Richard Mille unveils the world's thinnest mechanical watch

[Shawn Knight]

Why it matters: Swiss luxury watch mater Richard Mille has unveiled what it claims is the world's thinnest mechanical watch. The impossibly thin RM UP-01 Ferrari is a manual winding ultraflat measuring just 1.75mm from dial to caseback, narrowly edging out previous record holder Bulgari and its Octo Finissimo Ultra by 0.05mm.

For comparison, an Apple Watch Series 7 is 10.7mm thick. You could stack six of these together and it still wouldn't be as thick as one Apple Watch.

The watch's skeletonized baseplate and bridges are constructed from an alloy that is 90 percent titanium, six percent aluminum and four percent vanadium. The combination, which is frequently used in advanced aerospace applications, boosts the material's strength compared to commercially pure titanium.

The RM UP-01 Ferrari can withstand accelerations of more than 5,000 Gs and is water resistant to 10 meters. Its movement – the internal components that make the timepiece functional – were co-developed with Audemars Piguet Renaud & Papi. Richard Mille also collaborated with Ferrari on the project, and collectively logged more than 6,000 hours of development and lab testing.

I'm far from a watch aficionado but I can appreciate the level of craftsmanship on display here. As a lay person, however, I can't say that this creation is all that pleasing aesthetically. The Bulgari piece is far more stylish IMO.

The RM UP-01 Ferrari is being limited to just 150 examples and will retail for a staggering $1,888,000.

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https://www.techspot.com/news/95207-richard-mille-unveils-world-thinnest-mechanical-watch.html

 

[WhoCaresAnymore]

Horology and all of those gears is just not in my skill set

 

[Tantor]

Cool. By adding Ferrari to the name, they have broadened the market to car afficionados. There probably are rich guys who can't wait to open their wallets. They need to issue some glasses so folks can actually read the small dials. The watch is self winding, I wonder how much they charge to clean and service it. Probably more than a Bugatti oil change. The only thing missing is an EV version...

 

[mbk34]

That is a truly god awful looking watch and barely even shows the time. The only thing it does show is that you have more money than sense.

 

[VitalyT]

Just place your watch on a train rail. It will be golden, if you manage to scrape it off, and way thinner, Richard Miller will be jealous.

 

[Bobbydpue]

Cool. By adding Ferrari to the name, they have broadened the market to car afficionados. There probably are rich guys who can't wait to open their wallets. They need to issue some glasses so folks can actually read the small dials. The watch is self winding, I wonder how much they charge to clean and service it. Probably more than a Bugatti oil change. The only thing missing is an EV version...

So much butt hurt in this post. Why are you upset about the price of a hyper-luxury watch that's using advanced technology and materials to do something you don't care about? The watch is not self winding the article said "manual winding". Ferrari engineering worked with RM they didn't just slap the name on it and called it a day.

That is a truly god awful looking watch and barely even shows the time. The only thing it does show is that you have more money than sense.

Why are people so upset about something not meant for them? I don't crap on hobbies I don't care about just because it's expensive. Nearly every hobby that involves gear has an upper level of expensive stuff: driving, cooking, writing, mountain biking, music, photography...etc You don't have to buy expensive stuff to enjoy life, but the technology developed for high end gear eventually trickles down to more affordable levels.

So many people don't understand buying a graphics card for $1000+ just to play games since you can just play games on your phone, but they aren't enthusiasts and don't understand. Why are you crapping on technology on a tech site forum? Why are you even here if you don't want technology to progress?

How does the amount of money someone has corollate to their ability to perceive the world around them? If someone has $100 million of disposable income every year why does it matter to you what they spend it on?

 

[stewi0001]

I appreciate the marvel of engineering this is but I still prefer my G-Shock watch.

 

[mbk34]

Why are people so upset about something not meant for them? I don't crap on hobbies I don't care about just because it's expensive.

I actually have a reasonable collection of watches myself. I have no issue with people paying good money for a beautiful watch (or a beautiful anything) but I'd laugh at someone spending $2M on this thing which looked like it came out of a Christmas cracker.

 

[joe1946]

Can I receive phone call while riding my bike like my Apple Watch ? LOL It's just jewelry for men that shows the time of day. BFD

 

[mbk34]

Can I receive phone call while riding my bike like my Apple Watch ? LOL It's just jewelry for men that shows the time of day. BFD

In all honesty I don't really want to answer the phone via my watch. I don't want to answer my phone at all if I'm out riding my bicycle. I've tried getting on with smart watches but I just didn't like them and charging them up constantly was too much for me. Some people like fancy cars or motorbikes but, for the most part, they're stuck in a garage somewhere out of sight while a watch is always there on your wrist where you can appreciate the design and the engineering at any time. $2M though is stupid money, especially for a watch like that.

 

[Tantor]

So much butt hurt in this post. Why are you upset about the price of a hyper-luxury watch that's using advanced technology and materials to do something you don't care about? The watch is not self winding the article said "manual winding". Ferrari engineering worked with RM they didn't just slap the name on it and called it a day.


Why are people so upset about something not meant for them? I don't crap on hobbies I don't care about just because it's expensive. Nearly every hobby that involves gear has an upper level of expensive stuff: driving, cooking, writing, mountain biking, music, photography...etc You don't have to buy expensive stuff to enjoy life, but the technology developed for high end gear eventually trickles down to more affordable levels.

So many people don't understand buying a graphics card for $1000+ just to play games since you can just play games on your phone, but they aren't enthusiasts and don't understand. Why are you crapping on technology on a tech site forum? Why are you even here if you don't want technology to progress?

How does the amount of money someone has corollate to their ability to perceive the world around them? If someone has $100 million of disposable income every year why does it matter to you what they spend it on?

Good analysis, but you're directing it at the wrong guy.

I can't even begin to add up all the money I've spent on computers and cars over the years. I have lots of respect for the people that design and build these beautiful mechanisms. I wrote the post poking fun at myself as a gadget freak. I guess that didn't come through.

But sometimes a little humor is appropriate.

 

[Mr Majestyk]

You would need to pay me $2 million to wear this abomination. I should apologise to Apple, even their watch is a masterpiece compared to this.

 

[BogdanR]

I would rather buy an Urwerk for a whole lot less money if I could afford something exotic on my wrist. However as someone with a University mechanical engineering degree, I’m truly impressed by the level of design here. Sure, at the utilitarian level, my $250 Seiko Atlas would beat this RM, much like a Corolla would beat an Aventador but that’s not the point of this watch existence. This was made to show what can be done and I’m sure Bulgari or JLC or someone else will try to beat this record. I’m happy there are collectors who will finance those attempts.

 

[Diwiak]

Just place your watch on a train rail. It will be golden, if you manage to scrape it off, and way thinner, Richard Miller will be jealous.

Best comment :-DD. And great idea :-DD

 

[Bobbydpue]

I actually have a reasonable collection of watches myself. I have no issue with people paying good money for a beautiful watch (or a beautiful anything) but I'd laugh at someone spending $2M on this thing which looked like it came out of a Christmas cracker.

Yeah it's not meant for you or me. I wouldn't buy one either, but I wouldn't crap on someone who did, because that's being a terrible toxic person. I said as much in my previous post, but I guess some people want to lord their "superior" opinion over others.

 

[mbk34]

Ferrari engineering worked with RM they didn't just slap the name on it and called it a day.

I don't think that's true. RM sponsor the Ferrari team and, as a sponsor, they can put the Ferrari logo on some of their products. Or did you think Ferrari has some in depth knowledge of watch making that RM wanted to tap into?

I wouldn't crap on someone who did, because that's being a terrible toxic person.

I think the only person here trying to crap on anyone is you. My statements were fairly factual: that watch is god awful to look at and it's even hard to read the time on it.