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Ultra-flat timepiece, the RM UP-01 Ferrari, is 1.75 millimetres thick watch

richardmille.com

91–100 of 278 posts

Re: Ultra-flat timepiece, the RM UP-01 Ferrari, is 1.75 millimetres thick watch

#91
I have a 1960s Omega that's honestly one of my favourite possessions. Nothing fancy, steel, handsome face. It's comfortable to wear, because it's a fraction of the size and weight of a modern status watches; and it keeps good time. So I wear it most days. It's not just an affectation: glancing at a watch when I want to know the time is a better experience than pulling out my phone. And it turned out not to be a gateway into more and more expensive mechanical watches. It's being used for what it was made for 60-odd years ago.

First thoughts on seeing this were: that looks uncomfortable. Oh, but it's so expensive you'd hardly ever want to wear it so... that cancels out? Finally: the sheer amount of concentrated money in the world where that makes sense as a business proposition still astonishes. To be so rich to go past comfort or function and into a realm of pure envy.

Re: Ultra-flat timepiece, the RM UP-01 Ferrari, is 1.75 millimetres thick watch

#92
This seems the same thinking that made MacBooks ever thinner while they were also losing utility. This is kind of cool engineering but why would you want a watch that has a huge Ferrari logo, some winding thingies but the actual clock part is really small?

Re: Ultra-flat timepiece, the RM UP-01 Ferrari, is 1.75 millimetres thick watch

#93

William Gibson wrote a piece for Wired back in the day about his obsession with mechanical watches.[1] He puts it thus: ``` Mechanical watches are so brilliantly unnecessary. Any Swatch or Casio keeps better time, and high-end contemporary Swiss watches are priced like small cars. But mechanical watches partake of what my friend John Clute calls the Tamagotchi Gesture. They're pointless in a peculiarly needful way; t…

> Any Swatch or Casio keeps better time ... and that's my cue to pimp one of the most practical watch of all time - Casio Oceanus, the 100 series. * Analog watch face. * Quartz, radio auto-sync, solar-powered. * Sapphire glass, titanium body and bracelet. Waterproof. * Clean design. Under $500. https://www.google.com/search?q=OCW-S100-1AJF&tbm=isch

Handsome watch!

Re: Ultra-flat timepiece, the RM UP-01 Ferrari, is 1.75 millimetres thick watch

#94

hijacking the scroll wheel is still not cool in 2022

I don't think it's that they're hijacking the scroll wheel, but that there are parts of the page that just don't respond to it. Mildly infuriating to say the least.

Re: Ultra-flat timepiece, the RM UP-01 Ferrari, is 1.75 millimetres thick watch

#95
post #81

William Gibson wrote a piece for Wired back in the day about his obsession with mechanical watches.[1] He puts it thus: ``` Mechanical watches are so brilliantly unnecessary. Any Swatch or Casio keeps better time, and high-end contemporary Swiss watches are priced like small cars. But mechanical watches partake of what my friend John Clute calls the Tamagotchi Gesture. They're pointless in a peculiarly needful way; t…

They're beautiful and impressive, but I find the amount of money that flows into "high horology" to be an sum with an egregious opportunity cost to society, made even worse by the fact that all that complexity goes towards a movement that is worse at keeping time than a rudimentary quartz. If people want Tamagotchis, they can get a Tamagotchi. I wish people would flex their donations to effective charities instead an…

The solution of giving away your money over buying something is some broken logic. Plenty of corrupt charity officials line their pockets and live it up on donations. The rich don’t owe society, exactly the opposite, hence the money. It represents an unpaid debt so you can’t turn around and ask for it back.

Re: Ultra-flat timepiece, the RM UP-01 Ferrari, is 1.75 millimetres thick watch

#96
1st thoughts: soooooooo stupid!

2nd thoughts: really mechanical? - yes; bend? - no, titanium; crystal makes it taller? - no, inset sapphire; cost? - uhhhhh... still want one.

more pics: https://monochrome-watches.com/richard-milles-rm-up-01-ferra...

Re: Ultra-flat timepiece, the RM UP-01 Ferrari, is 1.75 millimetres thick watch

#97
post #81

William Gibson wrote a piece for Wired back in the day about his obsession with mechanical watches.[1] He puts it thus: ``` Mechanical watches are so brilliantly unnecessary. Any Swatch or Casio keeps better time, and high-end contemporary Swiss watches are priced like small cars. But mechanical watches partake of what my friend John Clute calls the Tamagotchi Gesture. They're pointless in a peculiarly needful way; t…

They're beautiful and impressive, but I find the amount of money that flows into "high horology" to be an sum with an egregious opportunity cost to society, made even worse by the fact that all that complexity goes towards a movement that is worse at keeping time than a rudimentary quartz. If people want Tamagotchis, they can get a Tamagotchi. I wish people would flex their donations to effective charities instead an…

For sure, charities would be a much better use of the money involved... but on the other hand couldn't you say the same about art in general?

I think what makes it different is the conspicuousness of these watches when they become a way to advertise wealth and status. But I like that artists/engineers can make a living by putting their time into producing such marvellous things. The world is richer for them.

Re: Ultra-flat timepiece, the RM UP-01 Ferrari, is 1.75 millimetres thick watch

#98

One of the best looking watches I have ever seen. Truly a mechanical pearl. Also looks quite unique in contrast to basically every other watch looking almost the same.

Can you say why you think the design is good?

That logo is unnecessary and takes up more room than the watch face. I don’t think this is even for telling the time. I can’t imagine this distinctive look is merely to signal that you have 1.8m on your wrist.

This to me is like Louis Vuitton. I always thought plastering their logo everywhere was ugly.

Re: Ultra-flat timepiece, the RM UP-01 Ferrari, is 1.75 millimetres thick watch

#99

Between the minuscule face and the fact that winding A) is overly complex, and B) keeps time for less than two days, this seems like more of an expensive toy than a practical timepiece. As an engineering feat, it is admittedly impressive... but impressive and useful are not synonyms.

People who buy Richard Mille pieces likely don’t care about practicality.

So we can agree that the development of this watch likely has little to do with engineering and quite a bit to do with ostentation.

Re: Ultra-flat timepiece, the RM UP-01 Ferrari, is 1.75 millimetres thick watch

#100
post #81

William Gibson wrote a piece for Wired back in the day about his obsession with mechanical watches.[1] He puts it thus: ``` Mechanical watches are so brilliantly unnecessary. Any Swatch or Casio keeps better time, and high-end contemporary Swiss watches are priced like small cars. But mechanical watches partake of what my friend John Clute calls the Tamagotchi Gesture. They're pointless in a peculiarly needful way; t…

They're beautiful and impressive, but I find the amount of money that flows into "high horology" to be an sum with an egregious opportunity cost to society, made even worse by the fact that all that complexity goes towards a movement that is worse at keeping time than a rudimentary quartz. If people want Tamagotchis, they can get a Tamagotchi. I wish people would flex their donations to effective charities instead an…

Same with "ultra" and "hyper" cars
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