Thinking final prototype

Konstantin Chaykin presents the ThinKing Final Prototype, an important stage in his development of a record-breaking ultra-thin mechanical watch just 1.65 mm thick.

In watchmaking, there are two highly difficult types of watches that are particularly prized by collectors and connoisseurs of the art – super complicated watches and ultra-thin watches. Konstantin Chaykin, who created his most complicated watch Stargazer in 2023, which is one of the most complicated wristwatches of all time with 17 complications, turned to ultra-thin mechanical watches in 2024.

On August 29, 2024, at the Geneva Watch Days exhibition in Geneva, Konstantin Chaykin presented the result of his development – ThinKing Prototype 2, a working prototype of an ultra-thin watch with a thickness of 1.65 mm. The leading media covering watches and the watch industry reacted to this event as it was a clear attempt to set a world record. A record that no one had expected from an independent Russian watchmaker, as Chaykin had not previously disclosed his interest in this extremely demanding and difficult field of watchmaking, which – until recently – had been dominated by Swiss watchmakers.

While the ThinKing Prototype 2 counted time, it was primarily a demonstration of the ingenuity and technical skill required to achieve an ambitious goal, but not the final version that would go into production. In the meantime, the independent watchmaker and his manufacture have continued to work hard to optimize the ultra-thin movement and solve the technical problems that inevitably arise and that have to do with the special characteristics of ultra-thin watches.

The optimization phase of the ultra-thin ThinKing watch is now complete and Konstantin Chaykin presents the ThinKing Final Prototype, which implements the results of a long development and optimization process of all parts of the watch.

Chaykin and his technical team spent the time after the presentation of the ThinKing Prototype 2 fine-tuning and optimizing the ultra-thin watch. It’s fair to say that this process affected almost every aspect. However, the appearance of the watch remained almost unchanged, as the design of the second prototype, which was presented to the world at the end of August 2024, was retained. The only change that stands out at first glance is the finishing of the front of the case, which on the ThinKing Final Prototype is decorated with a fine vertical brushing instead of a matte finish as on the second prototype. If we look at all the details of the optimization, the list will not be so short. Konstantin Chaykin highlights the most important points

As a result of the development, Konstantin Chaykin applied for several patents, describing in particular an ultra-thin winding barrel, a double balance wheel, a carrier case design and a special strap for an ultra-thin watch. The first two inventions concern parts of the movement, both of which are crucial for the ultimate thickness reduction of the ThinKing watch, while the third and fourth inventions allow the ultra-thin watch to be worn more comfortably and securely for the watch itself.

Konstantin Chaykin believes that the ThinKing watch, like all the other watches he has designed, should bring pleasure to its owner. Although the ThinKing is record-breakingly thin at just 1.65 mm, it can be worn like a conventional mechanical wristwatch with manual winding. So before you put it on your wrist, you should wind the watch and set the exact time. It should be clear that this watch is so thin that using the winding crown, whose dimensions are limited to the same 1.65 mm, is far from comfortable, and the construction of the remontoir will not be very reliable. This is why Konstantin Chaykin has decided to dispense with the winding crown on the ThinKing watch and offers the future owner of the watch two options.

The first is the use of a special key, which is used as in the old days, when there was no other way to wind the pocket watches of the time and adjust the hands than with a key. The second option is an outer carrier case, which Konstantin Chaykin developed especially for the ThinKing watch and which was given its own name, PalanKing, to emphasize the uniqueness of this invention. The outer carrier case is equipped with an automatic winding system and a winding crown, so you can wear this pair – ThinKing and PalanKing – like a classic automatic watch. Moreover, the PalanKing offers a good guarantee that the ultra-thin watch will serve its owner for a long time, while he or she always has the option of putting on only the ThinKing to enjoy the rare pleasure of feeling an ultra-thin wristwatch on the wrist.

After completing the development of a record-breaking thin mechanical wristwatch, Konstantin Chaykin decided to auction the ThinKing Final Prototype along with its PalanKing carrier case at the Geneva Watch Auction: XXI, which was hosted by Phillips on May 10 and 11 in Geneva, Switzerland.