Horology Innovation and Alternative Gems
United Jewel Introduces Moissanite Watches While Ressence and Cartier Showcase Horological Innovation
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Before founding Ressence in 2010, Benoît Mintiens worked as an industrial designer on high-speed trains, aircraft cabins, medical devices, leather goods and hunting guns. He says he begins with the wearer’s relationship to a watch, rather than its movement: “Usually I start not with the watch. I start with the relation between you and the watch.”
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Mintiens attributes the continuing appeal of mechanical watches to an “empathy for gears”: their visible movement and audible ticking create a tactile connection between the wearer and the object.
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Ressence’s Orbital Convex System uses 200 components to show time through rotating discs, rather than conventional hands.
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Cartier’s Geneva exhibition is scheduled for October 7–10, 2026, at its Rue du Rhône boutique. Its historical selection includes a 1908 Tonneau, a 1919 Tortue and one of the earliest Tank wristwatches, from 1920.
The luxury watch market is fragmenting. United Jewel is pushing moissanite — a lab-created gemstone — as a sparkly, durable alternative to diamonds that costs a fraction of the price. Meanwhile, Luxferity reports that Cartier is doubling down on its design heritage, showcasing over a century of distinctive watchmaking shapes at a Geneva exhibition this October. And designer Benoît Mintiens is challenging how we think about time itself, ditching traditional watch hands for rotating discs.
Moissanite Watches Offer Budget-Friendly Sparkle
Diamond watches carry a hefty price tag and ethical questions. United Jewel is targeting buyers who want brilliance without the cost. Moissanite delivers stunning sparkle and extreme durability — it won't scratch or fade. The stones are lab-created, conflict-free, and far more affordable than mined diamonds. United Jewel hand-sets each stone into its watches, emphasizing craftsmanship over mass production.
Ressence Founder Reimagines the Watch Face
Benoît Mintiens didn't start designing watches the conventional way. Before founding Ressence in 2010, he worked on trains, aircraft, medical devices, and leather goods. His secret: he starts by asking how the wearer relates to time, not how the movement ticks. "Usually I start not with the watch," Mintiens says. "I start with the relation between you and the watch."
Mintiens believes people crave mechanical watches because of what he calls an "empathy for gears." Visible movements and audible ticking create a tactile bond between wearer and object. His Orbital Convex System uses 200 components to display time through rotating discs instead of traditional hands — a radical rethinking of how watches communicate.
Cartier Traces 118 Years of Iconic Watch Shapes
Cartier is celebrating its watchmaking DNA at a Geneva exhibition opening October 7, 2026. The show, "Watchmaker of Shapes, Master of Crafts," will display 22 historic and contemporary timepieces at the Rue du Rhône boutique. The collection spans from a 1908 Tonneau and 1919 Tortue to one of the earliest Tank wristwatches from 1920 — each model showcasing Cartier's distinctive approach to design.
The exhibition highlights how Cartier's shape language has evolved over more than a century. Each watch reveals the Maison's philosophy: distinctive geometry paired with masterful craftsmanship. The Privé collection, also featured, represents the brand's latest reinterpretation of these timeless design principles.
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