The race to make the world’s thinnest watch: how Richard Mille’s US$1.88 million UP-01 Ferrari inched the record from the Bulgari Octo Finissimo Ultra and Piaget Altiplano Ultimate Concept
- Piaget are past masters, releasing their 2mm-thick Calibre 9P movement in 1957 – in 2020 its AUC watch became the world’s thinnest and Aiguille d’Or winner at 2mm overall
- Bulgari began a chase for the world record with the Octo Finissimo collection, claiming the title in March 2022 … before Richard Mille went one better in July 2022
Ever since the term haute horlogerie came about, watchmakers have been obsessed not only with accurate timekeeping, but also with creating pieces with ever more sophisticated movements and intricate complications. This has resulted in watches that are hefty and sometimes even uncomfortable to wear. While these robust cases – some upwards of 12mm thick – may be necessary to protect the movement against the elements (think pilot and dive watches) and ensure reliability, most of the time they serve little purpose other than to prove that they can be done, showcasing the technical creativity and capability of the watchmaker.
Lately however, there has been an aesthetic shift away from thick watches to thin, and increasingly, ultra-thin watches. Horologists are now pushing their craft in the opposite direction and creating svelte timepieces that are not only lightweight but also classic.
So just how thin is ultra-thin? To get our terminologies straight, the average thickness of a watch is between 8mm to 12mm, so when we talk about “ultra-thin” watches, we’re referring to those slimmer than 8mm.
Ultra-thin watches are not a new development. In 1957, Piaget released its groundbreaking Calibre 9P movement, then the thinnest mechanical movement at just 2mm thick (or thin?). Three years later, Piaget released its 2.3mm Calibre 12P automatic movement, which solidified the Geneva-based brand’s position at the forefront of ultra-thin watches. This was a title they took seriously – and still do – continuing to research and create increasingly thin calibres that have even included chronograph and tourbillon complications.
The pinnacle of Piaget’s more than six decades of R&D into ultra-thin watches came with the 2020 release of the Altiplano Ultimate Concept (AUC). At just 2mm – cobalt alloy case, sapphire crystal and all – this is the same thickness as their classic Calibre 9P movement alone.
The AUC was able to achieve this massive technical leap by using the case as the main plate where the movement is mounted and held. This development was instrumental to the AUC winning the Aiguille d’Or award, the highest honour at the 2020 Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève. Most importantly, following its release (the watch was first unveiled as a concept at the 2018 Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie) the AUC held the record for the world’s thinnest watch.
Note that “held”. Yes, it was groundbreaking and at 2mm, very impressive indeed for a mechanical watch. But it turns out it wasn’t thin enough. In March 2022, Bulgari became the new record-holder with its release of the Octo Finissimo Ultra at just 1.8mm.
Following pacesetters Piaget, Bulgari have also become a brand associated with ultra-thin watches. Since it launched the Octo Finissimo collection eight years ago, Bulgari has been relentless in its pursuit for ever-greater leanness. It set record after record, from the thinnest tourbillon and self-winding watch, to the thinnest tourbillon chronograph and perpetual calendar.