Richard Mille and Ferrari Made the World’s Thinnest Watch

The Richard Mille RMUP-01 Ferrari – The world’s thinnest watch

Luxury watch brands have been breaking all sorts of records over the past few years in the competition to create the world’s thinnest watch. Watchmakers, with great success, are fitting components into smaller and smaller cases. So, let's take a look at the latest creation from Richard Mille and the three thinnest watches produced in recent years.

1) Richard Mille RMUP-01 Ferrari

The world’s thinnest watch, the Richard Mille RMUP-01 Ferrari

Ultra-thin watches aren’t the first thing that come to mind when you think of Richard Mille. But, with their new release of the Richard Mille RMUP-01 Ferrari, they now hold the prestigious title of world’s thinnest watch.

The Richard Mille RMUP-01 Ferrari is just 1.75 mm in thickness, making it 0.05 mm thinner than the previous record-holder, the Bulgari Octo Finissimo Ultra.

To achieve this feat, Richard Mille has actually developed a distinct movement, rather than building the movement into the case back itself. The Richard Mille RMUP-01 manual wind movement is only 1.18 mm thick, which makes it the thinnest mechanical movement ever made – weighing only 2.82 grams.

The ultra-thin Richard Mille RMUP-01 Ferrari

This record-breaking Richard Mille measures 51 mm in diameter and is designed to look like the dashboard of a sports car, hence the partnership with Ferrari. The movement is also capable of a 45-hour power reserve through its single barrel and fine-gauge mainspring. The movements baseplate and skeletonized bridges are also made from grade 5 titanium, and the watch is water resistant up to 10 metres.

The Richard Mille RMUP-01 Ferrari features a sapphire covered central dial which displays the time, which is bordered by two integrated crowns – one to adjust function, the other to wind the watch. It also features a balance dial and Ferrari’s iconic logo on the other side of the dial.

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The Richard Mille RM-UP-01 Ferrari is the first timepiece to be released from a multi-year partnership between Richard Mille and Ferrari which was announced last year. Needless to say, Richard Mille’s partnership with Ferrari is already breaking records, with the thinnest watch in the world.

The Richard Mille RMUP Ferrari is limited to 150 pieces, and will be $1.88 million USD once it’s up for sale.

2) Bulgari Octo Finissimo Ultra

Bulgari previously celebrated the 10th anniversary of its Octo Finissimo collection by releasing an eighth world record timepiece when they created the world’s slimmest watch...again.

The Octo finissimo measures just 1.8 mm in thickness, making it 0.2 mm thinner than the previous record-holder, the Piaget Altiplano Ultimate Concept.

The Bulgari Octo Finissimo Ultra has a monochromatic look, built from titanium. When you look into the dial, it gives you further insight into the inner workings of the watch. The Bulgari Octo Finissimo has all 170 components of the movement built into the case back itself.

Bulgari spent three years developing the watch, integrated bracelet, and folding clasp.

The Bulgari Octo Finissimo Ultra watch has a mechanical ultra-thin ,manual winding movement, the BVL180 calibre, with regulator display, 28,800 bph (4hz), and 50 hours of power reserve. Instead of a typical crown, Bulgari included two thumbwheels, one for winding and the other for adjusting.

A QR code engraved on the mainspring barrel offers the ability to connect to an NFT and the metaverse, which can also be used to authenticate the watches.

Upon release, the Bulgari Octo Finissimo Ultra was limited to 10 pieces priced at €400,000 (approximately $440,000 USD).

3) The Piaget Altiplano Ultimate Concept

Piaget stole the show at the 2018 Salon international de la Haute Horlogerie with the unveiling of the remarkable Altiplano Ultimate Concept. After a long time in the making, Piaget then officially released the timepiece in 2020 for purchase.

Measuring only 2 mm in thickness, the Altiplano Ultimate Concept served as a stage for numerous Piaget innovations. Piaget’s 900P-UC caliber is built straight into the caseback, just as the Bulgari Octo Finissimo Ultra was. The Piaget Altiplano also included an integral winding strap, textile strap, and a cobalt ardillon buckle. The power reserve of the Altiplano Ultimate Concept extended to more than 40 hours, which at the time was a benchmark in the realm of ultra-thin watches.

The price for Piaget’s Altiplano Ultimate Concept was only available upon request, but has been said to be around $400,000 USD online.

By: Eric Mulder