Ressence TYPE 9 JWB – Jules Wittock Black

Ressence TYPE 9 Jules Wittock Black: a labyrinth brought to life by time

The Ressence TYPE 9 JWB Jules Wittock Black turns telling time into a visual experience. For this limited edition of 30 pieces, Ressence invited Belgian artist Jules Wittock to transpose his freehand-drawn labyrinths onto the TYPE 9’s moving dial.

The collaboration feels particularly natural. Just as Wittock builds his works around a path to be solved, Ressence has, since its inception, sought to rethink the way we read time.
On this black version, the contrast between the dark titanium and the white lines of the maze gives the dial an almost hypnotic quality, constantly altered by the movements of the ROCS system.

Jules Wittock’s Black-and-White Universe
Jules Wittock’s work is based on an apparent contradiction: creating great graphic complexity from an extremely simple rule.
Each labyrinth has a single entrance and a single exit. The path connecting the two also forms a hidden word.
On the TYPE 9 JWB, this principle is reproduced on a watchmaking scale. The pattern is engraved into the Grade 5 titanium dial with a line width of just 0.2 mm, then filled in by hand to bring out the design.
The black finish on the dial and case deliberately accentuates this graphic composition. The white seems to emerge from the dark surface, giving the labyrinth a particularly strong presence.

A Work That Is Constantly Transforming
Unlike a traditional canvas, Jules Wittock’s work never remains static on this Ressence.
The ROCS 9—Ressence Orbital Convex System—drives the various surfaces of the dial in a continuous orbital motion. The hours and minutes are displayed without conventional hands, and the design evolves continuously alongside them.
The different parts of the labyrinth thus shift throughout the day, fragmenting and reassembling the artwork.
It is only at noon and midnight that the entire composition aligns, allowing the labyrinth to be observed in its complete form.

A secret reserved for owners
Once the design is complete, the challenge remains to find the path from its entrance to its exit.
This path spells out a hidden word, deliberately kept secret by Jules Wittock and Ressence. It’s a way of reserving part of the work for those who will wear it and take the time to discover it.
This playful aspect aligns perfectly with Ressence’s philosophy: to create a watch with which the owner engages in genuine interaction, rather than an object intended solely for contemplation.
The passage of time itself becomes an integral part of the work.

An Art Watch on the TYPE 9
The TYPE 9 lends itself particularly well to this concept. With a diameter of 39 mm, a thickness of 11 mm, and a Grade 5 titanium case, it is the smallest and lightest Ressence model.
It weighs just 42 grams, including the strap, which contrasts with the visual richness of its dial.
The automatic movement paired with the ROCS 9 module operates at 28,800 vibrations per hour and delivers a 36-hour power reserve.

With the TYPE 9 JWB Jules Wittock Black, Ressence continues its dialogue with contemporary art. The labyrinth is no longer merely depicted on the watch: it lives within it, unravels, and reassembles itself, compelling the wearer to wait for the right moment to uncover its secret.