In the case of watches, the definition of “thin” refers, rather, not to the appearance - this is only a consequence - but to the achievements of watchmaking art. This is not primarily a characteristic, but a category. Despite the fact that there is still no unified classification in the world, watches in which the manual winding mechanical caliber has a thickness of 3,5 mm or less are considered thin. At the same time, electronic watches, pocket watches, and models with complications can, of course, be thin.
The term "extra-plate" refers to an ultra-thin watch. Every year, at the next prestigious watchmaking competition, the Grand-Prix d'Horlogerie de Geneve, no more than a dozen applicants, as a rule, participate in the “Extra-plate Watches” category. Traditionally, these are companies for which the release of such models has become a matter of honor.
Breguet, Vacheron Constantin, Patek Philippe, Piaget, Blancpain, A.Lange & Sohne, Corum, Eterna, IWC, Longines, Appella, Jaeger-LeCoultre, Jean Lassale, Rado compete in different categories. With manual or self-winding, tourbillon, with or without a calendar – the concept of “extra-plate” is very relative and can be applied to models of different thicknesses with different complications and features of the movement.
Mechanical watches
The thickness or height of the case consists of the back cover, glass and, most importantly, the mechanism. It was the desire to make a caliber as thin as possible with all its hundreds of precisely tuned parts, without losing strength and accuracy, that was central to the minds of watchmakers for generations.
Of course, the most delicate movements were and remain without complications, with two hands - hour and minute - without a date and with manual winding. Craftsmen working at Vacheron Constantin production created a caliber with a thickness of 1911 mm back in 2,82. Just six years later this figure became 2,25 mm, and in 1924 it reached a minimum value of 1,88 mm. In 1955, the brand released three anniversary models with caliber 1003 inside, whose thickness was only 1,64 mm.
The world's thinnest mechanical watch: the Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Ultra Thin Squelette with a case height of 3,6 mm.
The world's thinnest self-winding mechanical watch: the Bulgari Octo Finissimo Automatic with a case height of 5,15 mm.
From a design point of view, thin watches are, first of all, dress classics. And not only because the thin, smooth case easily slides under a shirt sleeve, and the light weight of the watch is unnoticeable on the hand during the day. Watchmakers made mechanisms increasingly thinner by eliminating any complications. So the clock retained its main and only function: to show time, and with only two hands. This is how laconicism of shape and size was combined before and is combined today with the exquisite minimalism of the classical style.
Quartz watch
During the quartz revolution, the Japanese Seiko and Citizen entered the arena, introducing watches with a case height of 1978 mm back in 2,5. However, it turned out that the Swiss are not far behind. Until recently, the honorary title was held by the Longines Feuille d'Or released in 1979 (called the “golden leaf” precisely for the combination of the unprecedented thinness of the case and the gold from which it is made) with its record 1,98 mm thickness. The craftsmen improved the Delirium Tremens (translated as “delirium tremens”) technology created at the ETA factory - the back cover of the watch case became part of the mechanism.
Today, models with a case thickness of 4 to 6 mm are considered thin in the segment of inexpensive quartz watches, as well as in the middle price category. The world's thinnest ceramic watch is the Rado True Thinline, with a case thickness of just 4,9 mm. And the world's thinnest solar-powered quartz watch: the Citizen Eco-Drive One Ultra Thin in a 2,98mm thick case.
Popular modern brands, aimed at students and young professionals, choose a casual style, discreet elegance and modest grace. Thin watches “Nika”, Daniel Wellington, Skagen and others with a case thickness of 5-6 mm are designed for everyday wear as an ideal accessory.
Unlike bright and massive sports models, such watches do not attract too much attention. It’s not for nothing that the term “extra-plate” – ultra-thin – is closely related to the concept of “understatement”, which can be roughly translated from English as “discreet statement”. This means that the content is more important than the form, which is deliberately modest and uncomplicated. In spirit, it is related to the British style and the Scandinavian design that has recently gained popularity.
Digital Watch
Today, in the second decade of the 2013st century, when technology goes hand in hand with watchmaking, familiar concepts take on new meaning. In 01, the American company CST (Central Standard Timing) used crowdfunding to raise funds to produce the CST-0,8 watch, the thickness of which was a record XNUMX mm. This microprocessor-based electronic watch, made by Seiko, displayed the time on the screen using e-ink technology, the same technology used in e-readers. Back in the XNUMXs, Seiko themselves presented a prototype of their own watch, created according to the same principle, but they were never released into mass production.
But the so-called “smart” watches rarely overcome the barrier of 10-11 mm - apparently because their cases accommodate a real microcomputer.
