Richard Mille RM 67-01 Extra Flat. Introduced in 2016, the RM 67-01 features a new in-house designed Calibre CRMA6 automatic movement. The movement’s height is 3.6mm. The slim case is 7.75mm thick. Photo: © TANG Portfolio. Elfa / Timmy. 2016 Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie.
All things considered, the Richard Mille RM 67-01 is extra special simply because the extra-flat movement, the Calibre CRMA6, is presented in the brand’s signature tonneau case.
The CRMA6 automatic movement has a thickness of 3.6mm and is a new calibre that was designed in-house by Richard Mille’s engineers in Les Breleux, Switzerland.
Didn’t Richard Mille offer extra-flat watches before? Yes, there is the RM 016 (with the case thickness of 8.25mm) that is housed in a rectangular case and the RM 033 (6.3mm thick) which is in a round case.
“We have remedied this lacuna with a nod to our early days,” says Richard Mille the gentleman the brand is named after.
While some may argue that a tonneau watchcase is rectangular, do note that there is a distinction made between a rectangular form and the barrel- or tonneau shape.
The case dimensions of the Richard Mille RM 67-01 are 38.7mm by 47.52mm by 7.75mm. And no, that is not an extra large numeral “zero” after the Arabic numeral 4 and before the Arabic numeral 6. That is the date display window. The function indicator for winding, date and hand setting is between 1 and 2 o’clock. Photo: © TANG Portfolio. Elfa / Timmy. 2016 Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie.
In fact, between 2001 and 2007, Richard Mille had only produced tonneau watchcases. This established an identity for the brand that is now well-recognised for its tonneau-shaped cases.
The vertical date display window is located on the bottom right corner at the 5 o’clock position. Given that this is a two-hand watch without a sweep seconds hand (which contributes to the slimness), how complex is the RM 67-01?
The 38.7mm by 47.52mm case of the Richard Mille RM 67-01 with the thickness of 7.75mm requires almost six hours of machining time, 68 different stamping operation just for its bezel, case band and rear bezel.
The winding rotor is in platinum. The brand claims that the case of the RM 67-01 is one of the most time-consuming and complex watchcases ever to be made in Switzerland. Photo: © TANG Portfolio. Elfa / Timmy. 2016 Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie.
The machine tooling process requires 8 days of machine adjustments for the bezel, 5 days for the case band and 5 days for the rear bezel. Developing a methodology for the operations took 145 hours, drawings for the tools 130 hours and implementation another 180 hours.
Moreover, each case requires more than 215 separate machining operations. That is not all, the case will also undergo hand brushing and polishing, the assembly of the sapphire glass and sealants. Such processes take up a further 8 hours of work.
In fact, more time is required to produce this case than other similar ones. This explains why the brand claims that the RM 67-01 tonneau watchcase is one of the most time consuming and complex cases ever to be produced in Switzerland.
Richard Mille RM 67-01 Extra Flat
Introduced in 2016
Technical Specifications:
• Calibre CRMA6 automatic movement
• Movement thickness: 3.6mm
• Winding rotor in platinum
• Baseplate and bridges made from grade 5 titanium
• Case dimensions: 38.7mm by 47.52mm by 7.75mm
Note:
Richard Mille claims that this is one of the most time-consuming and complex watchcases ever to be created in Switzerland.