Serving a tennis match at Roland-Garros with an ultra-thin tourbillon on the wrist?
Precision, resilience, lightness, and elegance, all embodied by Bianchet’s ultra-thin automatic tourbillon movement UT01,
proving that finesse, mechanical poetry, and reliability can coexist
within an automatic tourbillon under 4 mm thick.
Capable of withstanding extraordinarily powerful impacts, like those of high-level tennis,
Bianchet’s latest movement, powering the UltraFino, has been put to the test
on the wrist of its ambassador Alexander Bublik,
who has worn the watch throughout all his tournaments,
including his latest quarterfinal match at Roland-Garros.
A Technical Feat Designed for a World in Motion
Crafted in titanium, the Calibre UT01 measures just 3.85 mm in thickness and weighs only 8 grams. At its core: a central gold rotor and a 2.66 mm flying tourbillon cage in titanium. A miniature masterpiece capable of absorbing shocks beyond 5,000 G.
But this movement is more than a technical feat. It’s a statement. One that gives ultra-thin watchmaking true legitimacy in the real world. A refined, precious horology meant to be worn, lived with, and ready to follow wherever life and performance take you.
A Rare Territory in Haute Horlogerie
While some of the most revered maisons have managed to pair slimness and resilience in manual tourbillon calibres, adding true robustness to an automatic movement, thus defying the inertia of an oscillating mass, raises the bar one step further.
The Calibre UT01 proves that mechanical excellence can unite elegance and endurance. It reflects Bianchet’s belief that watchmaking performance is not measured in microns alone, but in its ability to combine refinement, strength, and real-world wearability.
This new milestone in the evolution of ultra-thin automatic movements represents a true R&D breakthrough, as the challenge of “ultra-thin” design comes with extreme technical constraints.. Below 4 mm, every fraction of a millimeter shaved off brings exponential complexity. And with an automatic tourbillon featuring a central rotor, a rotating cage, and a large screw balance wheel, the tolerances become almost unforgiving.
Miniaturization isn’t enough. Every component must be rethought to preserve torque, amplitude, autonomy, and reliability, all without compromising beauty, balance, and the poetic nature of the tourbillon.
Innovation in the Service of Finesse
The Calibre UT01 reaches its level of performance through a series of bold engineering choices:
- A suspended mainspring barrel: By eliminating the ratchet wheel, Bianchet implemented a suspended barrel system that frees vertical space while delivering a 60-hour power reserve.
- A redesigned tourbillon and escapement: The 2.66 mm cage houses a large screw balance wheel, preserving visual elegance while ensuring wide functional safety margins.
- A custom winding and setting architecture, developed to reduce friction and improve energy efficiency, while offering a refined tactile experience.
- An advanced shock protection: Shock-absorbing components were used at the balance and structural levels to protect delicate parts from the violent swings induced by rotor movement.
Each of these innovations serves both a mechanical ideal and an aesthetic pursuit, that of a refined, precious timepiece designed to be fully lived with, even in an active and sporty lifestyle.
Field-Tested by Alexander Bublik
Two months of tournament play. Serves. Sprints. Falls. One of the most feared double-handed backhands on the circuit. And a quarterfinal at Roland Garros.
Professional tennis player and Bianchet ambassador Alexander Bublik wore the UltraFino Tourbillon in every match of his international run. The result is a movement that remains unshaken, precise, and perfectly reliable, despite the physical intensity of every point.
“If it can handle Bublik’s backhand, it can handle anything.”
— A member of the Bianchet development team
When Geometry Becomes Motion
Behind the technical performance lies harmony, a cornerstone of Bianchet’s horological philosophy. The UT01 architecture is guided by the iconic Golden Ratio. Its gold rotor is composed of twelve interlacing Fibonacci spirals, while the rear bridges form concentric golden circles that support the oscillating weight and absorb shocks.
Despite its ultra-thin profile, the movement reveals remarkable depth, with hand-beveled titanium bridges, contrasting textures, and exquisite finishing, offering a unique balance between engineering, geometry and art.
More Than a Movement. A Vision.
This ultra-thin tourbillon is more than a technical achievement. It embodies a vision. That of a new era of contemporary watchmaking, where refinement, art, and real-life performance are no longer mutually exclusive. A movement built to last, and ready for today’s world, even in its most demanding moments.
About Bianchet
Bianchet stands at the crossroads of art and performance, crafting tourbillon timepieces that merge the highest levels of watchmaking engineering with timeless aesthetic harmony. Rooted in the principles of the Golden Ratio, each Bianchet watch embodies a pursuit of beauty, innovation, and technical mastery, aligning seamlessly with the standards of contemporary Haute Horlogerie. With a dedication to exceptional finishing, advanced materials, and uncompromising craftsmanship, Bianchet creates watches that are masterpieces of engineering performance and artistic expressions of proportion and elegance. For more information, visit www.bianchet.com. 0
