The Richard Mille RM 67-01 and RM 67-02 ‘High Jump’

We recall one of the most influential — no exaggeration — ‘racing machines on the wrist’ of all time, and its strawberry-kissed successor. Each distinctive in its own way, nonetheless bonded together by the same spirit

In the last decade, Richard Mille has led the conversation when it comes to materially innovative technical watchmaking executed at a very high level. The Richard Mille of the popular imagination is a dizzyingly complex, million-dollar fulcrum for the über-rich — habitually associated with skull-shaped tourbillons, ‘erotic’ indications and other similarly flamboyant shtick. If you ask me, those are all gleeful, unabashed fun and yet the ‘heart and soul’ of the brand still resides in ‘entry-level’ models — a relative description, if ever there was one — such as the RM 67-01 and RM 67-02 — two closely related references, both offering a concise summary of what makes Richard Mille great. 

The 67-01 and 67-02 ‘High Jump’ are both descended from Richard Mille’s lineage of extremely thin tonneau-shaped watches. Concise, easywearing, optimised for daily use

A ‘dress watch’ for the next generation

Wristcheck

The RM 67-01 — the elder of our two ‘Side by Side’ contenders — feels like a logical starting point for today’s conversation. Released in 2016, it’s the closest Mille has ever come — in terms of feel and wearability — to crafting a conventional ‘dress watch’. The reference’s availability in white gold or platinum gave it immediate cachet with a variety of audiences; but it was also the first tonneau (a signature look for the brand) that RM had produced in the ‘extra flat’ designation. At a thickness of 7.75mm, the 67-01 was discreet enough to be worn under the cuff of professional attire, and that in turn transformed it into a viable option for collectors who might otherwise feel intimidated by the infamous RM form factor. 

At a total thickness of 7.75mm the RM 67-01 remains one of Richard Mille’s ‘flattest’ references, boosting that latent wearability with classic color codes and a relatively restrained dial

That sense of approachability is present in the dial, which is decorated with ‘floating’ Arabic indexes (i.e. mounted above the movement) and the brand’s signature exposed movement. Even today, the overall aesthetic will undoubtedly be polarising: love it or hate it, you’d be hard-pressed to argue the 67-01 looks ‘generic’. But in comparison to the brand’s many racing-themed collabs, the execution here is uncharacteristically restrained. At arm’s length, there’s still sufficient depth in the dial to signal Mille’s artistic interest in ‘watchmaking as complex engineering’, without neglecting the relationship between size, legibility, and scale.  
 

The CRMA6 is one of the earlier exemplars of in-house knowhow at Richard Mille. Equipped with a 50-hour power reserve, free-sprung balance, and engine-like DLC bridgework that’s now synonymous with the brand

The movement presents an early example of in-house development at RM — an interesting tidbit, given that the brand will still turn to external specialists to source some of its most complicated movements. Dubbed the CRMA6, this calibre again evinces a shortlist of attributes which I now think of as being typical for RM. The rotor features a full-size configuration in platinum; and underneath, you’ll find a network of titanium bridges, blackened with the aid of DLC for a matte, pointedly engine-esque aesthetic.  

‘Extra flat’, but make it funky

Wristcheck

Having laid the groundwork for an extremely thin ‘dress watch’ in a signature style redolent of the brand, RM’s next move was to create the 67-02 — a sportified interpretation of the original 67-01. The athlete to the 67-01’s aesthete, this later reference possessed almost all of the physical properties of its predecessor, down to the ultra-flat movement and 38.7mm diameter for the case. Alas, no date window. 

As you can see, the 67-01 and ‘High Jump’ are almost identical in their use of form language, with the latter being ever so slightly thicker in case size (0.05mm)

The specific version of the 67-02 we’re looking at today sheds light on another of Mille’s long-standing passions that’s been so pivotal to his brand’s success — personality. As this iteration’s nickname suggests, the ‘High Jump’ was created specifically with track & fielder Mutaz Essa Barshim in mind; and plays into a range of four other 67-02s, each celebrating athletes who are prolific in their chosen arena of sport. In each model, the bridges that are visible on the dial were hand-painted in the national colours of their respective personality: hence the Qatari maroon-on-white execution — which I’ve taken to calling ‘raspberry shortcake’ — of the ‘High Jump’.

Like the other personality tie-ins in the 67-02 lineup, the ‘High Jump’ colour palette is inspired by the national colours of a particular athlete. In this case, the Qatari high jumper Mutaz Essa Barshim

Much of the aesthetic playfulness of the ‘High Jump’ (as compared to the largely monochrome 67-01) is the result of very specific applications in exotic material. Unlike its spiritual forebear — which employed the relatively conventional metals of white gold and platinum — the 67-02 range was produced using cases built in a mixture of composite material. The most distinctive of these is quartz TPT — a sort of superstructure composed from multiple silica fibres, layered against one another at a 45-degree angle. This layered construction is what imbues the material with its unique strength, rigidity and color-fastness — making it ideal for use on the caseback and bezel. In order to add color to the equation, each fibrous layer is injected with colored resin. Readers with a sweet tooth may discover that the resultant casework’s unique, cryptocrystalline appearance shares a passing resemblance to the interior of hard candies — a motif RM would go on to explore (controversially) in 2019.    

Next to the CRMA7 movement (pictured right), its predecessor, the CRMA6 (pictured left) feels significantly more tame

If you glean but one soundbite from this particular ‘Side by Side’, I’d say the biggest distinction between the 67-01 and the ‘High Jump’ is stylistic in nature: the former being the more stoic of the two, the latter better suited to exuberant and active personalities. This, shall I say, ‘temperamental difference’ is given literal form in the ‘High Jump’ movement — the CRMA7. As the direct successor to the CRMA6 it shares almost all of that movement’s performance specifications, but does away with user-centric functions (e.g. the ‘W/D/H’ winding crown indicator) to allow more in the way of ornamentation. The rotor attests to this shift in a dramatic way: open-worked in a criss-crossing weblike pattern, and gilt with a white gold rim that alternates satin-brushing and polishing. Sure, you could make the (highly semantic) argument that such extravagance doesn’t add to the sportif credentials of the ‘High Jump’, but what’s the point of performing at your peak if you don’t stop to revel a little?

Specifications

Richard Mille RM 67-01 Extra Flat Automatic
Reference number: RM 67-01

Case size: 38.7 mm
Thickness: 7.75 mm
Material: Titanium
Crystal: Sapphire
Water-resistance: 3 ATM

Movement: CRMA6
Functions: Hours, minutes,
Winding: Automatic
Frequency: 28,800 vph (4 Hz)
Power reserve: 50 hours

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Richard Mille RM 67-02 Extra Flat Automatic 'High Jump'
Reference number: RM 67-02

Case size: 38.7 mm
Thickness: 7.80 mm
Material: Quartz TPT
Crystal: Sapphire
Water-resistance: 3 ATM

Movement: CRMA6
Functions: Hours, minutes
Winding: Automatic
Frequency: 28,800 vph (4 Hz)
Power reserve: 50 hours

For further information, visit Richard Mille online.