Ming: 19.01

MING, the micro watch brand funded by a group of six watch enthusiasts under the leadership of the Malaysian photographer and designer Ming Thein, is launching its second piece: the MING 19.01.

Unlike the first model, the 17.01, the 19.01 was conceived without a target price and with the idea of creating the ultimate daily-wear watch.

The piece had to be not just robust but of extremely distinctive design, solid practicality and sufficient horological pedigree. Moreover, the watch had to carry and further refine the MING design DNA.

All of the elements from the 17.01 are present, but have been taken a step further: transparency and skeletonization, the use of sapphire in the case construction, the easy to wind crown and distinctive flared lugs, the ring motifs, and axial symmetry.

Moreover, the 19.01 continues to advance the brand’s philosophy of using top partners for all aspects of the watches. It was designed by Ming Thein in Kuala Lumpur; serialized and assembled by Manufacture Schwarz-Etienne in La Chaux-de-Fonds. The straps are constructed by Jean Rosseau in Paris; the travel pouch is handmade in Kuala Lumpur by local leather artisans Thirtyfour Bespoke.

The movement is the Schwarz-Etienne MSE100 in a dedicated execution, MSE100.1, with the functions of time only, hours and minutes. It features double barrels running in parallel for 100h power reserve, a stop-seconds function and skeletonized bridges with matte anglage. All components including the hairspring are made in-house by Schwarz-Etienne.

The 19.01’s 39mm diameter case is made from grade 5 titanium with a mixture of mirror-polished and finely brushed surfaces. The dial is made of sapphire, using a unique lacquer process to achieve a deep opaque blue in the center, and fully transparent edges to allow some of the movement’s baseplate to be seen.

Hands are skeletonized and loaded with Superluminova X1, along with the ring inside the bezel.

The brand declared that total production of the MING 19.01 “will not be limited, though watches will still be produced and delivered in batches due to the amount of handwork required”. The watch will be available exclusively from www.ming.watch with a special pre-order price of CHF 6,800 until the end of December, and thereafter CHF 7,900. To receive the watches, the customers will have to wait until the third quarter of 2018.