It feels like only months ago that Bulgari unveiled the new record-holder for the world’s thinnest watch. And that’s because it was just a few months ago – in March, to be exact. That’s when the Bulgari Octo Finissimo Ultra clocked in at 1.80mm in thickness, making it the thinnest watch ever made. Well, there’s a new champ in town, courtesy of a partnership between Richard Mille and Ferrari. The RM UP-01 Ferrari, announced today, is the new standard by which razor-thin watchmaking is measured. This new ultra-thin timepiece is a mere 1.75mm in thickness beating out Bulgari by a walloping 0.05mm.

Unlike Bulgari (and past record-holder Piaget), RM has assembled the entire movement, itself just 1.18mm thick, into the case – instead of the caseback doubling as a baseplate which is the usual procedure. The ultra-flat Calibre RM UP-01 Ferrari features hours, minutes, seconds, and a function selector all spread across the broad, impossibly thin, case design. The movement plate used for this watch is skeletonized and underwent a litany of strength tests which allow it to withstand accelerations of over 5,000 Gs.

The movement was developed between RM and Audemars Piguet Renaud & Papi. Part of this development involved rethinking the escapement by building a titanium variable inertia balance wheel, which allowed for a reduction in thickness without losing any of the function and capability. Where a traditional escapement contains a guard pin and safety roller to protect the lever from shock, according to RM, “The new patented ultra-flat escapement eliminates both parts and situates the banking function directly to the anchor fork. To do so, the fork itself was elongated and its horns modified.”

The case shape is something of a rounded rectangle with the time indication located at the center of the top half. Everything surrounding the main time display is effectively the bezel. Located on and integrated into this vast bezel is the function selector – a crown that allows the user to select between winding or setting. The actual setting or winding is completed via the crown, just beneath the function sector. Surrounding both crowns are two black ceramic inserts that protect the bezel from friction and aid in water resistance (the watch is rated to 10m).

Both the dial for the time and the dial for the balance are covered with a sapphire crystal complete with anti-reflective coating on both sides. The rest of the case design is industrial-meets-racing with a large segment relegated to the Ferrari logo inside of a divot.

Who doesn’t love a world record? I think it’s positively insane that we are seeing this watch so soon after the announcement of the Bulgari Ultra. You have to think that RM had this in the prototyping phase by the time that watch was announced. It’s really amazing to see, despite so much ubiquity in the watch world today, that brands are continuing to push the limits of what watchmaking can be.

Now, that enthusiasm comes with a caveat. None of these record-thin watches are meant for the mass-market consumer. In the case of Richard Mille, we are talking about the brand that makes tourbillons with tennis-string dials for Rafael Nadal that cost a cool million. It’s in these moments – when records get broken – that RM UP-01 Ferrari watch enthusiasts find the line between collecting and sheer appreciation. The price tag on this limited run of record-breaking thinness takes this out of the realm of attainability for basically everyone (unless you happen to live the kind of lifestyle where you might find $2 million dollars under a couch cushion). But that doesn’t make this any less cool.

The differentiating factor between this new watch and the other contenders at Bulgari and Piaget, is the case. Both of those brands used the case as the baseplate, whereas RM (along with APRP) were able to build the entire movement, mainplate and all, inside a closed case. That, to me, is remarkable. I mean, RM watches are known for their crazy lightness and capability (most RM brand ambassadors wear the watches while they play their respective sports) but this is just ridiculous. Aside from the lightness of the titanium, the fact that the brand has gone the extra steps to ensure both water- and shock-resistance is a marvel.

Sure, this is at least as much an exercise in engineering as watchmaking, but boy if it isn’t a cool one.

Say what you will about RM – a brand that typically makes watches upwards of $500k – but you have to appreciate it for leaning hard into this one. With the Calibre RMUP-01 it has shown a real commitment to subverting traditional movement design in order to effectuate optimal thinness. One thing is for sure, I can’t wait to see this one in the metal.