MING Watches should be no secret by now. Any watch enthusiast and collector should know about this small independent brand that bears the name of Ming Thein. Even if I don’t own yet a MING piece, I am a big fan of this multi-national, multi-cultural brand. You can have a look to the Ming Thein interview, the MING 19.02 Worltimer review or acknowledge the fact that MING 17.06 Copper won the “Horological Revelation” Prize at GPHG 2019. Today, now, MING Watches released a new timepiece, the MING 27.01. So before reading the press release below, better head to https://ming.watch/ and order now. Only 125 watches will be produced in 2020.
What would happen if we could evolve our debut watch – the 17.01?
Continuity and advancement
The answer is the MING 27.01: the spiritual successor to the very first watch we produced, reflected in configuration – two hands, manual wind – and naming. Though the 17.01 was a landmark for us, it also left many unanswered questions due to production budget constraints. The 27.01 advances the concept of a versatile, collector-centric and accessible daily wearer by a significant step and is appropriately the first watch to feature our second-generation design language.
Design language 2
After two and a half years, fifteen models, a Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève win and literally hundreds of design studies – we feel the envelope has been comprehensively explored, and our signature elements of design thoroughly evolved and iterated. Having tested the limits of these elements with our previous watches, MT finally learned 3D CAD (all watches released to date were designed in two dimensions and Photoshop) and went crazy: the 27.01 is one of the first watches created in 3D, from the start.
Our core elements were further distilled down to radial symmetry; legibility; the 0 marker; flared lugs and smooth case transitions; mixed finishes; and visual dissonance in layering to make watches seem much deeper or shallower than their physical dimensions might suggest. On top of the additional layering and material transitions, the case now incorporates our flying blade lugs, a feature new to design language 2.
The 27.01 also introduces a new monochromatic focus for 2020, pairing well with a wide variety of wardrobes and straps.
Minimalism in all areas
At just 6.9mm high, the 27.01 is the thinnest watch we have made to date. It could have been made thinner, but we elected not to do so to retain rigidity and durability. The 38×6.9mm proportions give it surprising wrist presence yet versatile wearability for all wrist sizes.
The overarching brief of reduction has been carried through to the case and movement: excess material has been removed from the periphery of the case, with hollows extending through the lugs (a serious machining challenge given the thickness, or lack thereof, of the monobloc caseband). We elected to leave the case in stainless steel to provide the right tactile feel.
The 27.01 is powered by a movement so heavily reworked that we probably should have started from scratch. We begin with an ETA Peseux 7001 and retain only the gear train and escapement. The bridges and plates are remade, courtesy of Manufacture Schwarz-Etienne, in a configuration of our design, retaining the same aesthetic as the 19-series: solid baseplate with maximal opening of upper bridges to put the moving components on display. It is a continuation of our belief that a display back must have something worth seeing behind it.
Textural play
Being the most formal and dressy piece in our range, the 27.01 is our first watch not to carry any luminous material. However, a contrasting mix of matte and brushed surfaces in four different shades of silver allow for exceptional legibility. This subtle variation in texture and height of elements creates a depth despite the lack of thickness; in its interaction with light, the 27.01 is still very much a MING.
The variation in texture continues through the case: at the front, the lighter polished steel bezel transitions to mid and then dark grey on the dial. On the sides, polished flying blades are offset against matte-blasted recesses and the rear echoes the front, with brushed steel transitioning to surrounds of dark-relief etched text, and finally a black movement.
Stepping up
We have once again partnered with Manufacture Schwarz-Etienne for the production of the 27.01, 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. Given the refinement and extensive level of customization in the 27.01, we believe this represents an interesting new offering for the brand, and a next step for collectors of our 17 series.
The MING 27.01 is available to order immediately and exclusively from www.ming.watch. It is priced at CHF 3,950 and production for 2020 is restricted to 125 watches. Deliveries are expected to begin in September 2020.
MING 27.01 Technical Specifications
Functions:
- Hours and minutes
Case, dial & hands:
- 38mm diameter, 6.9mm thickness
- Stainless steel 316L
- Mix of polished, brushed and blasted surfaces with ‘flying blade’ lugs
- Sapphire crystal front and rear with double-sided antireflective coating
- Metallic circular brushed dial, multitone grey
- Rigid case without spacer rings
- 50m water resistance
- 20mm lug width
Movement:
- MING 7001.M1: heavily-modified ETA 7001 with new bridges and baseplate
- Black chrome plated bridges and plates
- ~42h power reserve at full wind
- Movement adjusted to five positions
Straps:
- Smooth calf burgundy leather strap by Jean Rousseau Paris
- 20mm width, curved bars with quick release
- 70/120mm length
- Fitted with 2nd generation ‘flying blade’ stainless steel buckle
Leather travel pouch handmade in Kuala Lumpur by Studio Koji Sato
2-year warranty against defects
Made in Switzerland
Pricing
- CHF 3,950
- Deliveries expected to commence September 2020
- 2020 production restricted to 125 watches
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
