- Size
- 42.70 × 49.94 × 16.15 mm
- Edition
- 50 pieces
Overview
Red gold skeleton hand holding the movement
The RM 66 Flying Tourbillon was released in 2023 in a limited edition of 50 pieces. Its centrepiece is a skeleton hand in 5N red gold, index and little fingers extended, holding the movement in its grasp; the thumb and the two folded fingers are visible from the caseback. The five digits were milled and then finished by hand by the Genevan engraver Olivier Vaucher, with deburring and polishing bringing out the contours of the bones and the joints left microblasted. The design is credited to Cécile Guenat, Richard Mille’s Creative and Development Director.
The movement is turned through 180° relative to the brand’s usual layout, placing the flying tourbillon at 12 o’clock and the barrel at 6 o’clock. The tourbillon cage is fixed at one end of its axis only, with no upper bridge.
Note that the card designates the model RM 066 while Richard Mille calls it RM 66. Card 450 in the same grid uses RM 66 for what is the same reference.
Key details
Edition50 pieces
CaseCarbon TPT® bezel and caseback, grade 5 titanium caseband with 5N red gold inserts
Power reserveCirca 72 hours (± 10%)
Design and engineering
- Calibre RM66Manual winding flying tourbillon movement with hours and minutes, in grade 5 titanium. The movement measures 32.50 × 30.30 mm with a thickness of 5.68 mm, runs on 17 jewels at 21,600 vph (3 Hz) and provides circa 72 hours (± 10%) of power reserve. The tourbillon is 10.90 mm in diameter. Placing the barrel at 6 o’clock and the tourbillon at 12 turns the movement through 180° from Richard Mille’s usual layout, which the brand records as a first for it.
- Flying tourbillonThe cage is fixed at one end of its axis and assembled without an upper bridge, which Richard Mille specifies both for visibility and for the impression of weightlessness. The cage is engraved with a skull, referring to the RM 052 Tourbillon Skull.
- Skeleton handA skeleton hand in 5N red gold, index and little fingers extended, holds the movement in its grasp; the thumb and the two folded fingers are visible from the caseback. It is attached to the barrel bridge, machine milled and then microblasted, polished and finished entirely by hand by teams overseen by the Genevan engraver Olivier Vaucher. Richard Mille cites around 1,500 hours of research and development for the model, with a further nine months of work for the casing team. The design is credited to Cécile Guenat, the brand’s Creative and Development Director.
- Free-sprung balance with variable inertiaGlucydur®, two arms and four setting screws, a moment of inertia of 11.50 mg·cm², an angle of lift of 53° and a balance wheel diameter of 9.12 mm. The regulator index is eliminated in favour of four adjustable screws on the balance.
- Fast-rotating barrelOne revolution every six hours instead of seven and a half, which Richard Mille specifies for reduced periodic internal mainspring adhesion and a favourable mainspring delta curve. It sits at 6 o’clock.
- Case constructionBezel and caseback machined from Carbon TPT®; the grade 5 titanium caseband has satin-finished pillars and polished bevels and carries inserted 5N red gold plates worked with a clou de Paris pattern, ground down after machining and then hand-polished. The tripartite case is water-resistant to 50 m via two nitrile O-ring seals and assembled with 20 grade 5 titanium spline screws and 316L stainless steel washers.
- Carbon TPT® constructionThe composite is built from layers of parallel filaments divided from carbon fibre, each layer a maximum of 30 microns thick, impregnated with resin and woven so that the weft direction changes by 45° between plies before consolidation. Machining exposes the layering, so the pattern differs on every case.
- Hour markersIn 5N red gold PVD-coated titanium, shaped as guitar plectrums, screwed to the upper flange and hollowed at their tips, filled with Super-LumiNova.
- CrownGrade 5 titanium, shaped as a spider, its segments set around a ruby with a circular black rubber gasket.
Specifications
Technical specifications
| Reference | RM 66 |
|---|---|
| Calibre | RM66, manual winding flying tourbillon |
| Functions | Hours, minutes |
| Power reserve | Circa 72 hours (± 10%) |
| Frequency | 21,600 vph (3 Hz) |
| Jewels | 17 |
| Movement dimensions | 32.50 × 30.30 mm |
| Movement thickness | 5.68 mm |
| Tourbillon diameter | 10.90 mm |
| Balance wheel diameter | 9.12 mm |
| Baseplate and bridges | Grade 5 titanium, skeletonised |
| Tourbillon | Flying, at 12 o’clock, no upper bridge, skull engraved on the cage |
| Barrel | Fast rotating, six hours per revolution instead of 7.5, at 6 o’clock |
| Balance | Glucydur®, 2 arms, 4 setting screws, inertia 11.50 mg·cm², lift angle 53° |
| Crown | Grade 5 titanium, spider form, ruby and black rubber gasket |
| Case dimensions | 42.70 × 49.94 × 16.15 mm |
| Balance spring | Elinvar by Nivarox® |
| Shock protection | KIF Elastor KE 160 B28 |
| Barrel shaft | Nickel-free Chronifer® (DIN x 46 Cr 13 + S) |
| Bezel and caseback | Carbon TPT® |
| Caseband | Grade 5 titanium with inserted 5N red gold clou de Paris plates |
| Central sculpture | 5N red gold skeleton hand, hand-finished by Olivier Vaucher |
| Hour markers | 5N red gold PVD-coated titanium, Super-LumiNova filled |
| Case assembly | 20 grade 5 titanium spline screws, 316L washers |
| Crystal | Sapphire, anti-glare both sides |
| Water resistance | 50 m, two nitrile O-ring seals |
| Strap | Black rubber |
| Edition | 50 pieces |
| Introduced | 2023 |
Buying with HYPA
Purchase with confidence
- Manufacturer warranty confirmed from the warranty card
- Insured worldwide delivery
- Payment by bank transfer or cryptocurrency
- Registered Australian dealerHYPA International Pty Ltd · Victorian Second-Hand Dealer Licence SHD-0018017.
- Direct specialist supportSpeak with the HYPA team before, during and after the purchase.
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