Konstantin Chaykin Wristmon ThinKing Becomes World’s Thinnest Mechanical Wristwatch

Last week we were talking about anime in wristwatches due to the Tissot UFO Grendizer but if there was ever to be an anime created about watchmaking, I think the plot would centre on the competition to create the world’s thinnest watch. It’s a captivating story of innovation and development with challengers such as Bulgari, Piaget and Richard Mille all competing for the prestigious title. Now though, a new challenger approaches, Konstantin Chaykin, who has swept in with the new Wristmon ThinKing to take the crown with its 1.65mm thickness.

One of the most impressive aspects of Konstantin Chaykin’s achievement is the fact that he is an independent watchmaker. While he has plenty of support, he does not have access to the immense resources of a brand like Bulgari or Richard Mille and must do all of his research, development and manufacturing himself. Equally impressive is how fast he has achieved this goal, as he only started to develop his ultra-thin watch in 2023. He had long been fascinated by the idea of ultra-thin watches but after seeing Richard Mille’s 1.75mm RM UP-01 he was finally inspired to take on the challenge.

The resulting creation is the Wristmons ThinKing, which in its current iteration is technically just a working prototype. More of a concept watch than something being brought to market at this stage, but ready to be presented to the world nonetheless. It’s made from a special alloy of stainless steel that is extra hard, providing the necessary rigidity for a 1.65mm thick watch. The case is made in two parts, the caseback (which also serves as the movement’s mainplate) and the upper cover, which is the dial. Only the two subdials for hours and minutes have sapphire crystals.

In terms of design, the watch measures 40mm in diameter and forms part of the Wristmons collection. Wristmon is an appellation similar to Pokémon, meaning wrist-monsters because they each feature a character’s face with the subdials forming the eyes and traditionally a moonphase forming the mouth. Here though the moonphase has been replaced with Konstantin Chaykin’s logo.

Chaykin was keen to make the watch part of his signature series through the understanding that it is inevitable that another brand will seek to take the title of world’s thinnest watch in the future. Therefore, if he had created a watch whose sole identity was being the thinnest, it would one day be supplanted and the watch would become redundant. By making it a Wristmon, the ThinKing will remain a fun, characterful watch regards of the accolades it holds at any particular time.

Another key aspect of the case design is actually the custom strap that it’s presented on. It’s made from black alligator leather with custom elastic and titanium support elements. The elastic and titanium elements are designed so that if the watch should ever bend or flex during wear, the brunt of that energy is disseminated through the strap to protect the watch.

The movement powering the Wristmons ThinKing is the K.23-0. As mentioned, the movement’s mainplate is the caseback, making it a structurally integral part of the design. There are multiple patent-pending innovations featured in its construction, which includes the ultra-thin winding barrel (inspired by the coverless design in the TM UP-01) and the double balance system.

It’s the first of the recent world record thin watches to feature a double balance wheel, which is a Chaykin signature mechanism. There is actually a good logic to using a double balance wheel in a thin watch, even though it is more complex piece of engineering. It allows you to spread out the components laterally to reduce the number of levels required and make it thinner. Specifically, the first of the balance wheels features the lever escapement while the second houses the hairspring.

And there you have it, the new world’s thinnest watch, the Konstantin Chaykin Wristmon ThinKing. So named because if is the king of thin while also being the thinking man’s watch – as in, it was thought up in the mind of one man. But wait, there’s actually still more. Alongside the ThinKing Chaykin has developed a wearable case that can house the watch to protect it. Dubbed the PalanKing (a play on palanquin) it measures a more reasonable 5.4mm and integrates with the ThinKing to provide the watch automatic winding when by itself it is only manual. Incidentally the power reserve is 32-hours.

It’s actually this additional case that made me think of UFO Grendizer in the introduction because the anime robot has his own special docking station in the form of his UFO. Is this the direction that extreme ultra-thin watchmaking will take in the future? Have we finally reached the level where practicality and wearability are going to be sacrificed simply for the title of being the world’s thinnest? A world where in order to actually wear the watches they’ll need bespoke life support systems and exoskeletons, so they won’t immediately bend to the contour of your wrist. We’ll just have to wait and see.