Evolution and hindsight
Design isn’t an instantaneous process – on average, it takes 18-24 months from initial sketches to first delivery. This gives us plenty of time to live with prototypes, play around with design elements and ask ourselves ‘what if?’. The MING 27.02 is a result of this question, our experiences, and the ability to push things further.
Introducing gradient guilloché
We took the case of the 2020 GPHG-finalist 27.01 and found some more internal space. This was sufficient to add a sapphire dial (necessarily thicker than the brass dial of the 27.01) and a blue Clous-de-Paris guilloché ring around the periphery of the movement, without any increase in overall thickness.
In addition to our core elements of radial symmetry, legibility, the 0 marker and flared lugs, we extended the smooth visual transitions beyond the case lines to the dial itself. We added a gradient to the lower surface of the sapphire dial and laser etched markers on the upper surface. This causes the guilloché to appear to fade not just in depth and spatial frequency but also saturation. It transitions from an inky black center to prominent guilloché at the edges and exhibits our trademark inversion under certain angles – with the markers appearing to float over a uniform mirror.
Ultra-thin and minimalist
27.02 retains the 6.9mm total height (including cyrstals) of the 27.01 and shares the overall reductionist aesthetic. We retained the ‘flying blade’ lugs machined from a monobloc stainless steel caseband and the 38×6.9mm proportions which give the watch solid wrist presence but versatile wearability.
Fortunately, during 2020, some additional ETA Peseux 7001s in the specification we required became available. This allowed us to produce this batch of watches in our heavily reworked Cal. MING 7001.M1. We begin with the base movement but essentially retain only the gear train and escapement. The bridges and plates are reworked by Manufacture Schwarz-Etienne in a configuration of our design: solid baseplate with maximal opening of upper bridges to put moving components on display. It is a continuation of our belief that a display back must have something worth seeing behind it.
Visual layering
Like its sibling, the 27.02 is one of our most formal pieces and does not carry any luminous material. However, a contrasting mix of surfaces allows for exceptional legibility and a sensation of much greater physical depth than should be possible given the case thickness. In its interaction with light, the 27.02 is still very much a MING.
The variation in texture continues through the case: at the front, the lighter polished steel bezel transitions to blue Clous-de-Paris and then an inky black pool on the dial. On the sides, polished flying blades are offset against matte-blasted recesses and the rear echoes the front, with brushed steel and etched text surrounding a black movement.
On partnerships
We continue our partnership with Manufacture Schwarz-Etienne for the production of the 27.02, Jean Rousseau Paris for the straps and Studio Koji Sato for our travel pouches. We are proud to apply consistent quality control standards across the range, be it for flagship or entry-level watches.
The MING 27.02 will be available to order from 1PM GMT on 15 January 2021, exclusively from www.ming.watch. It is priced at CHF 4,950, with a total lifetime production of 200 watches. Deliveries are expected to begin in November 2021.
Please note: whilst we do our utmost to meet delivery deadlines, restrictions from the impact of Coronavirus within our supply chain partners are impossible to anticipate.
MING 27.02 Gradient guilloché Technical Specifications and Price
• Functions:
o Hours and minutes
• Case, dial & hands:
o 38mm diameter, 6.9mm thickness
o Stainless steel 316L
o Mix of polished, brushed and blasted surfaces with ‘flying blade’ lugs
o Sapphire crystal front and rear with double-sided antireflective coating
o Gradient sapphire dial with laser etched and white-filled indices
o Blue Clous-de-Paris ring with stamped guilloché
o Rigid case without spacer rings
o 50m water resistance
o 20mm lug width
• Movement:
o MING 7001.M1: heavily-modified ETA 7001 with new bridges and baseplate
o Black chrome plated bridges and plates
o ~42h power reserve at full wind
o Movement adjusted to five positions
• Straps:
o Smooth calf blue-grey leather strap by Jean Rousseau Paris
o 20mm width, curved bars with quick release
o 70/120mm length
o Fitted with 2nd generation ‘flying blade’ stainless steel buckle
• Leather travel pouch handmade in Kuala Lumpur by Studio Koji Sato
• 2-year limited mechanical warranty
• Made in Switzerland
• Pricing & deliveries:
o CHF 4,950
o Total production limited to 200 watches
o Deliveries expected to commence November 2021
• MING continually aims to improve product where possible to improve aesthetics and functionality; to this end we reserve the right to make minor changes prior to final delivery
- 5AM, 15 January in San Francisco
- 8AM, 15 January in New York
- 1PM, 15 January in London
- 2PM, 15 January in Geneva
- 5PM, 15 January in Dubai
- 9PM, 15 January in Kuala Lumpur
- 12AM, 16 January in Melbourne
- 7PM, 21 January in San Francisco
- 10PM, 21 January in New York
- 3AM, 22 January in London
- 4AM, 22 January in Geneva
- 7AM, 22 January in Dubai
- 11AM, 22 January in Kuala Lumpur
- 2PM, 22 January in Melbourne
- Watches are only available at www.ming.watch
- We will email everybody on the respective lists as soon as orders open. However, due to limited control over servers and syncing, we cannot guarantee emails will arrive exactly on time, so a calendar reminder is recommended.
- At this time, we accept payments via VISA and MasterCard only.
- We partner with industry leading solutions providers such as Shopify and Fiserv for order and payment processing. However, there are limits to every system and some of you may notice slower loading times.
- Payment approvals and automated fraud checks are conducted by the issuing bank and not under our control. To avoid hiccups during checkout, we recommend informing your bank about the transaction in advance.