Why Does Ressence Use a Hand As Its Logo?
The Ressence brand name is a combination of two auspicious words, “renaissance” and “essence”. True to their name, Ressence watches are the result of the combination of two countries important to the world of watchmaking—Belgium and Switzerland. It’s no exaggeration to say Ressence watches are in a league of their own and the story behind the brand is a fascinating insight into this special manufacturer.
Ressence’s revolutionary watches are designed and engineered in Antwerp, Belgium, spearheaded by their innovative founder and creative genius, Benoît Mintiens. They are then built by the master craftsmen at a dedicated atelier in Fleurier, Switzerland. Here, the standards are so exacting that nearly every watch component is custom made exclusively for Ressence.
Altogether, the story of Ressence connects through the visual representation of hands. As both a central part of Ressence’s design and a symbol of Antwerp, the key to understanding a Ressence watch is via the hands.
Radically Reimagined Technology
Ressence combines several different reimagined horological innovations to make their timepieces the most unique in the world. Rather than conventional hands, flat discs rotate and spin on their individual axes, as well as around a central point. The discs are suspended in sealed, oil-filled chambers. Graphics appear to be projected onto the top crystal, for unparalleled legibility with no distortion of perception, and no mirror reflection, regardless of viewing angle. They use the same basic reading patterns to tell time as a traditional dial with hands, but with greatly enhanced readability. A patented e-Crown® replaces the traditional, long-used setup functions of a crown with a state-of-the-art, cutting-edge electro-mechanical embedded system that allows the mechanical base movement to interface with that system of rotating discs.
Antwerp’s Hand—a Short History Lesson
In the central shopping district of Ressence’s hometown of Antwerp is a cultural icon—a massive sculpture of a human hand. More than just a piece of art, this hand tells the story of the local legend of a giant named Druon Antigoon. The giant would demand a toll before allowing anyone to cross the Scheldt River, and if they refused to pay, he cut off one of their hands. This continued until a Roman soldier defeated Antigoon, severed the giant’s own hand, and threw it in the river. Legend tells us that this is the origin of the city’s name—Antwerp comes from hand werpen, which is Dutch for “hand-throwing.”
Antwerp and Ressence
What does the statue of a hand in Antwerp have to do with Ressence? Glad you asked! You may have noticed that the Ressence logo features the graphic of an outstretched hand. This is a nod to Antwerp, the city that is an integral part of the Ressence story, but it’s also a cheeky reference to the fact that the Ressence watches are handless. Their motto is, in fact, beyond hands. It’s also meant as a welcoming, an outstretched hand reaching to join yours, to become a part of you.
Ressence, from Belgium and Switzerland to you—built on the expertise of yesterday, crafted with today’s technology, designed for tomorrow.
Discover the full line of truly innovative luxury Ressence watches at Feldmar. Browse our online store or stop into our flagship location.
About The Author: Tom Roth
Born in Washington state, Tom developed an interest in photography during college at University of San Diego. There, he got started in music journalism, interviewing artists and taking photos at concerts. A life-long tinkerer and collector, it wasn’t long before Tom became fascinated with fountain pens and watches.
Those interests collided in November 2020 when Tom started at Feldmar Watch Company where he lives out every watch geek’s dream: photographing and writing about timepieces. When he’s not tinkering with his watch collection, Tom can be found traveling, biting his nails while watching PNW sports teams, and taking flying lessons.
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