CASE
The inimitable tonneau shape was first imagined in an extra-flat form for the RM 67-01 case, making it one of the sleekest tonneau-shaped Richard Mille timepieces there is. Its refined dimensions require more time to create than other similar cases in the collection, adding almost 6 hours of pure machining time, not counting the weeks of preliminary preparations, such as the 68 different stamping operations required for the bezel, caseband and back bezel.
The machine tooling process involves 8 days of adjusting the machines for the bezel, 5 days for the caseband, and 5 days for the back bezel. Prior to this process, developing a methodology for carrying out this series of operations took 145 hours, the drawings for the tools 130 hours, and implementation 180 hours. Each case represents more than 215 separate machining operations.
After machining is completed, the watch case undergoes brushing and polishing, all executed by hand, followed by assembly with sapphire glass and sealants and preliminary water-resistance testing, before being disassembled and undergoing a final quality control. Only then will the movement be mounted within its subtle lines.
All of these operations represent an additional 8 hours of work, making it one of the sleekest tonneau-shaped Richard Mille cases in the collection.