Introducing: The Richard Mille RM UP-01 Ferrari

Richard Mille is known for partnering up with athletes and companies involved in the world of sports. This can be seen in their partnership with McLaren, Bubba Watson, Didier Drogba, Diana Luna, Fernando Alonso, Alexia Pinturault, Arnaud Gerald, Maria Vicente, and many more. Richard Mille also has its own racing team. In 2021, Richard Mille and Ferrari, both driven by the pursuit of perfection, came together and created a long-term partnership, which further added Ferrari to the list of Richard Mille partners. This incredible list of partners shows that Richard Mille loves to collaborate with those who would test its highly durable watches in extreme conditions.

Last Tuesday, celebrating their partnership, Richard Mille and Ferrari collaborated for the first time and put forward the RM UP-01 Ferrari, which is dubbed as the thinnest mechanical watch in the world. 

Both companies aim for perfection, and this can be seen as the watch is the thinnest mechanical wristwatch in the world. Today, we will be going over this Richard Mille and Ferrari timepiece and how it became the thinnest mechanical watch in the world. 

The Richard Mille And Ferrari Partnership:

Before discussing the watch, it would be better to learn about the partnership between Richard Mille and Ferrari. 

"Everyone knows Ferrari is an iconic brand with an incredible history, and a true following from the legendary 'tifosi' right through to multiple collectors of classic cars. We see this as a true partnership with multiple developments at its heart of our watches with Ferrari's designers and engineers. The whole team is thrilled about the collaboration with Ferrari and committed to creating a strong and passionate partnership." These were the words of Richard Mille when the two partnered up in 2022, and they really speak volumes about the partnership. The two companies have a similar aim, perfection. Richard Mille not only partnered up with Ferrari in the watchmaking industry but also in the world of racing. Exciting!

The Richard Mille RM UP-01 Ferrari:

This was the first collaborative timepiece the two produced, and it was unveiled just last Tuesday. Within a few moments, this watch made headlines all over the world as it was dubbed the thinnest mechanical wristwatch in the world, just 1.75 mm thick. 

The watch features an ultraflat manual winding movement, Calibre RMUP-01. The caliber features hours, minutes, and function selector. The best part about the movement is that it itself is only 1.18 mm thick, which really shows how thin the actual case is. The caliber has a power reserve of circa 45 hours (± 10%). Both the baseplate and bridges of the RM UP-01 are crafted from grade 5 titanium. This enables the gear train to function effortlessly as grade 5 titanium is a biocompatible, highly corrosion-resistant, and remarkably rigid alloy. The function selector is located between 10 and 11. This allows one to select the winding or the hand-setting by simply rotating the crown. Just like the Richard Mille Bubba Watson RM-38 Tourbillon, also known as the Pink Watch, it has a fast-rotating barrel with 6 hours per revolution instead of 7.5 hours. The design and the way the watch has been executed show an extensive conceptual approach to the case and the movement. As a result, everything has been constructed carefully to the specifications. The case of the RM UP-01 Ferrari, which measures 51mm x 39mm x 1.75mm, has been machined with grade 5 titanium. Grade 5 titanium provides incredible lightness added with high resistance. The bezel and the case back of this Richard Mille watch are both satin-finished. This unique ultra-thin case is water-resistant to 10 m and is assembled using 13 grade 5 titanium spline screws and abrasion-resistant washers in 316L stainless steel. Its black dial has white indexes.

This watch is limited to only 150 pieces worldwide for a price of $1,888,000, and at the time of writing this, its availability is yet to be decided. 

Conclusion:

Richard Mille has partnered with some of the best out there. They have previously partnered with McLaren, now with Ferrari. They have partnered with Bubba Watson, the American golfer, and many more. This shows us that Richard Mille chooses partners that would test the watches in extreme and rigorous conditions. In addition to making durable watches, Richard Mille also tries to modernize them and give them a futuristic look which can be seen in the RM UP-01 Ferrari, which is now the world's thinnest mechanical watch.