Konstantin Chaykin has created a remarkably thin mechanical watch using an architecture that requires building the movement into the caseback.
Like many recent ultra-thin wristwatch designs — from Bulgari, Piaget, and Richard Mille — unlike traditional mechanical timepieces, the Wristmon ThinKing caseback and movement main plate are the same.
At 1.65 mm in thickness x 40 mm in diameter (13.3 grams without the strap), the hardened stainless steel case is amongst the thinnest in the world, though technically it’s still a prototype. Coming from a small independent brand that has nowhere near the R&D budget of the three aforementioned brands, is no small feat and Konstantin Chaykin applied for three patents related to this watch design (1- ultra-thin winding barrel, double balance wheel, and an ultra-thin strap with elastic inserts and titanium supports integrated into the alligator leather strap).
With the Wristmon eyes representing the hours (left) and minutes (right), this regulator-style display has been created with the typical Konstantin Chaykin Joker theme, albeit more subtle than the full-color designs the company is known for. Each eye/time display is protected by a sapphire crystal that’s just 0.35 mm in thickness. Interestingly, this double-dial versus single-dial design increases the rigidity of the timepiece (and is similar to how Richard Mille’s ultra-thin timepiece is made).
Rigidity is such an issue with ultra-thin watches below 2 mm in thickness, that Konstantin Chaykin created a strap intended to reduce pressure on the case and movement. Further, the ThinKing is delivered with an external carrier case to help solve perhaps the biggest problem of ultra-thin watches — the low rigidity of their case. Additionally, the caliber K.23-0 movement can be manually wound via a key or by the carrier that attaches to the back and can also automatically wind the movement (makes the watch 5.4mm thick).
The Wristmon ThinKing power reserve, operating frequency, water resistance rating, and price have all been omitted. This is still a conceptual prototype and is not for sale — so for now, at 1.70 mm, the Octo Finissimo Ultra COSC is still technically the king of thin.
Learn more at Konstantin Chaykin.
Photos by Konstantin Chaykin.
