Richard Mille RM UP-01 Ferrari

Despite its extreme design, the Richard Mille Ferrari ultra-thin wristwatch is still as elegant and immediately recognizable as any Richard Mille. It has mechanisms that stay true to the brand’s precision, reliability, and innovation legacy. The statement design piece was released as a limited edition timepiece and is expected to be one of Richard Mille’s most expensive watches to date.

Richard Mille RM UP-01 Ferrari History

The race to create the world’s thinnest watch has been raging for years. Notable brands like Bulgari and Piaget have led the charge for decades, outdoing each other with innovative designs and new records.

Piaget, a brand that has always been known for its ultra-thin watches, kickstarted a new era in the race for the thinnest timepiece in the world with the Altiplano 900P in 2014. Four years later, the brand pushed the frontiers even further with the 2mm Altiplano Ultimate Concept.

Not to be outdone by the competition, Bulgari debuted the Octo Finissimo Ultra in 2022, winning the competition for the World’s thinnest watch for a while. However, this record didn’t last long as it was ousted from the throne the same year by the RM UP-01 Ferrari. Richard Mille’s watch became the new forerunner in the race to create the thinnest watch in the world. In 2024, The Bulgari Octo Finissimo Ultra Mark II became the world's thinnest watch again, beating Richard Mille’s UP-01 Ferrari by only 0.05mm.

Despite not holding the record anymore, it’s still remarkable how Richard Mille created its own ultra-thin timepiece with the Richard Mille RM UP 01 Ferrari. Other watchmakers typically focus on changing the basic architecture of the watch by using the watch case as the main plate for the movement.

The 1.75mm thick RM UP-01 Ferrari is a triumph of technical innovation because it took an entirely different approach compared to the others. Unlike other brands, Richard Mille achieved this goal while still retaining the traditional architecture of assembling the movement within the case instead of building it into the case back. This was necessary to retain total shock resistance - a new approach to thin watch mechanics considered revolutionary.

The model that emerged from this experimentation resulted from years of hard work, dozens of prototypes, and over 6,000 hours of development with rigorous laboratory testing. In July 2022, Richard Mille unveiled this watch to celebrate its partnership with Ferrari. The exceptional ultra-flat timepiece symbolizes the quest for perfection shared by both brands.

Features of the RM UP-01 Ferrari

Although the dimensions of this watch typically get all the attention, the Richard Mille RM UP 01 Ferrari is just as technically complex as a Richard Mille timepiece can get. The watch features mechanisms that make it elegant and outstanding while sticking to the brand’s obsession with technical excellence and precision. Some of the key features of this timepiece are highlighted below:

Ultra-Thin Casing

Richard Mille offered a small taste of what an ultra-thin RM timepiece might look like with the RM 67-01 Extra Flat introduced in 2016, which had a height of 7.75 mm. No one would have anticipated that the brand would create a watch several millimeters thinner less than a decade later.

For other Richard Mile watches, the desired aesthetics often determine the technology driving the watch. However, with the RM UP-01 Ferrari, the watchmaker had to adopt a different approach, allowing the technology to dictate the look.

Impressively, the Richard Mille RM UP 01 Ferrari retains the traditional tonneau shape, making it instantly recognizable as a Richard Mille model. The watch has a length of 51m and is 39mm wide.

The case is made of Grade 5 titanium, an obvious choice due to its extreme resistance and ultra-lightness. The choice of material also gives the watch a unique technical look. The front and back of the case have a satin finish, while the edges have polished bevels for extra effect. The case back is held together by 13 ultradurable spline screws.

Display

So, how does an ultra-thin watch display the time? For the Richard Mille RM UP 01 Ferrari, the time display is housed on the central axis in front of the watch.  Interestingly, Richard Mille has created an elegant display despite its complexity.

The numerals and indicates are printed around the display groove, capturing the Richard Mille spirit despite their unusual configuration. The watch face also has the iconic Ferrari emblem laser engraved alongside all the other markers on the case. The hours and minutes indicators are displayed by two discs connected to the gear train. The dial components are covered by 0.2mm thick glass, providing some protection.

Settings

With such a thin case, the Richard Mille RM UP 01 Ferrari couldn’t have had a traditional winding crown. Instead, Richard Mille integrated the crowns directly into the case as hollowed-out controls located to the left of the dial. The first is the function selector, which is positioned between the 10 and 11 o’clock mark with clear winding and hand-setting indicators (represented by letters W and H for easy identification).

The second ‘crown' of the Richard Mille RM UP 01 Ferrari is used to set the time or wind the crown between 7 and 8 o’clock. The two crowns are also framed by ceramic inserts, which protect them from friction.

The Movement

The movement is the key to creating a timepiece as thin as the Richard Mille RM UP-01 Ferrari. To create this timepiece, the goal was to build a manual winding movement with hours, minutes, and function selection features capable of withstanding accelerations of up to 5,000gs. The biggest challenge was keeping movement with all of these features roughly 1.18mm thick and maintaining a weight of about 2.83 grams.

To achieve this, Richard Mille had to ditch the traditional concept of superimposed gears and stacked components. Instead, the components of the movements were distributed horizontally. Richard Mille Engineers also had to collaborate with experts from AP Le Locie to redesign some internal components entirely.

For instance, the movement features a new patented extra flat barrel with an extremely fine hairspring and an entirely redesigned escapement. Richard Mille also had to get rid of the small plate of the balance and guard pin, opting for an elongated fork with newly designed horns instead. The index was also replaced by a variable-inertia balance made from grade 5 titanium alloy.

Durable Build

In creating the Richard Mille RM UP 01 Ferrari, the goal was not to create a concept timepiece. The watch was designed to be worn actively, which is why the baseplate and bridges are made from corrosion-resistant titanium alloy. This allowed rigidity without compromising surface flatness and perfect functioning of the gear train.

Another aspect of the Richard Mille RM UP 01 Ferrari's architecture that contributes to its durability is separating the case back from the movement. This is the traditional movement architecture that protects the movement within the case, providing a level of shock resistance that protects the timepiece from everyday wear and tear.

Richard Mille RM UP-01 Ferrari Price

The Richard Mille RM UP 01 Ferrari was released as a limited-edition model with just 150 pieces. Expectedly, this watch was sold for a substantial retail price when it was released in 2022, thanks to its record-breaking design and association with the prestigious Italian automotive legend. This timepiece sold for roughly $2 million in retail, and you can find a Richard Mille RM UP-01 Ferrari for sale for about $1.5 to $1.9 million in the secondary market.

Conclusion

The need to miniaturize watches has always been one of the primary drivers of innovation in the watchmaking industry. While we can argue that the ideal wristwatch size was achieved over a century ago, watchmakers still test the limits of their innovative prowess by creating as flat timepieces as possible. The Richard Mille RM UP-01 is a testament to such innovative adventures, and the Richard Mille brand has perfectly executed it in this ultra-thin watch. This model takes an entirely different approach, elevating it to more than just a conceptual piece, but a durable watch that can be worn daily without worrying about wear and tear.