Ressence Type 2 Night Blue: an automatic watch with a solar-powered brain

The Ressence Type 2 Night Blue poses a fascinating design question: can a traditional automatic watch acquire digital convenience without ceasing to be mechanical? Seen from above, the 45 mm grade 5 titanium case is occupied by an uninterrupted curved blue orbital dial. There is no conventional crown and no conventional stack of hands. Instead, smaller rotating discs orbit around a central display, making time feel like a continuous, coherent instrument.

Below the display is a specially modified 2892/A self-winding mechanical calibre driving Ressence's ROCS 2 system. A winding rotor keeps its mainspring charged through wrist movement, giving the base movement a 36-hour power reserve. Light does not wind this spring. Instead, carefully concealed photovoltaic cells, including cells behind ten tiny micro-shutters in the dial, supply electrical energy to an independent e-Crown module.

The e-Crown stores the set time, monitors when the wearer stops using the watch, can pause the mechanics to conserve mainspring energy, and automatically brings the display back to the correct time when reactivated. A tap on the sapphire crystal accesses controls; an optional phone connection can select two preset time zones. Should its electronics be switched off, the Type 2 still operates as a mechanical watch. Solar energy enables the interface, not the escapement.

The Night Blue colourway makes the invisible interaction unusually legible: a selector disc indicates time-zone mode, while a deep-blue leather strap carries the dial's cool colour through to the wrist. The Type 2 family entered production in 2019 after a 2018 concept; this is a design examination of an established watch, not a newly announced 2026 release. Ressence's site lists the Type 2 Night Blue at €61,900 including VAT, marked sold out.