The Watch

Flat but Sparkling!

Richard Mille sets a new record for ultra-flat mechanical watches with a model developed in collaboration with the Centro Stile Ferrari. slimmer than a ten euro cent coin

by Diego Tamone

Richard Mille’s RM UP-01 is a timepiece with cutting edge form and functions. From top, the hour and minute dial, the winding and timesetting “crown”, the ultra-flat profile, the laser-etched prancing horse logo and the balance wheel assembly Imagination knows no limits, but though creativity often feels free to explore unknown territory, it doesn’t mean that in the end everything is possible and feasible. Even in the niche reserved for the most ingenious, enterprising watchmaking where, thanks to the presence of advanced R&D units, we have become used to allowing ourselves the luxury of doing what we feel like. The inevitable limits are set by the laws of physics and mechanics, which in a delicate mechanical timepiece inevitably always have the last word. Or almost, because if logic - and perhaps simple common sense – were the only considerations, watches like the RM UP-01 Ferrari would never see the light of day. Too extreme, too sophisticated, too highly developed to take exist beyond the concept stage. But Richard Mille has made the impossible possible, setting a new record in the world

With a strikingly essential layout, this model uses unprecedented technical solutions to limit its total thickness to just 1.75 mm, placing it officially in the world record category for mechanical watches. The tonneau-shaped case measures 51 x 39 mm

of ultra-flat watches and producing it in a run of 150 examples with a futuristic construction boasting a total thickness – case plus movement – of only 1.75 mm. To give an idea, that’s slimmer than a ten euro cent coin (1.93 mm) or as thin as a compact disc. Until recently this would be simply inconceivable, but it’s now been achieved by sharing technical and materials know-how with Ferrari. This collaboration has resulted in a manually-wound mechanical movement spread out over a horizontal surface to an unbelievable thickness of only 1.18 mm. This feat is rendered even more amazing by the fact that the model’s grade 5 titanium case enables it to resist shocks and acceleration of more than 5,000 g. richardmille.com