Usually, the title of Wittock’s artwork serves as a clue. However, unfortunately, in the Type 9’s case, there isn’t one.
The maze is engraved into the Grade 5 titanium dial and then hand-filled with white lacquer and Grade A Super-LumiNova. The black-dial version also features a blacked-out case and bezel. While the green-dial version features an uncoated case, its dial has a slight rainbow-like or mother-of-pearl-like shimmer. This means the dial can change color depending on the viewing angle.
Limited to 60 pieces total
Honestly, I wasn’t aware of Jules Wittock before I read Ressence’s press release, but I’ll probably check out a gallery here in Amsterdam where his work is hanging. I’m drawn to the clean, playful drawings, and I think my six-year-old son will enjoy seeing them too. I also feel the maze perfectly lends itself to the Type 9’s dial. It makes the typical Ressence sphere layout even more visually fascinating.
If I had to choose, I’d go for the emerald-green version, as I’m not a fan of blacked-out watches in general. I also think the shimmer on the green dial is quite cool. There are 30 pieces available of each color. The black one comes on a black calf leather strap, while the green version comes on a white calf leather strap. The watches cost CHF 20,000 (ex. taxes) and are available through Ressence and its retail partners. For more information, check out the official Ressence website.
Let me know in the comments below what you think of the new Ressence Type 9 by Jules Wittock.
