Ressence and Sotheby’s Covid - 19 Unique Timepiece Competition Winner

Raymond Ramsden 58, from West Yorkshire has won an internationally acclaimed design competition supporting COVID-19 research.

Exclusive Belgian watch manufacturer Ressence teamed up with prestige auction house Sotheby’s to launch a COVID - 19 redesign competition and auction of their latest timepiece the Ressence Type 1 Slim.

The winning watch design is to be produced as a unique offering and auctioned through Sotheby's with the proceeds benefiting COVID-19 research.

The watch will be part of Sotheby's "Important Watches" auction in Hong Kong on July 11. Proceeds from the sale will go to support the COVID-19 Research Programme from KU Leuven and UZ Leuven universities.

There were 466 worldwide entries in the competition, ranging from children and professional designers to watchmakers. Ressence designers selected four finalists and then turned things over to Instagram, where followers could vote on their favorite.

Speaking about the competition, Ressence founder and CEO Benoît Mintiens said, "Letting our community have the final say and be part of our project felt like the right thing to do.

During the selection process, we discussed the feasibility of the designs with our Swiss manufacturers.

We also wanted to create a genuine one-off, so we opted for entries that were far from our own artistic direction. And most importantly, we chose optimistic approaches which would bring a message of hope in the current difficult times."

Raymond’s design was inspired by, and in celebration of, human values and the dedication of key workers during the pandemic.

The base, pastel blue color represents medical staff, key workers, and all the people who, by their work and dedication, supported society through the COVID-19 pandemic.

The red hand symbolizes human interaction and the importance of washing hands to limit the spread of the virus.

The blue subdial represents the planet Earth. The yellow subdial is the sun giving warmth, light, and life. The white subdial is the Moon, representing aspirations, romance, and dreams. Finally, the red 19 marker on the minute track is a discreet reference to COVID-19.

Per the contest guidelines, Raymond had been asked to provide an inscription for the engraving on the back of the case.

He chose “Ayrton & Fin” which are the names of his sons.

Speaking on the significance of this inscription, Raymond said, “the children of the world are the future”.

Raymond Ramsden 07703 440641

Raymond lives in East Morton with his wife Elizabeth and his two boys.

He runs an interior design business called Ayrton Interiors in Sutton in Craven, Yorkshire.