University of Manchester develops 'world's lightest' watch using graphene

The watch is made in collaboration with McLaren F1 and weighs just 40g.

The University of Manchester has developed an ultralight high-performance mechanical watch made with graphene in collaboration with watchmaking brand Richard Mille and McLaren F1.

The RM 50-03 watch, that weighs 40g, was made using a composite incorporating graphene to manufacture a strong but lightweight case to house the delicate watch mechanism. The graphene composite known as Graph TPT weighs less than previous similar materials used in watchmaking and is extremely durable, according to the university.

The strap of the watch has also been improved by the addition of graphene material. The rubber of the strap was injected with graphene which has shown to improve its mechanical properties and its resistance to wear.

Robert Young, professor of polymer science and technology at the university, said: “We evaluated the effect of including graphene in both the watch case and strap. We helped in the fabrication of the different components and analysed their microstructures using x-ray computed tomography and Raman spectroscopy, along with a detailed evaluation of their mechanical properties.

“We have shown that the incorporation of graphene into the watch case can have implications for improved performance of the component in service and also enable further weight reduction in future designs.”

The watch has been precisely designed and inspired by the wishbone suspension structure of a McLaren-Honda Formula 1 car. Combining the design and materials, the casing of the watch has withstood tremendous shock damage and survived unscathed in tests, according to the university.

Graphene is the world’s first two-dimensional material at just one-atom thick. It was first isolated at The University of Manchester in 2004 and has the potential for a range of applications, including high-performance composites for the automotive and aerospace industries, as well as flexible, bendable electronic devices and energy storage.