Life and joy. Joy to live. Enjoy life.
Drawing on a dial. A dial as a canvas. A canvas for art. Art on the wrist. Wrist in motion. Motion at its minimalist. Minimalist drawn line. A line that tells time. TimeForArt.
ENJOY LIFE – This is the mantra that artist Shantell Martin inscribed onto a unique Ressence TYPE 1 Squared, crafted for the TimeForArt 2024 auction.
Known for her monumental murals, like the one at the World Trade Center’s Oculus station, and live performances, Shantell Martin has made a mark in the art world through diverse projects. She’s held solo exhibitions at venues like the Rockefeller Center in New York City and the Vardan Gallery in Los Angeles. Martin has also ventured into unique collaborations, from choreographing for the Boston Ballet to creating a meditative walking path in Times Square. Her art extends into design with brands like Vitra and Max Mara. Now, she has accepted Ressence’s scale challenge to draw directly onto a watch dial.
Featuring a white dial and only black hands, carved into Ressence’s signature flush rotating discs, this special TYPE 1 Squared serves as the perfect blank canvas for Martin’s celebrated black-on-white drawings. Free from traditional hands, this watch reads time like words on paper, making its surface an ideal space for art and time to coexist.
Art in motion
With just two words, – enjoy life – this one-of-a-kind wrist piece invites the wearer to experience each moment, with the spontaneity and freedom of Martin’s fluid line. On a Ressence dial, Shantell’s signature line moves continuously, from abstraction to clear drawing and clear drawing to abstraction, presenting a dynamic ever-changing watch face. Alive, and always evolving, this unique dial is reminding us that life is to be experienced, not controlled, or held back, and that the journey, not just the destination, is to be embraced.
TimeForArt auction
The TimeForArt auction benefit contemporary artists and support culture, making this project not just a piece of art but a contribution to the broader creative community. The second edition of this biennial auction, organized by New York’s non-profit Swiss Institute, will take place on December 7th, 2024, as part of The Phillips New York Watch Auction, in association with Bacs & Russo and under the hammer of auctionneer Aurel Bacs.
“We don’t see the final result as just a watch, but rather as a piece of art on your wrist. It’s a unique interaction between visual storytelling and mechanical ingenuity, where the simple act of telling time becomes an artistic expression.” says Benoît Mintiens, Founder of Ressence.
“Working with Shantell felt like a natural fit for us,” he continues. “Her minimalist approach, fluid lines, and the profound freedom of expression in her art resonate deeply with Ressence. Shantell’s work captures our ethos perfectly—it’s about being true to oneself, creating something that is striking and meaningful without shouting for attention.”
He concludes, “TimeForArt represents a unique opportunity to showcase how the worlds of watchmaking and contemporary art can intersect and inspire each other, a vision we share at Ressence.”
“I love that a watch can become, and is, in many ways a vessel for art, innovation, and connection. You can clearly see this with the Ressence brand, which is what makes this collaboration so special and unique.” says artist Shantell Martin.
NAME: TYPE 12 SHA
Functions
• Hours
• Minutes
• Seconds
• Day
Movement
Technical Specifications
• Patented ROCS 1.3 – Ressence Orbital Convex System – module driven by the minute axle of a customised 2892 base calibre
• Caseback winding and day/time setting
• Self-winding
• 36 hours power reserve
• 28,800 vibrations per hour
• 40 jewels
• 27 gears
• 2 ball bearings
• Convex German silver dial (250mm diameter) with 3 eccentric biaxial satellites inclined at 3° (hours) and 4.75° (seconds and day)
• White coating, no indexes, no numbers
• Black permanent marker with 0.1mm tip
Case
Buckle & Strap
• Glass pearled grade 5 titanium ardillon buckle
• Black calf leather strap(20/20mm) Components
• 212 components / 64 grams
Dial
• Glass pearled grade 5 titanium
• Double-domed sapphire crystal top with anti-reflective coating inside
• Manual winding over 12° and set up via lever
• 41 mm (diameter) x 11mm (thickness)
• 1 ATM splash-resistance
ABOUT RESSENCE
Founded by industrial designer Benoît Mintiens in 2010, Ressence is redefining the essence of contemporary watchmaking. From the start, we have taken on a “Less is More” approach, stripping away unnecessary attributes that traditional watches have clung to for decades.
Combining Swiss-made calibres with our own innovations, we reimagine the interaction between mechanical watches and their owners. Our minimalistic designs aim to awaken the senses and provoke wonder, making our watches daily companions for today’s and future generations.
It all began with the Zero Series, featuring a revolutionary dial design where time is represented on flush two-dimensional rotating discs. Gone are the traditional hands. Time reads like words on paper. This hallmark of simplicity continued with the TYPE 1, which got rid of the crown, resulting a truly ambidextrous watch. The TYPE 3 pushed boundaries further with its oil-filled dial, eliminating refraction and enhancing legibility. This watch earned us the 2013 Horological Revelation Award at the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève. The TYPE 2 introduced the world’s first automatic self-setting crown, removing the need for manual adjustments. Our latest, the TYPE 8, stands as the most essential and graphically simplified Ressence, displaying only hours and minutes.
Discover more at RessenceWatches.com and join us on Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, Pinterest, and YouTube.
ABOUT SHANTELL MARTIN
Born in London in 1980, Shantell Martin is a multidisciplinary artist who lives and works in Los Angeles, California. She is recognised for her fluid, freehand lines that reflect themes of identity, self- expression, and human experience. Her work often takes shape in public spaces, digital performances, and everyday objects, where she draws inspiration from the context and surroundings she engages with. Known for transforming every surface into storytelling canvases, Martin’s lines seem simple but invite deep reflection and interaction with the viewer.
Shantell Martin’s art is a metaphor for life — continuous, evolving, and spontaneous. Whether creating large-scale murals, like at the Oculus at the World Trade Center or Rockefeller Center, or collaborating with brands like Vitra and Max Mara, she explores themes of identity and self-expression. Her partnerships with celebrated figures such as Kendrick Lamar and Kelly Wearstler further underscore her impact in the art world. Even when working on diverse projects, like choreographing for the Boston Ballet or creating a meditative walking path in Times Square, Martin stays focused on encouraging people to follow their own path and embrace their uniqueness. Her art is deeply introspective and thought-provoking.
Discover Shantell Martin’s work at shantellmartin.art and on Instagram.
ABOUT TIMEFORART
TimeForArt is the first and only benefit watch auction to support contemporary art and artists. TimeForArt is a curated benefit auction of exceptional timepieces from the world’s greatest watchmakers, with 100% of the proceeds directly enabling today’s most visionary contemporary artists, through Swiss Institute’s exhibitions, public programs, education & community engagement workshops – which are all free of charge.
TimeForArt is a biennial auction, and provides a year-round platform for exchange between horological and visual arts. While deeply intertwined, the worlds of art and horology rarely come together in meaningful collaborations. TimeForArt seeks to change that by bridging the gap between the two intrinsically connected fields.
Learn more about TimeForArt auction at timeforart.ch and on Instagram.
ABOUT SWISS INSTITUTE
TimeForArt(SI) is an entirely independent non-government affiliated non-profit art space in New York dedicated to promoting forward-thinking, and experimental art making. Since its founding by Swiss patrons in 1986, SI has come to be known for its innovative exhibitions, dedication to artists, and wide range of public programs. Open to all and always free of charge, SI annually produces six major exhibitions, dozens of public programs, education workshops, and community engagement initiatives that serve over 50,000 visitors each year. As a fully independent 501(c)3 non-profit organization primarily funded through private support, philanthropy is essential in implementing SI’s mission.
Learn more about the Swiss Institute at swissinstitute.net.
