Inside the race to create the world’s thinnest watch, from Bulgari’s latest to Richard Mille’s RM UP-01 Ferrari, and Audemars Piguet and Panerai’s offerings – but experts say they’re missing the point

In 1957, Piaget launched the first of many very seriously skinny movements. The 9P measured just 2mm and was rightfully dubbed the thinnest hand-wound mechanical watch in the world at the time. The design and functions of these ultra-thin pieces have often been simple: a three-hand round watch with hair-thin baton hour markers punctuating the dial. The skinny watch has become a big part of Piaget’s watchmaking identity. In 2018, the 4.3mm thick Altiplano 910P, fitted with a peripheral rotor, was crowned the world’s thinnest automatic watch. It was a clear reminder that while other watchmakers had attempted to slim down their watches over the years, Piaget was still very much at the forefront of slender movements. These thin pieces seem to go against the trend for the bulkier aesthetics made popular by the likes of Panerai, Hublot, Roger Dubuis and Richard Mille over the past decade and a half. Perhaps because of their practicality, or just the incredible engineering involved, ultra-thin watches never disappeared entirely, despite not always being the most talked-about novelties. This vintage George Daniels watch just broke British auction records “Over the course of history in mechanical horology, there has been a popular consensus that the slimmer the watch, the more top-notch it is,” said Thomas Perazzi, head of watches, Asia, at auction house Phillips. Small calibres have played a particularly important part in the history of ladies’ timepieces, where generally daintier wrists require smaller movements. Among the most iconic designs of this genre is Jaeger-LeCoultre’s 101. This ladies’ timepiece has, ever since its launch, housed the world’s smallest mechanical movement: it is only on taking a closer look that the diamond bracelet reveals itself to be, in fact, a watch. There has been a popular consensus that the slimmer the watch, the more top-notch it is Thomas Perazzi, head of watches, Asia at Phillips Much like Jaeger-LeCoultre’s 101, the men’s dress watch’s associations with classic elegance makes it an obvious choice for housing ultra-thin movements. Unlike bulky dive watches that needed to be strapped over wetsuits, slim watches naturally lend themselves to being hidden stealthily under tuxedo shirt sleeves. But while watchmakers may compete to develop the thinnest cases, it is the ease of wear they offer, rather than the desire to own the thinnest model on the market, that usually drives buyers. Austen Chu, collector and founder of pre-owned watch platform Wristcheck, is quick to note these skinny watches do not arise from consumer demands. Rainbows, rocks and Nashville: watch brands’ launches for the holiday season “I don’t know a single collector who cares for a watch’s thinness over everything else. This whole trend may be important for brands – the consumers just want smaller, nicer, more ergonomic watches,” Chu said. Perazzi agrees that the rise of these timepieces is the result of ambition. “The driving force behind this recent obsession is most likely powered by man’s desire to push for excellence, push boundaries and break records.” Some also see slim watches with leather straps as lacking the durability and practicality needed for daily wear. “A lot of the ultra-thin watches are quite unwearable, to be honest,” Chu said. A case in point: auctioneers Phillips recently launched an Altiplano Origin China Edition watch in collaboration with Piaget with wearability in mind. While not the thinnest watch ever made by the brand, it is an example of ultra-thin watchmaking at its finest – a watch meant to be worn rather than just locked in a safe, according to Perazzi. “The case is only 6.36mm thick, which perfectly conceals the reliable, ultra-thin automatic movement within. One of the thinnest movements Piaget makes, the Calibre 1205P is robust enough to be used as an engine that powers this every day watch,” the watch specialist said. Chu and Perazzi agree these watches represent the extremes to which watchmakers are willing to go to refine their craft, and their continuous pursuit of innovation, rather than being appreciated purely for their aesthetics. Bulgari began its ultra-thin journey in 2014 and has since set seven records, including the thinnest perpetual calendar, self-winding tourbillon, two-time zone chronograph and minute repeater. This year it set a record for the world’s thinnest watch overall with the 1.8mm Octo Finissimo Ultra. Glitz and glam: how high jewellery became a permanent fixture in Hollywood This “battle for the thinnest” title motivated one of the most unlikely watchmakers to tackle the challenge. Richard Mille, known for its bold timepieces, quickly broke the record, launching the 1.75mm thick ultra-flat Calibre RM UP-01 Ferrari just months after Bulgari’s launch. The brand was driven by its association with the racing world to create a timepiece that can be worn on the racetrack. Engineers even enlisted the help of Ferrari F1 team drivers Carlos Sainz Jr. and Charles Leclerc to test the watch’s reliability. The Calibre RM UP-01 defies mechanical conventions and how the time is set and read. The bladelike titanium body is so slim that, weighing in at only 2.82 grams, it is lighter by far than its 27-gram rubber strap. Salvador Arbona, technical director for movements at Richard Mille, said the challenge was not only in creating something ultra-thin but that also upheld the standards of the house’s movements. A lot of the ultra-thin watches are quite unwearable, to be honest Austen Chu, collector and founder of Wristcheck “To confirm its reliability, it had to meet the same validation requirements as all our other models. In this quest for absolute flatness, we had to offer a watch that, far from being a ‘concept watch’, was up to the task of following a user’s daily life, whatever the circumstances,” Arbona said. Every element of the timepiece had to be re-engineered to accommodate the flatness of the design. “There’s an extra-flat barrel, less than 1.18mm thick, with an extremely thin hairspring. There’s also a new, patented, ultra-flat escapement, with a dart-free anchor that has an elongated fork fitted with new horns. The balance wheel in titanium is a first for the brand,” Arbona added. 6 most stunning art-inspired watches of 2022 – from Patek Phillipe to Richard Mille While some watchmakers are clearly creating skinny timepieces driven by the goal of breaking records, others do so as a way to solve the more relatable, every day issue of making a watch more comfortable to wear. Wristcheck’s Chu says that ultimately, the thinness has to come hand in hand with a good, practical design. “I think Audemars Piguet’s RD#2, RD#3 in both 37mm and 39mm [diameter] are great examples of what ultra-thin watchmaking should be like because they’re not trying to be the thinnest, they’re just trying to make something that’s smaller, better for a larger demographic and something that they’ve never done before,” Chu said. The Jumbo Extra-Thin RD#3 39mm in question measures 8.1mm thick and is an evolution of its predecessor the RD#2, which is 1mm larger in diameter. Audemar Piguet’s movement specialist Anne Gaëlle said the house worked for five years to create a movement to fit the case rather than vice versa. “A regular tourbillon movement for a 41mm case allows for more components, while an ultra-thin one forces us to reduce the number of components due to lack of space, hence it requires the redesign of the architecture of the mechanism.” 6 most macho luxury watches of 2022 – from Top Gun to Mars time As to what ultimately makes a good ultra-thin watch, Chu has this to say: “I personally don’t think there’s anything wrong with going thin as long as you’re not sacrificing other things. But from the recent world records, you can tell that they’re sacrificing quite a lot to achieve that thinness.” For collectors, a collectible watch is about design and innovation, but perhaps above all, it needs to make sense. “There’s a market for people who love ultra-thin watches, but I think the conversation should be around dials getting smaller rather than cases getting thinner,” Chu says. Want more stories like this? Follow STYLE on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and Twitter.