The world’s thinnest watch is now a limited edition as Konstantin Chaykin makes the ThinKing a commercial reality, limited to just 12 pieces.
As they saying goes, world records are meant to be broken. In 2024, this is what Konstantin Chaykin did with the debut of the ThinKing. a 1.65mm thick manual winding watch that shaved a few thenths of a millimetre off the previous thinnest watch in the world, the Bulgari Octo Finissimo Ultra COSC at 1.7mm thin.
We had the chance to try the original ThinKing on at Geneva Watch Days in 2024, and having a watch on the wrist like the ThinKing is a litte weird. It is unnervingly thin and light, and on the wrist it feels far closer to a thin band than a traditional watch. That sounds odd, but that is exactly what makes it so cool, strange, and a little bit unsettling in the best possible way.
Seeing the ThinKing in person also puts many of its engineering solutions into perspective. The absence of a crown, the specially designed strap and the dedicated winding system all make sense once you’ve experienced how little material there is to work with.
Fast forward to today, and Konstantin Chaykin has taken the prototype, which sold at action coincidentaly for over CHF 500,000 in May of last year, and put it into production with a limited number of 12 pieces available, and there are a few subltle differences.
The New ThinKing Mystery
Konstantin Chaykin’s new ThinKing Mystery builds on that foundation. While the overall dimensions remain unchanged, Konstantin Chaykin has refined both the movement and the production process, while introducing a new mystery display that gives the watch a different character.
You will immediately recognise the familiar “face” that has become synonymous with the independent watchmaker’s Joker collection, where the hour and minute displays form a pair of expressive eyes. For the ThinKing Mystery, those displays have been reworked using transparent sapphire discs, creating a floating effect, vs the crosshair style in the 2024 model, giving the dial an even cleaner appearance while maintaining the playful character that has made Konstantin Chaykin’s watches so distinctive.
The idea traces its origins back to the Mystery 1000 Jewels, a watch created in 2007 as a tribute to the nineteenth-century watchmaker and illusionist Jean-Eugène Robert-Houdin. Drawing on that earlier concept, the new display integrates mystery indications into the ultra-thin movement, allowing the sapphire discs to appear almost suspended within the dial.
“Mystery indication has long been part of watchmaking, and I’d already had successful experience working with it. At first, I wanted to bring it into the Joker, but then it turned out to be a perfect technical fit for an ultra-thin movement. The mechanism itself suggested that it was possible”
Konstantin Chaykin
Engineering Designed Around the Dimensions
Building a watch measuring just 1.65mm thick demands a different approach to conventional movement construction, and the ThinKing Mystery incorporates several refinements over the original design.
The in-house manual-wind Calibre K.23-3.1 remains integrated directly into the caseback, allowing the case itself to act as the movement’s mainplate. Manufactured from a high-strength, non-magnetic alloy selected for its rigidity and resistance to deformation, the case forms part of the watch’s structural integrity rather than simply housing the movement.
The mystery indications themselves have also been redesigned. Instead of a conventional lateral drive mounted on a central axis, the movement now rotates the solid sapphire discs, which are supported by three guide rollers. This arrangement improves stability while reducing friction and energy loss, contributing to an increase in power reserve from 32 hours to 38 hours. Additional revisions include a reinforced barrel bridge and a redesigned barrel arbor that uses tungsten carbide balls as part of its construction.
Konstantin Chaykin has also paid attention to the decorations, finishing of every component. With tolerances measured in microns, each stage of decoration is carried out alongside repeated dimensional checks to ensure the geometry of the movement remains unchanged. Bridges and the mainplate receive perlage and straight graining, the wheels are finished with circular graining, and every bevel is cut and polished by hand in keeping with traditional haute horlogerie standards.
Despite its extraordinary dimensions, the movement still consists of 284 individual components and incorporates a patented dual-balance system operating at 18,000 vibrations per hour. It serves as a reminder that reducing thickness does not necessarily mean reducing complexity. In addition, Konstanin Chaykin has also decorated the movement nicely, which while you don’t see it, it is nice to know it is there.
No Detail Overlooked
Interstingly, Konstantin Chaykin hasn’t just looked at the movement as case itself. He has also tinkered with the strap. On the prototype we saw in 2024, it was an elestecised material strap, bolsted by leather at the end fixed to the case. However, this was a prototype, and not designed for everyday wear. For the limited series ThinKing Mystery, he has gone the extra mile to ensure the watch’s safety.
The leather strap incorporates titanium stiffeners and elastic inserts designed to minimise unwanted stress on the ultra-thin case during everyday handling. With a watch this thin, this makes sense as any stress on the case could potentially damage the movement itself, given they are one in the same.
Just like the 2024 model, the ThinKing Mystery omits a traditional crown, which has allowed the overall profile to remain uninterrupted. To wind the watch, each ThinKing Mystery is supplied with two dedicated winding tools. One takes the form of a compact carbon case that securely holds the watch during winding and time setting, while the other is a slim key that interfaces directly with the caseback. Both include safety mechanisms that prevent the mainspring from being overwound.
Final Thoughts
Ultra-thin watchmaking has become one of the most technically demanding areas of modern horology, with brands continually exploring just how far mechanical construction can be pushed. Just look at the number of world records we have had over the past decade when it comes to thin watches, there arae dozens and we keep seeing the numbers on the measuring calipers getting smaller and smaller.
The ThinKing Mystery demonstrates that the challenge extends well beyond achieving a news-worthy number. Developing the manufacturing techniques, refining the movement and ensuring those same standards can be repeated across a limited production run requires an entirely different level of engineering. And in all instances, this means time and money, which often results in a thin mechanical marvel being priced often a lot higher than average, and rightfully so.
With just 12 examples to be produced, the ThinKing Mystery will most certainly be an exceptionally rare watch. Even so, it provides another insight into the way independent watchmakers continue to approach technical innovation, often developing solutions that challenge established thinking while remaining unmistakably individual in both their engineering and design.
Reference & Specifications
| Feature | Specifications |
|---|---|
| Reference | ThinKing Mystery. Limited to 12 pieces |
| Dimensions | 41mm diameter x 1.65mm thick |
| Case Material | High-strength, high-precision alloy |
| Weight | 12.1g (without strap) |
| Movement | In-house manual-wind Calibre K.23-3.1 |
| Frequency | 18,000 VpH |
| Jewels | 54 |
| Power Reserve | 38 hours |
| Functions | Hours and minutes via Mystery sapphire disc display |
| Strap | Leather with titanium stiffeners and elastic inserts |