Ming continues to advance the art of watch design with the 20.01 Series 5, a mechanical chronograph that looks like sci-fi technology.
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In less than a decade of operation,
Ming
has ascended to the top tier of collectible luxury watches, competing for wrist space with brands that have dominated the space for over a century.
How did a tiny operation from Malaysia,
founded by a theoretical physicist-turned-photographer with no industry experience
, land a seat at the table with some of the
biggest names in Swiss watchmaking?
In a word,
creativity
.
Ming Thein founded his eponymous watch brand in 2016 with a small group of fellow enthusiasts in Kuala Lumpur. Like any great artist, Ming and his team ignore convention and explore the limits of how modern technology can be used to make mechanical watches.
With each successive reference, there is a reverence for the history of the craft, balanced with a desire to advance it as far as possible. And the
results are always beautiful
.
There is no better example of these tenets than the new 20.01 Series 5, a mechanical chronograph that looks futuristic on top, classical on the back and mesmerizing from every angle.
Titanium, lasers and lume
One of Ming’s many impressive accomplishments was establishing a signature design language that was instantly recognizable without a logo, only a few years into the brand’s existence.
This includes distinctive hands used on every reference, curved open lugs and dial tracks etched into the underside of the crystal. All of these features are present on the 20.01 Series 5, meaning fans of the brand will instantly spot it as a Ming.
But I feel safe asserting that even Ming’s most enthusiastic followers have never seen a chronograph quite like this. The dial is laser milled from a single block of titanium to achieve the layered detailing.
It is then vapor-coated in blue and select areas of the blue are removed with a laser to expose the stonewashed texture of the titanium.
Lasers are again employed to etch the chronograph and time tracks into the underside of the domed sapphire crystal. These etchings are then filled with the proprietary Ming Polar White luminous material, which glows pure white.
The hour hand is coated in solid white Super-LumiNova X1 that glows blue in the dark, and the minute hand is outlined in the same material.
Two central hands display the chronograph’s elapsed time, with a solid hand registering seconds and an outlined hand displaying jumping minutes.
Cogs, gears and gold
Turn the 20.01 Series 5 over and you’ll find that this futuristic-looking watch is indeed anchored in nineteenth-century technology. A full sapphire crystal exhibition case back, secured by four screws, shows off a exceptionally intricate chronograph movement.
Ming worked with Agenhor to design a special version of the AgenGraphe movement, which is usually automatic, to fit the narrow space allowed by this case and dial design. Making the caliber 6361.M1 hand-wound slimmed it down to only 5.35mm thick.
According to Ming, this movement “contains many advanced and unique features such as a central chronograph core; Agenhor’s proprietary backlash-free gears; proprietary horizontal clutch mechanism; instantaneous jumping minutes; snail reset cams; and proprietary regulation mechanism.”
As a cherry on top of this marvelous mechanism, the bridges are plated in 5N rose gold.
Another factor that has enhanced the desirability of Ming watches is scarcity. The small brand’s ability to source parts and assemble such detailed designs constrains every production run.
The 20.01 Series 5 is one of, if not the most, complex watches Ming has created, and as such, only 25 pieces are available. This will likely soon become one of the most coveted references from one of the most admired young brands in luxury watchmaking.
Availability and pricing
The
Ming 20.01 Series 5
chronograph is available now from Ming and authorized dealers for $45,800.
Only 25 pieces are available, and like all other Ming designs, it will not be created again.
It comes on a blue Alcantara strap with a steel tuck-in buckle and a black FKM rubber strap.
