In January 2017 the world's lightest mechanical chronograph watch was unveiled in Geneva, Switzerland, made with an innovative graphene-enhanced composite material. Now, the research behind the project has been published. The unique watch was a result of a collaboration between the University of Manchester, Richard Mille Watches and McLaren Applied Technologies.

The RM 50-03 watch was made using a unique composite incorporating graphene to create a strong but lightweight case that contains the watch mechanism, which weighed around 40 grams in total, including the strap. The collaboration explored the methods of correctly aligning graphene within a composite to make the most of the material's superlative properties of mechanical stiffness and strength whilst negating the need for the addition of other, weightier materials.

Now, the research behind this unique watch has been published in the journal Composites Part A: Applied Science and Manufacturing. The work was primarily carried out by a group of researchers at The University of Manchester's National Graphene Institute.

Project leader Professor Robert Young said, "In this work, through the addition of only a small amount of graphene into the matrix, the mechanical properties of a unidirectionally reinforced carbon fiber composite have been significantly enhanced". "This could have future impact on precision-engineering industries where strength, stiffness and product weight are key concerns such in as aerospace and automotive."

The small amount of graphene used was added to a carbon fiber composite with the goal of improving stiffness and reducing weight by requiring the use of less overall material. Since graphene has high levels of stiffness and strength, its use as a reinforcement in polymer composites shows huge potential of further enhancing the mechanical properties of composites.