Good evening everyone!
On July 7, 2022, a shocking model that shook the watch industry was announced.
An incredibly thin watch, just 1.75mm thick
[ Richard Mille ] " RM UP-01 Ferrari "
Reference: https://ferrari.richardmille.com/en/
When I first saw the whole thing, I was so surprised that I wondered if it was even a wristwatch! The world was so astonished that the only words that could be used to describe it were a collaboration between Richard Mille, which continues to make "extreme watches," and Ferrari, which is synonymous with supercars.
This time, I would like to explain the " coolness " of the " RM UP-01 Ferrari " that becomes more apparent the more you know about it. If you are a fan of [Richard Mille], or any luxury watch fan, I hope you will enjoy watching until the end.
*All watch images are taken from the official Richard Mille website (reference: https://ferrari.richardmille.com/ja/).
[Richard Mille] "RM UP-01 Ferrari"
In 2021, Richard Mille and Ferrari entered into a long-term partnership. The long-awaited first collaboration model was announced: the RM UP-01 Ferrari . This watch was created after more than 6,000 hours of development and dozens of prototypes, and is the ultimate watch that embodies the pursuit of perfection shared by both brands.
What's so awesome about the RM UP-01 Ferrari?
The world's thinnest! Only 1.75mm thick!
As mentioned at the beginning, its most distinctive feature is the world's thinnest case thickness of just 1.75mm . This is 0.05mm thinner than the world's thinnest watch at the time, which was released by Bulgari's Octo in March of this year, at 1.8mm , and it broke the world record in just about four months.
You may not understand the numbers, but If I say " it's thinner than a 500 yen coin ," you can get an idea of just how thin it is.
This is made possible by a bold design that integrates the case and movement . The crown is eliminated, and the mainspring can be wound and the time can be adjusted by rotating the selector at the top left and the dial below it. In addition, the time display and adjustment mechanism are covered by a sapphire glass that is only 0.2 mm thick, and the watch is also waterproof to 10 meters .
The dial features Ferrari's iconic prancing horse and other markings laser engraved on it, making it easy to identify that this is a collaboration model.
The case is made of Grade 5 titanium , a material that is familiar to Richard Mille. This excellent material is highly corrosion-resistant and hard, and is less likely to cause skin irritation. It is also used in the aerospace industry and aircraft. It also has a durability of up to 5000G .
Movement developed in collaboration with Audemars Piguet
Richard Mille is also known for actively outsourcing the development of movements to external companies. In order to achieve the astonishing thinness of the "world's thinnest" watch, it was necessary to develop a new movement. And the company they chose to co-develop the movement was Audemars Piguet Le Locle . As its name suggests, it is a movement company under the umbrella of Audemars Piguet, and is also the company that developed the minute repeater "Supersonnerie".
Another point that watch lovers cannot miss is that this watch is developed by a subsidiary of Richard Mille, Ferrari, and Audemars Piguet, resulting in a kind of triple collaboration.
Of course, the quality of the movement itself is outstanding. The patented ultra-flat escapement, developed to achieve the world's thinnest watch, has succeeded in reducing thickness without compromising functionality or performance by creating a variable moment of inertia balance. By eliminating the guard and safety roller that protect the lever from impacts found in conventional escapements and attaching the anchor stopper directly to the anchor, the thickness of the anchor has been reduced.
To be honest, it's so amazing that I can't really explain it, but in a word, it's like " the escapement structure was redesigned from scratch, and unnecessary parts were thoroughly eliminated in order to reduce the thickness ." This resulted in an astonishing movement thickness of 1.18mm .
More expensive than a Ferrari?! What's the surprising price?
The RM UP-01 Ferrari is not only impressive in its manufacturing technique, but also in its price.
The price is...
$1,888,000 (approx. JPY 255,450,000) *Limited production of 150 units
Richard Mille is known for creating watches that ignore price. With the idea of "aiming to be the Formula 1 of wristwatches," the company invests huge amounts of money and uses cutting-edge materials, technology, and equipment to create watches, bringing innovation to the luxury watch industry.
Considering that the RM UP-01 Ferrari is the world's thinnest watch, and that it uses the best of technology and has a new movement, it may not actually be too expensive. It is a watch that strongly conveys the unfathomable power of luxury watches and the unwavering policy of the Richard Mille brand.
summary
What did you think.
Since the brand's inception, Richard Mille has continued to produce unprecedented, stunning watches.
This time too, Richard Mille has announced a watch that will amaze not only watch fans, but the whole world. The long-awaited first collaboration watch with Ferrari, the RM UP-01 Ferrari, was a masterpiece that surprised everyone just by its appearance. We will be keeping an eye on the new watches that Richard Mille will be releasing in the future!
Once again, I hope that by reading this article, more and more people will become fans of luxury watches.
see you!!