Who can make the world’s thinnest mechanical watch? It’s a battle for watchmaking engineering supremacy that’s grown incredibly competitive in recent years, typically fought by well-known luxury brands like Piaget, Bulgari and Richard Mille.
Case in point, just four months ago, Bulgari took the crown back from Richard Mille with the release of its Octo Finissimo Ultra COSC Edition. At that time, I wrote, “Bulgari has snatched the world’s thinnest mechanical watch crown back and looks poised to hold on to it for years to come.” Boy, was I wrong.
A Russian watchmaking master has entered the ultra-thin watch race
Just over four months after Bulgari’s snatched the title again, Konstantin Chaykin has come out of nowhere to wrest the mantle away. The appropriately named ThinKing watch is just 1.65mm thick. That’s 0.5 mm thinner than Bulgari’s watch for you caliper-wielding refs keeping score. The ThinKing also happens to be one of the lightest in the world, weighing 13.3 grams without the strap.
If you’re unfamiliar with Konstantin Chaykin, you’re not alone. He’s a Russian master inventor, watchmaker, and clockmaker, probably best known for his so-called Wristmon series, which launched in 2016 and now includes the new record-breaking ThinKing.
