Konstantin Chaykin ThinKing Mystery

ThinKing Mystery is the culmination of Konstantin Chaykin’s many years of work in one of the most demanding niches of contemporary independent watchmaking. Today, with a case thickness of just 1.65 mm, it remains the thinnest mechanical watch ever produced as an ultra-limited collection. This world record is founded on several patented inventions.

The first is a double balance with toothed coupling. In a traditional balance assembly, components are stacked vertically: the rim, hairspring, impulse jewel, and safety mechanism form multiple layers. In Chaykin’s design, these elements are “spread out” in a single plane between two wheels whose rims mesh via peripheral teeth. They function as one system: the mass and moment of inertia of both wheels influence the frequency and isochronism of the oscillation, while the second, roller wheel interacts with the pallet fork. This reduces the overall height of the regulating organ without abandoning the Swiss lever escapement.

Another key innovation is an ultra-thin mainspring barrel without conventional top and bottom walls. From above it is retained by a bridge reinforced with stiffening ribs; from below, the watch case itself performs that role. The winding mechanism is relocated inside the barrel arbor, allowing the spring to sit on a single level rather than increasing the movement’s height. Worth separate mention is the strap with resilient titanium supports and elastic inserts: it forms part of the watch’s structural concept and significantly reduces unwanted stress on the extremely thin case.

What sets this watch apart from a mere “race for thinness” is that the master added rather than removed. Into a construction already pushed to the physical limit, he integrated a “mystery” display: the time is read on two fully transparent sapphire discs with no visible spokes, so the hour and minute indicators appear to float in mid-air. This innovative solution continues the historical lineage of “mystery” clocks—from the 19th-century table mechanisms of Jean-Eugène Robert-Houdin to Chaykin’s own “Mystery 1000 Jewels” of 2007.

One of the most complicated elements is the 1.65 mm-thin case itself, whose lower section serves as the mainplate of the in-house calibre. Despite its extreme slenderness, it must maintain precise geometry, high strength, and water resistance. For this reason, a special alloy is used—antimagnetic, hypoallergenic, and corrosion-resistant—introduced in watchmaking for the first time. Manufacturing a single case takes around two months and involves dozens of rigorous inspection stages.

The experimental concept has been translated into a repeatable production process. Each ThinKing Mystery watch is assembled and regulated entirely by hand, then subjected to a dedicated quality-control protocol.