How does one place all the functions in a timepiece that is 1.75mm thick with a movement that is 1.18mm and weighs a mere 2.82g? The RM UP-01 Ferrari by Richard Mille has achieved this remarkable feat. The extraordinary ultra-flat timepiece is a testament to the 2021 collaboration between Ferrari and Richard Mille, in which both share a mutual pursuit of perfection.
The creation of this timepiece is the culmination of numerous years of dedication, involving the development of dozens of prototypes and over 6,000 hours of testing in the laboratory. Richard Mille assembles the movement within the case, rather than adopting a design where the caseback serves as the baseplate, thus guaranteeing absolute shock resistance under any circumstances.
Julien Boillat, technical director for cases at Richard Mille, says: “For such a project, it was necessary to set aside all the knowledge we had amassed over years of practice, and every conceivable standard of watchmaking. This is precisely what we did throughout our collaboration with the laboratories of Audemars Piguet Le Locle. Shaving off those last millimetres of depth was an extremely demanding and lengthy process.”
To meet the technical challenge of creating an ultra-flat watch meant that the conventional idea of a movement with overlapping gears and hands had to be dropped. Richard Mille chose a different approach by dispersing components that couldn’t be stacked across a larger surface area, forging a harmonious connection between the movement and the case.
For the case, with its 1.75mm thickness and water resistance up to 10 metres, titanium was the natural choice for its lightweight properties and proven laboratory-tested durability. Other technical elements adopted include two sapphire crystals — one covering the time indicators with hands directly attached to the wheels, and the other positioned over the regulator to reveal the movement’s intricate workings — meticulously slimmed down to a mere two-tenths of a millimetre in thickness.
The diameters were meticulously calculated to ensure resilience during the rigorous testing phases. Given the strict tolerances and the delicate nature of each component, an exceptionally thorough focus was maintained throughout nearly every step of the machining process. Hence, it was a natural progression to decide that producing and machining the case in-house within the movement department was the most sensible approach for the RM UP-01 Ferrari.
Like the prestigious Italian automotive legend — and consistent with the standards of the Richard Mille manufacture thanks to its extreme lightness, tonneau shape, spline screws, skeletonised bridges and level of finishing — the 150 limited-edition timepieces in the RM UP-01 Ferrari series combine innovation with performance, strength and aesthetics.
See also: Ipah Uid Lynn: The first Asian to win Oceanographic Magazine's Female Fifty Fathoms Award
Collaborators in innovation
Founded in 1947, Ferrari is an iconic name in the automotive world, consistently pioneering the creation of legendary sports cars. These legendary vehicles have triumphed in renowned races such as the 24 Hours of Le Mans, Targa Florio, Mille Miglia, and the Monaco Grand Prix. La Scuderia Ferrari proudly holds an impressive 15 driver’s championship titles and 16 constructor world championship trophies. Their racing victories and extensive track experience have fuelled the imagination behind the Prancing Horse, giving rise to some of the world’s finest supercars.
Meanwhile, Richard Mille, established in 2001 in Les Breuleux, Swiss Jura, has distinguished itself through its bold and innovative approach. Richard Mille is renowned for crafting watches with distinctive characters and unprecedented levels of technical sophistication. These symbols of modernity and performance are conceived without boundaries, pushing the envelope in terms of complexity and investment in research and development. Richard Mille engineers share with Ferrari a relentless pursuit of innovation to the highest degree, paving the way for new benchmarks and records.
