We have often been asked for a date; we have always declined demurely with the promise of ‘with the right movement…’ Coinciding with the retirement of the 17-series and wider availability of the central-moon Sellita SW288, MT finally felt that the time had arrived to say yes: MING 37.05.
A little romantic whimsy
A moon-phase is an old complication, and perhaps one of the least useful for modern life, yet one that still holds a special place in the hearts of collectors for reasons we’re not quite sure of ourselves, despite owning several. A date is at least a bit more useful. We opted to combine the two and keep the old-school whimsy going by opting for a manual wind movement – once again, offering the enthusiast more opportunities to interact with their watch.
Integration, dynamism and inversion
Of course, being us, we scrutinized both moon and date to figure out a smoother presentation than the usual holes-in-a-dial style that was more suited to our design language. Our continuing use of multi-layered sapphire dials offered a solution: the apertures for date and moon lie in the lower layer dial, which is metal, textured and carries a midnight blue to black gradient reminiscent of the night sky, with a seamless sapphire dial above that carries the hour indices (laser etched, and filled with HyCeram) and a central mask for the moon to mirror our peripheral ring forms. A full moon thus forms a complete ring, which is luminous, with partial phases being portions thereof. The date window preserves symmetry at 6 o’clock, and is as subtle as possible with a background color-matched to the dial, and our usual font in light grey.
The net result can be seen in the accompanying images and is one of the most dynamic dials we have ever created: it inverts completely from a seamless silver mirror to a solid blue-black with moon and date displays. The transition is gradual and most of the time, the watch presents a bit of both: a calm, reflective serenity above and a lot more visual texture below. Naturally, there is also a lot of luminous material.
The right movement
We knew we didn’t want the semicircle moon aperture, but what we had in mind would require a centrally-driven moon disc to offer a sufficiently large display to allow the ring display to work. Only a custom module or the Sellita SW288 offered this possibility, and selection of the latter allowed us to improve overall accessibility of the watchl. But to make it worthy of a display back, it was then further reworked in a similar style to the 7001.M1 used in the 27.01 and 27.02; it is skeletonized, matte-blasted and anthracite coated, with a contrasting portion on the main train bridge in circular-brushed rhodium.
Creating the next generation
The 37-series case family will form one of our core product lines, spanning from entry level to Special Projects and everything in between. It has a flexible architecture that can accept a wide range of movements, is scalable to thickness, and can be produced in a wide range of materials. At the same time, it is a highly refined case design that has complex compound curves – such as the line from case side to lug tip – and multiple finishes. We have also increased the visual presence of the case with a significantly larger dial opening than the 17series and domed front and rear crystals. However, wearability and comfort for a wide variety of wrist sizes is maintained with the same 38mm maximum diameter and 20mm lug width. In short: it looks bigger than a 17-series, but feels the same on the wrist.
We of course continue our partnerships with Manufacture Schwarz-Etienne for construction, production and assembly; Jean Rousseau Paris for straps, and Studio Koji Sato for the pouches.
One last thing: no more keepers
The 37.05 will be one of our first watches to be offered on a keeperless buckle system that tucks the unused hole portion of the strap underneath the opposite end. By doing this, a given strap length works for a wider range of sizes because the unused portion effectively increases the diameter of smaller wrists. We find the overall configuration to be neater, more comfortable, more secure and more visually harmonious. Finally, the buckle also has built-in micro-adjustment simply by moving the middle spring bar.
Pricing and deliveries
The MING 37.05 is priced at CHF 4,950 and will be available exclusively at www.ming.watch.
Existing customers will be allotted preferential access to 150 pieces at 1PM GMT on 25 November 2021, with the balance of 350 pieces available to the general public at 1PM GMT on 26 November 2021. A 50% deposit is due at the time of order, with the balance on delivery – expected to begin July 2022.
MING 37.05 Specifications:
- Functions:
- Hours and minutes
- Moon phase
- Date
- Case, dial & hands:
- 38mm diameter, 11.9mm thickness (8.9mm excluding crystals)
- 316L stainless steel
- Domed sapphire crystal front and rear, with double-sided anti-reflective coating
- Composite metal and laser-etched sapphire dial with inlaid HyCeram ceramic Super-Luminova fill and blue-black vertical gradient
- Luminous moon indication
- 100m water resistance
- 20mm lug width
- Movement:
- Sellita for MING 288.M1, anthracite skeletonized bridges with contrast rhodium circular brushing
- 6mm, 5.65mm thickness
- Central moon phase indication and date, both with quick set mechanism via crown
- Manual winding with ~38h power reserve at full wind
- Straps:
- Black barenia leather strap by Jean Rosseau Paris
- 20mm width, curved bars with quick release
- Fitted with 3rd generation keeperless ‘flying blade’ stainless steel buckle with micro-adjustment
- Leather travel pouch handmade in Kuala Lumpur by Studio Koji Sato
- 2-year warranty against defects
- Made in Switzerland
- Pricing o CHF 4,950
- Deliveries expected to commence July 2022
- Edition of 500 watches, available exclusively via ming.watch from 25 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
About MING:
MING is a horological collective formed and funded entirely by a group of six watch enthusiasts from around the world under the leadership of Ming Thein, a photographer, designer, business strategist and above all, a lover of watches. Together, the MING team draws from over 80 years of total experience collecting fine timepieces – ranging from vintage to avant-garde; from quality affordables to six-figure commissioned independent pieces.
When we started collecting, iconic pieces were more accessible, and a genuine sense of value and joy accompanied each acquisition. Our goal with MING is to bring back this sense of excitement and discovery through a series of pieces that show considered deliberation and refinement in every detail but remain accessible to a wider audience. We will be the first to admit that we don’t manufacture in-house, but rather use the most appropriate suppliers for the design intent and price point. The majority of our suppliers also work with major Swiss brands; assembly, regulation and testing are performed in Switzerland, with final quality control done personally in Malaysia.
We are proud to have been recognized by the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève on no less than four occasions: as a finalist in 2018 with the 19.01; winner of the Horological Revelation prize in 2019 with the 17.06; with Ming Thein and Dr. Magnus Bosse invited to the Academy for 2020 and 2021, and as a finalist in 2020 edition with the 27.01 and 18.01 H41.
MING is our way of sharing our experience with enthusiasts who want to discover watchmaking substance beyond brand, for budding aficionados and seasoned collectors alike. We have released no fewer than 43 models in the short time since our public launch in August 2017, including several via the experimental Special Projects Cave.
We’re always happy to hear from fellow enthusiasts – please contact us at hello@ming.watch, and follow our journey @mingwatches on Instagram and Facebook.
MING is a registered trademark in Switzerland and Malaysia and represented by Horologer MING Sdn Bhd (1255711-P), Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.