Weekly Wind Down | Sales Highlights including watches from Ressence, Panerai and Swatch

It’s rare to see something truly revolutionary in a traditional art form like watchmaking, but that’s exactly what we’ve got here with Dutch industrial designer Benoît Mintiens’ brand, Ressence. The native Belgian launched his brand in 2010 and has quickly made a major impact on the market. Ressence watches house traditional mechanical watch underpinnings, but introduce a patented Orbital Convex System ‘ROCS’ whereby the time is displayed on a series of discs that constantly move and rotate around the dial. 

This version of Ressence’s Type 1 was made to commemorate Mr Porter’s 10th anniversary and is one of just 10 pieces worldwide. The watch’s tonneau-shaped titanium case is complemented by a matte green dial and matching rubber strap.  A favourite among the Watch Collecting team,  this is a great option for any collector looking for something out of the ordinary. Recently sold on Watch Collecting for £8,900

Panerai is one of those rare brands whose most affordable watches happen to be some of its best. With a history of building dependable tool watches for Italy’s navy ‘frogmen’, simplicity is built into the design DNA. While current owners Richemont, who acquired the brand in the late ‘90s, have constantly introduced new, and increasingly complicated references, there’s something undeniably charming about the simple time-only offerings from Panerai. 

One such example is this Luminor Base Logo. It’s based on the robust 44mm cushion-shaped Luminor case with Panerai’s trademark crown protector. The dial is simple yet highly legible, with just an hour and a minutes hand complementing by large Arabic numerals at 3,6, 9 and 12 o’clock, all of which are generously coated with Super-Luminova.  With recent watch trends favouring smaller case sizes, there’s never been a better time to pick up something from this instantly recognisable Italian powerhouse. Recently sold on Watch Collecting for £2,600

When the introduction of battery powered quartz movements threatened to destroy the Swiss watch industry in the ‘70s and ‘80s, Swatch swooped in and saved the day by offering cheap and fun alternatives to more complicated and pricey alternatives out of Switzerland. With traditional watchmaking’s relevance once again under threat, Swatch have done it again with the release of the ‘Moonswatch’. This collaboration between Swatch and Omega pays homage to the Speedmaster - the first watch worn on the moon. 

Whatever feelings you have towards a plastic version of Omega’s icon, the impact of this release cannot be denied. Never before has the watch world witnessed this kind of pandemonium, with enthusiasts and flippers camping overnight for the chance to get their hands on one. With such a momentous release, it makes sense to acquire the whole set. Recently sold on Watch Collecting for £4,100