Ressence has developed an innovative timepiece that’s literally slick as oil. Its new oil-filled watch is a mechanical evolution not yet seen in haute horlogerie.

If there ever was a contemporary, industrial design-inspired vision of haute horlogerie, Belgian brand Ressence has found it. Their Type 3 timepiece already has a Grand Prix d’Horlogerie under it’s belt – it was named the winner of the Horological Revelation award at the de 2013 competition. And for good reason too.

The technological innovation found in this watch is something unseen in luxury watchmaking. The latest Type 3 model on display at Baselworld is not much different from the 2013 winner. Yes it boasts the latest in ROCS technology (more on that later), and it has a new midnight blue tone on the dial. But other than that, it’s really hard to top what the brand already delivered 3 years ago.

This watch doesn’t have standard the hands and crown of a wristwatch. And the entire case back is used to wind and set the mechanism. How, you might ask? Well it’s all down to the revolutionary ROCS technology – short for Ressence Orbital Convex System. The ROCS employs a specially modified automatic caliber, comprising of 47 jewels and 215 parts, most of which are made from grade 5 titaniium.

But most important of all, the entire upper half of the watch is filled with 35.7 ml of oil to obtain a never-before-seen visual effect. And Ressence has developed a unique magnetic transmission system to tell the time, based on micro magnets within the oil that are connected to each other and transmit the time.

The end result is quite clear – in the literal sense. The watch offers superior legibility from all angles because it minimizes the refraction of light that typically distorts our perception when looking at a watch. Essentially the watch tricks our eyes by making us lose depth perception, which actually improves readability. Who would have thought!