One of the biggest names in industrial design, Australian talent Marc Newson is best known for his smooth lines, amoebic silhouettes, and a long-standing aversion to sharp edges. Iconic works such as the 1988 Lockheed Lounge chair – crafted from riveted aluminum using techniques borrowed from aircraft manufacturing – signaled the beginning of an era. The fluid, tech-forward restraint of the 1990s emerged as a counterpoint to bombastic Postmodernism, embracing material experimentation and unconventional form without excess.

That same approach to coherent, though never rigidly monolithic, form-giving informs Newson’s latest project: the TYPE 3 Marc Newson watch, developed in close partnership with Antwerp- and Geneva-based watchmaker Ressence.

At its core, the TYPE 3 MN showcases Ressence’s proprietary co-planar surface with mechanical display module, the patented Ressence Orbital Convex System (ROCS 3). Beneath a domed sapphire crystal, the dial appears to float within a sealed chamber filled with 4.15 ml of silicone oil – an ingenious solution that cancels light refraction, eliminates glare, and creates a magnified, almost holographic effect. The result is a seamless, elliptical form that reads less like a traditional watch and more like a luminous orb: a slim, ergonomic “spaceship” anchored effortlessly to the wrist.

The watch’s cohesive design and engineering emerged through a close collaboration between Newson and Ressence founder Benoît Mintiens. Its otherworldly silhouette subtly nods to Newson’s iconic Ikepod watches of the 1990s, while Ressence’s distinctive time display lends a quietly sporty sensibility. The pairing evokes the refined performance of a 1960s Aston Martin DB5 – elegant, precise, and meticulously finished in polished metal.