Konstantin Chaykin unveils world's thinnest mechanical watch at 1.65mm

Independent watchmaker Konstantin Chaykin has released the production version of his ThinKing Mystery watch, the world's thinnest mechanical timepiece at just 1.65mm deep. The watch beats the previous record held by Bulgari's Octo Finissimo Ultra Tourbillon (1.85mm), which itself unseated Piaget's Altiplano Ultimate Concept Tourbillon (2mm). Chaykin achieved the thinness by splitting the mainspring barrel into two parts and integrating movement components into the caseback. The watch requires a separate winding device. Chaykin describes the result as 'like a magic trick: you know it's there on your wrist, but you can't feel it.' The pursuit of ultra-thin watches has historical roots dating to Jean-Antoine Lepine in 1765, with later innovations by Jacques-David LeCoultre (1907) and Audemars Piguet (1938). Modern competitors include Vacheron Constantin, Jaeger-LeCoultre, Piaget, Bulgari, and Richard Mille. Bulgari's Fabrizio Buonamassa Stigliani notes that thinness is a technical obsession and a 'wow moment' for marketing, but warns of compromises in robustness and aesthetics. VPC Watch Co's Thomas Van Straaten argues thinness is not a fad but part of growing appreciation for ergonomics, as seen in his Type 39VM dive watch (9.34mm). Chaykin is working on even thinner designs but acknowledges each record gets harder to beat.