It’s not often that we’re made speechless by a piece of mechanical watchmaking, but the Ressence Type 2 e-Crown Concept Watch has done it.
This concept watch represents Ressence’s introduction of its e-Crown technology, an electronic system that rests between the fully mechanical movement and the ROCS display disc system that allows the watch to self-adjust to different time zones, be set from a smartphone, or even reset after the power runs out. Once the watch winds down, just pick it up and tap on the crystal to get it going again without having to mess around with the setting mechanism. The design integrates digital technology with traditional watchmaking.
You only need to set this watch once; after that you can simply use an iPhone app to flip between one of two time zones or automatically reset once its power reserve is depleted. What’s more is that the watch operates in a smart way with its intermediary mechanism powering itself kinetically and via 10 miniscule photovoltaic cells hidden behind the dial. When the watch is being worn, its battery runs below 50 percent while 10 tiny shutters open up to reveal cells that gather solar energy. It even automatically adjusts for Daylight Savings time.
All this in a seriously sleek package makes us wish that the Ressence Type 2 e-Crown wasn’t just a concept watch.