The fight for the title of thinnest mechanical watch in the world is always a competitive one. The current reigning champion is the Konstantin Chaykin ThinKing at a thickness of just 1.65mm. However, the watch that inspired Chaykin to create the ThinKing was the former world’s thinnest watch from 2022, the Richard Mille RM UP-01. A sensational watch measuring 1.75mm in a limited edition of 150 pieces that sold out instantly. Now though, the RM UP-01 is up for sale at auction for the first time at Antiquorum’s sale tomorrow, November 10th, 2024.
Specifically, the piece being sold is number 35 out of the 150 that exist and considering it’s such a strict limited edition, that provides plenty of provenance. It measures 51mm x 39mm in titanium with a brushed finish across the surface and the Ferrari logo in the lower quadrant towards 5 o’clock. Richard Mille and Ferrari’s partnership is well documented, especially when it comes to pushing boundaries in both horology and motorsport.
In terms of auction estimate, Antiquorum have given the Richard Mille RM UP-01 a range of CHF 1,000,000 – 2,000,000. That’s quite broad considering the retail price of $1,880,000 (approx. CHF 1,600,000), leaving plenty of room for a potential loss. I think that’s actually one of the more reasonable auction predictions I’ve heard in a long time due to the insane amount of money already involved and also the uncertainty in the watch market recently. It is genuinely difficult to predict how much interest a watch like this will generate and this may well set the benchmark for all future sales of the watch.
Of course, the RM UP-01 isn’t the only watch being sold this weekend. Other notable timepieces at the auction include a Patek Philippe Perpetual Calendar Minute Repeater Ref. 5074R-001 (est. CHF 350,000 – 450,000) and an unusual Rolex Zerographe unworn since the 1930s (est. CHF 150,000 – 250,000). But it’s not just all ultra high-end watches. We also have our eye on the cool 1981 Tudor Submariner (est. CHF 5,000 – 8,000).
More details at Antiqourum.