In 2022, through a partnership between Richard Mille and Ferrari, the RM UP-01 Ferrari was unveiled as a new benchmark in ultra-thin watchmaking. Measuring just 1.75mm in total thickness, the RM UP-01 instantly reset expectations for what is technically possible in mechanical horology.
Limited to only 150 pieces, the RM UP-01 Ferrari began as a concept sketched on a blank sheet of paper nearly five years prior. The bulk of its development occurred over the following two and a half years, after Richard Mille presented the ultra-thin concept to Ferrari in 2020 to initiate the partnership. What followed was an intense engineering effort involving dozens of prototypes and more than 6,000 hours of development and laboratory testing. The watch was officially celebrated at Ferrari’s Fiorano test track, with Richard Mille and Scuderia Ferrari Formula 1 driver Carlos Sainz in attendance.
The RM UP-01 represents a radical departure from traditional Richard Mille design language. Known for large, tonneau-shaped, skeletonized, and highly complicated watches, the brand instead pursued extreme minimalism. “UP” stands for Ultra Plat, French for “ultra flat,” and at 1.75mm thick, the watch narrowly surpassed the previous record holder, the Octo Finissimo Ultra, which measured 1.8mm.
Achieving this record required rethinking every convention of watch construction. The engineers effectively rotated Richard Mille’s signature tonneau architecture and expanded the footprint to flatten the movement as much as possible. The Calibre RMUP-01 itself measures just 1.18mm thick and weighs only 2.82 grams. Including the strap, the complete watch weighs a remarkable 30 grams.
The watch spans 51mm across the wrist and 39mm vertically. Time is displayed on a sub-dial positioned at the top center, while the balance wheel is visible at the top right. A traditional crown and stem system was impossible at this thickness, so Richard Mille integrated two flush-mounted crowns directly into the case. One is used for winding and the other for setting, each functioning as movement wheels and surrounded by black ceramic inserts to protect the bezel from wear.
Unlike previous ultra-thin record holders, the RM UP-01 does not use the caseback as a movement baseplate. Instead, the movement is fully assembled within the case itself, enhancing shock resistance and structural integrity. The skeletonized movement plate underwent extensive strength testing and is certified to withstand accelerations exceeding 5,000 Gs. The calibre displays hours, minutes, seconds, and a function selector, all distributed across the expansive yet impossibly thin case.
The case architecture is unconventional, consisting of a front and back with the movement sandwiched between them, eliminating the need for a middle case. Manufacturing tolerances are so extreme that the same equipment used to machine the movement is also used to mill the case. Two sapphire crystals, each just 0.2mm thick, cover the time display and regulating organ, both treated with anti-reflective coating on both sides.
Extensive durability testing was conducted to ensure real-world wearability. Tests included attaching 12-kilogram weights to the strap to confirm the case would not bend under stress. The strap itself incorporates a titanium insert to further increase rigidity. Additional testing covered torsional stress, flex resistance, water resistance to 10 meters, accelerated aging equivalent to 10 years of wear, and shock testing using the Charpy Impact method.
Both the case and movement are crafted from Grade 5 titanium, an alloy composed of 90 percent titanium, 6 percent aluminum, and 4 percent vanadium. This material was chosen for its exceptional stiffness, dimensional stability, corrosion resistance, and suitability for ultra-thin applications. These properties were critical to achieving the watch’s unprecedented proportions without sacrificing durability.
A special tool is included for winding, though the mechanism can also be operated by finger. The only external reference to Ferrari is a laser-engraved black cavallino, the marque’s iconic prancing horse, positioned discreetly on the right side of the case. The overall design blends industrial minimalism with motorsport influence, with much of the case surface functioning as a bezel surrounding the time display.
Limited to 150 examples, the Richard Mille RM UP-01 Ferrari is priced at $1,888,000, standing as one of the most extreme and technically ambitious watches ever produced.
