Oil and Magnets
Typically, oil and magnets are two of a mechanical watch’s greatest enemies. Oil-filled dials are generally not seen on mechanical watches, as there is a danger of oil leaking into the movement and gumming up the works. Magnetism, meanwhile, can affect the delicate metal parts of a movement and disrupt its timekeeping.
But to the Ressence Type 7, both oil and magnets are critical. The oil-filled dial is completely distortion-free, as the oil and the sapphire crystal refract light in a remarkably similar fashion. That’s why the dial looks like a digital screen — the oil makes the hands and subdials appear as if they’re projected directly onto the underside of the crystal.
The oil is completely separated from the automatic movement by a titanium membrane, meaning there’s no possible way for the oil to enter the movement. So then how does the movement direct the hands of the dial? To quote Stargate SG-1‘s Jack O’Neill: Magnets.
A series of micro magnets on each side of the titanium membrane magnetically connect the movement to the ROCS axle, allowing the movement to turn the hands and discs via magnetic transmission. Ressence developed magnetic conductors to reduce and pinpoint the field of the magnets, while also using a special alloy to protect the watch’s escapement. As a result, the magnets have no adverse effect on the timekeeping.