Richard Mille breaks the record with the world’s thinnest wristwatch

Text: Albin Johansson

It was not long ago that Bulgari presented its Octo Finissimo Ultra, which with its launch became the world’s thinnest wristwatch with a thickness of a dizzyingly thin 1,8 mm. With this watch Bulgari took over the throne from Piaget and when we did not think a watch could get any thinner, Richard Mille just presented its latest creation the RM UP-01 Ferrari at 1,75 mm.

Eqotime keeps its eyes open for all innovation within the art of watchmaking. Below follows what we know about the model.

Limited Edition in collaboration with Ferrari

As the name reveals, the car manufacturer Ferrari has had a finger in the pie. Richard Mille has a strong connection to motorsport and sponsors F1 drivers among others. Richard Mille and Ferrari began their collaboration in 2021 and this is their most prestigious creation so far. With a watch of this size some compromises have had to be made to bring the height down, but when you look more closely at the specifications you see that Richard Mille and Ferrari have developed this watch so that it can be used ”for real”. A full 6000 hours were put in by the team behind the watch to arrive at the final product and despite its thinness the watch is water resistant, albeit only to 10 metres, as well as built to withstand the G-forces that a driver experiences during a race.

If we take a look at the dial we see that it is far from a traditional design that Richard Mille and Ferrari have chosen for the UP-01. The display of hour and minute is placed recessed at twelve o’clock. To the right of this we find an open balance wheel and directly beneath the balance wheel is Ferrari’s logo. The left side of the case is taken up by two recessed wheels that act as crowns, which we will come to a little later in the text.

In its construction the dial becomes a part of the case in order to save space, which is a part of the recipe for making the watch as thin as possible.

With a watch as thin as this one you could easily believe that Richard Mille solved the thinness by making the case a part of the movement as previous record holders have done. On the contrary, impressively enough the movement sits inside the case like a completely ordinary watch. One of the primary thoughts behind this was to protect the movement so that the watch can be used both for everyday and for slightly tougher treatment, which is a hallmark of watches from Richard Mille.

A number of other technical solutions have however had to be made and the most prominent one is the absence of a traditional crown. Instead there are two wheels placed to the left on the front of the watch. The upper wheel is only there to set whether you are going to wind the movement or set the hands and the lower one is also screwed to set the hands, but also to wind the watch depending on which position the upper wheel is set to. W thus stands for winding and H for hand setting.

The watch is made in Grade-5 titanium, which is an extremely durable and lightweight material.

Eqotime applauds Richard Mille and Ferrari for this model and likes the idea of the world’s, right now, thinnest watch still being produced in a relatively large series with the thought that it should actually be usable. Whether the watch is good value and aesthetically appealing we think however lies in the eye of the beholder.

Technical specifications

Brand: Richard Mille
Model: UP-01 Ferrari

Diameter: 51 x 39 mm
Thickness: 1,75 mm
Case material: Titanium (Grade 5)

Water resistance: 10 m
Bracelet: Black rubber

Movement: In-house caliber
Complications: Date
Power reserve: 45 h
Winding: Manual

Price: 1 700 000 CHF

Read more about the model at Richard Mille