{"id":11055,"date":"2024-08-03T11:30:00","date_gmt":"2024-08-03T06:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.kapoorwatch.com\/blogs\/?p=11055"},"modified":"2024-08-13T12:56:04","modified_gmt":"2024-08-13T07:26:04","slug":"mapping-bvlgari-piaget-and-richard-milles-glorious-pursuit-of-ultra-thin-watches","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.kapoorwatch.com\/blogs\/mapping-bvlgari-piaget-and-richard-milles-glorious-pursuit-of-ultra-thin-watches\/","title":{"rendered":"Mapping Bvlgari, Piaget, and Richard Mille\u2019s Glorious Pursuit of Ultra-Thin Watches"},"content":{"rendered":"Reading Time: <\/span> 6<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>\n

Miniaturising hyper-horlogerie mechanics into spaces slimmer than a samurai sword has been a niche industry obsession with three contenders for the throne: Bvlgari, Richard Mille, and Piaget. Over the last decade, this contest has proven to be a spectacle of sheer innovation and micro-engineering finesse. We\u2019re mapping it out for you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At Watches & Wonders 2024<\/a>, we witnessed two new record-setting ultra-thin watches \u2013 First, the Bvlgari Octo Finissimo Ultra COSC, slating in as the world\u2019s thinnest mechanical watch as well as the thinnest COSC-certified watch at 1.70 millimetres thin. Second, the Piaget Altiplano Ultimate Concept Tourbillon clinching the title for the world\u2019s thinnest tourbillon watch at 2 millimetres thin. Bvlgari loudly celebrated their reclamation of the throne from Richard Mille, whose one-hit-wonder (so far), the UM-01 Ferrari, stole their \u2018ultra-thin\u2019 bragging rights in 2022.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even though these marvels of miniaturisation have been around since the 1950s, considering recent advancements, it\u2019s safe to say we\u2019re currently living in the golden age of ultra-thin watches. Moreso, the last decade of watchmaking is proof of how heavily competitive the conquest for the \u2018ultra-thin\u2019 crown has become.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

History of Ultra-Thin Watchmaking<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

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\"History<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Ultra-thin is not just Piaget\u2019s history \u2013 it\u2019s their DNA. While Piaget has developed over 25 ultra-thin movements over the last decades, the first was 1957\u2019s Piaget 9P, which shrunk its mighty Swiss movement into a mere 2 millimetres of white gold. As a two-handed, time-only dress watch, the 9P wasn\u2019t designed for functionality, like driving, flying, or diving, but instead for distinction. Piaget chose this lesser-travelled path of ultra-thinness out of deliberation and made it their new hallmark. While experts claimed that a timepiece half the thickness of industry standards couldn\u2019t work, Piaget believed it to be a revolution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Three years later, arrived the 12P, a self-wound remix of the 9P but slightly buffed at 2.3 millimetres. After Pieget spent the next few years shifting focus to crafting haute joaillerie novelties, the flair of ultra-thin watches was extinguished by the Quartz Crisis. The rise of the battery evicted gear trains and mainsprings traditionally resting under the bonnet, allowing for slimmer dimensions. The pinnacle of this quartz feat was 1979\u2019s Concord Delirium, which slated in at just 1.98mm thin. Interestingly, in \u201886, Audemars Piguet stuck its head above the parapet with the Calibre 2870, which became the world\u2019s thinnest automatic tourbillon watch at 4.6 millimetres after swapping out its rotor for a winding hammer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

New Era, Same Ultra-Thin Mission for Piaget<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

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\"New<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Right from the legendary 9P and 12P unveiled in the 50s, Piaget was clear upon which rock they\u2019d build their church. In the 70s, the 20P movement measured in at a slick 1.2 millimetres thin, and its successor, the 25P automatic, grew by 0.8 millimetres. Hereafter, the industry witnessed a directional shift caused by the Quartz crisis and a change in vogue \u2013 Piaget\u2019s mission of ultra-slimness was temporarily halted, only to be revived in 2014.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Celebrating the maison\u2019s 140th anniversary, the 900P was a new-generation paean of Piaget\u2019s ultra-slim legacy at 3.65 millimetres, followed by the 910P \u2013 an automatic version that employed a peripheral rotor and fused the main plate with the caseback. This set the stage for Piaget to create the Altiplano Ultimate Concept at 2 millimetres thin in 2018 \u2013 the world\u2019s thinnest mechanical watch (at the time). This slender strike of brilliance claimed the throne from JLC\u2019s Master Ultra-Thin Squelette. It eliminated the need for bridges as the balance wheel rotated on ball bearings in a mono-bloc construction. They also swapped out the index assembly for an adjustable stud. You must be wondering \u2013 where\u2019s the crown? It\u2019s completely flattened out and integrated into the case. The off-centred dial required the development of a patented \u2018\u2019staggered\u2019 stem. All in all, the calibre 900P-UC offered a power reserve of 40 hours.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This finally leads us to the Altiplano Ultimate Concept Tourbillon unveiled at Watches and Wonders 2024. Retaining its 2-millimetre Altiplano architecture, it now houses a magnificent flying tourbillon making it the world\u2019s thinnest tourbillon watch. To achieve this feat, Piaget had to re-engineer 90% of the components and employ a peripheral gear system positioned between two titanium plates. Staple traits remain \u2013 movement merged onto the case and 40-hour power reserve. The hairspring is flattened and cast in gold. Measuring 41.5 millilitres, its blue PVD-coated cobalt alloy case houses the calibre 970P-UC, which is manually wound and employs a one-minute tourbillon at 4 Hz.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Enter, the Richard Mille RM UP-01 Ferrari<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

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In 2022, Richard Mille shocked the watch world, pulling a rabbit out of their hat with the RM UP-01 in collaboration with Ferrari. Measuring 1.75 millimetres slim, it dethroned the previous ruler, Bvlgari\u2019s Octo Finissimo Ultra, by a mere 0.05 millimetres.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unlike Bvlgari<\/a> and Piaget, who have legacies of crafting ultra-thin watches, this was Richard Mille\u2019s debut, and they used a bizarrely brilliant architectural blueprint. Considering the extremely limited real estate at hand, watchmakers traditionally use the caseback as the baseplate for its movement. However, Richard Mille had other ideas \u2013 Instead of squishing them atop each other, Richard Mille spread out the hours, minutes, seconds, and other mechanical feats across the board. Richard Mille partnered with Audemars Piguet\u2019s Renaud & Papi to develop this innovative architecture, employing a titanium variable inertia balance wheel to reach such constricted dimensions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Crowns have always been an innovative aspect of ultra-thin watches, and the RM UP-01 Ferrari is no slouch. It boasts not one but two crowns. Surrounding both crowns are two black ceramic inserts that offer friction protection and aid in water resistance. Also, yes, its Grade 5 Titanium case is 10-metre water resistant. While all of this sounds delicate, this calibre plate is tested to withstand accelerations of over 5,000 Gs. Underneath, the RMUP-01 calibre runs manually and tells hours, minutes and seconds. It offers a power reserve of 45 hours. Ferrari\u2019s bold prancing horse adorns the dial too. Limited to 150 pieces, they\u2019re priced at a hefty USD $1.8 million.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bvlgari\u2019s Family of Ultra-Thin Champions<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

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\"Bvlgari\u2019s<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

For the last decade, Bvlgari has reigned supreme as a master-craftsman of ultra-thin watches \u2013 a family they call \u2018Octo Finisimo\u2019, which started in 2014. The Octo Finisimo collection<\/a> embodies Bvlgari\u2019s mastery over complexity, year after year creating a new paradigm where watches are not just instruments of time but manifestations of life\u2019s inexhaustible potential.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I could speak about these marvels of micro-engineering for days on end, but here\u2019s a quick list of Bvlgari\u2019s record-breaking watches unveiled over the last decade:<\/p>\n\n\n\n