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The Richard Mille RM UP-01 Ferrari is the new world’s thinnest
mechanical wristwatch, at just 1.75 millimeters thick. But whilst its
frame may be diminutive, its price tag is anything but, at a whopping
$1.88 million.
Unless you’re a wristwatch enthusiast, you’re probably not aware that
there’s an exciting competition between watchmakers to create the
world’s thinnest mechanical wristwatch. In 2018, the world record was
set by the Piaget Altiplano Ultimate Concept, with a thickness of 2
millimeters. Earlier this year, Bulgari unveiled the Octo Finissimo
Ultra, a mechanical wonder with a thickness of just 1.8 mm. But its
reign was shortlived as well, because Swiss watchmaker Richard Mille
decided to celebrate its partnership with Ferrari by creating an even
thinner mechanical wristwatch, the RM UP-01 Ferrari, at only 1.75
millimeters.
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Crafted from grade 5 titanium and featuring an ultra-thin mechanism, the
Richard Mille RM UP-01 Ferrari pushes the boundaries of mechanical
timekeeping farther than ever before. Designed in collaboration with
watchmakers Audemars Piguet and Renaud & Papi, the internal mechanism
that makes this think tick measures just 1.18 millimeters thick.
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The design of the new world’s thinnest mechanical wristwatch is
unconventional, with time being displayed by a very small register in
the center of the top half of the watch, with the circle next to it
offering a view of the balance. The two smaller circles on the left side
of the watch are used for accessing the movement. It’s not for everyone
in terms of looks, but when it comes to craftsmanship and ingenuity,
there’s no denying the achievements of Richard Mille on this one.
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Despite its negligible thickness, the Richard Mille RM UP-01 Ferrari is
waterproof to a depth of 10 meters and can reportedly withstand
accelerations of more than 5,000 G’s. It offers users a 45-hour power
reserve matched to a higher frequency of 4Hz.
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In case you’re wondering how thin the RM UP-01 Ferrari really is, we’ll
tell you this much – the wristwatch itself is thinner than the black
rubber strap it comes with. It’s also incredibly light, with the
internal mechanism weighing only 2.82 grams.
Richard Mille claims that over 6,000 man-hours went into developing the
new world’s thinnest mechanical wristwatch, which included creating a
titanium balance wheel and a unique escapement and safety roller to
transfer energy to the balance wheel. This ensures that the extremely
slender timepiece can endure disassembly as well as shocks and
vibrations.
The Richard Mille RM UP-01 Ferrari is a limited-edition mechanical
wristwatch. Only 150 units will ever be made, each of which will be sold
for $1,888,000. That’s over 1,000 per micron of thickness, in case you
were curious…
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