RM 67-02

The RM 67-02 is the thin one. Under eight millimetres tall, an automatic movement with the rotor on show, and a stretchy textile strap that makes it the easiest Richard Mille reference to forget you are wearing.

Why this reference

The RM 67-02 was designed for athletes who needed to wear a watch while competing, and it shows. The case is slimmer and lighter than anything else in the tonneau family, the strap is a single piece of elasticated textile with no clasp, and the colours are loud on purpose. It is the reference most people point to when they say they want a Richard Mille they can actually wear to dinner and then to the gym.

We build it in two colourways: the blue and red version photographed here, and a yellow strap version you can see in the video. Both share the same case, movement and dial architecture.

Case: 7.8 millimetres of layered carbon

The whole case stack measures 47.52 by 38.70 millimetres and only 7.80 millimetres thick. The bezel and caseback are machined from layered carbon composite with the same offset banding as our other carbon references, and the mid-case is colour-matched so the flanks read as a single piece. Twelve spline screws run through the stack. Because the case is so thin the screws are shorter and the gaskets are a different profile, and water resistance is rated at 30 metres, which is what the reference was designed for.

The crown is small, rubber-clad and colour-matched to the strap, red on this version. It screws down firmly and the winding feel is light, as it should be on an automatic.

Movement: the rotor is the dial

The RM 67-02 puts the self-winding rotor on the dial side, so the first thing you see is the oscillating weight swinging across the open movement. Ours uses a fully skeletonised automatic calibre with a variable-geometry style rotor, grey bridges and coloured accents picked out on the inner flange and the hands. The date is omitted on purpose to keep the dial clean, exactly like the reference.

Each movement is regulated in three positions and then worn on a rotating winder for 24 hours before the caseback goes on. The target is the same as all our automatics: a daily rate inside plus or minus five seconds and a smooth sweep at 28,800 vibrations per hour.

On the wrist

This is the lightest watch we make. With the textile strap fitted the piece on our scale comes in at around 32 grams, and because there is no clasp the whole thing slides on and off like a bracelet. The strap is a woven elastic with a reinforced core and stays put through a run, a swim in the pool, or a long flight.

At 38.7 millimetres wide it is also the most wearable tonneau in the collection. It suits a 15 to 19 centimetre wrist and, unlike the thicker references, slides under a shirt cuff without catching.

What we check before it ships

• Weight recorded and photographed on the scale.
• Rate measured in three positions and after 24 hours on a winder.
• Rotor swing and auto-winding efficiency checked.
• Strap elasticity and stitching inspected by hand.
• Full set of photos of your exact piece sent to you before payment.

Where it differs

The original uses a manufacture calibre with a platinum rotor and a titanium baseplate; ours uses a skeletonised automatic movement finished to look the part, and the rotor is tungsten rather than platinum. The strap is woven to the same pattern but is a little stiffer when new and softens after a week or two. The colours, the thinness and the feel on the wrist are where this piece earns its place.