The most obvious point of departure is of course the movement. The RM 67-01 is powered by the automatic CRMA6 movement, which is only 3.6 mm thick. This was a new movement at the time, designed by Richard Mille and manufactured externally. The caseback and bridges are grade 5 titanium. They have been treated with a combination of gray and black plasma finishes. The winding rotor, meanwhile, is platinum in weight. It uses RM’s OneWay® winding system and ceramic ball bearings for efficient winding. 
The front and back of the movement are skeletonized. This is a familiar sight in many Richard Mille timepieces. This was done in part to give the RM 67-01 a sense of depth. This is no easy task for an ultra-flat fake watch.
The 3-layer structure at the front draws the eye from the edge of the bezel to the time display in the center. The back of the movement has a large open barrel and rotor. As well as the walking chain and the automatic winding mechanism bridges. There is also a free spring balance mechanism that provides better protection in case of shocks. And guarantees better timekeeping performance over time. (at least according to RM).
On the dial, the RM 67-01 Automatic Extra Flat shows only the time and date. It is easy to read and features RM’s famous oversized Arabic numerals. In this version, they are made of solid metal. They are then mounted on two rigid titanium rails attached to the movement. You will also notice that between 1 and 2 o’clock there is a function indicator for winding, date, and handset. When you pull out the crown, the indicator moves so you can see which setting you’re on and adjust as needed.
Another key component of the thin replica watch under 100 is of course the case. At launch, Richard Mille made a big deal about all the work that went into the RM 67-01’s grade 5 titanium case. As we all know, the construction of the tonneau-shaped case is quite complex.
The delicate dimensions of this slimmer case meant that it became even more complex. Six hours of pure machining time were added, not to mention the weeks of preparation work required. In total, each case required more than 215 separate machining operations. And that doesn’t even include the hand brushing and polishing required to obtain the finished product.
As you might expect, the RM 67-01 was reasonably priced at the time of its release. At least by Richard Mille’s standards. The titanium RM 67-01 version starts at $85,000. And the white gold version is $115,000. That’s a lot of money for a model with only a time and date, but that’s the scarce space the RM occupies. Then the popularity and low production volumes kicked in. Add to that the difficulty of getting any RM on the retail market.
