Hands-On Debut: The Ming 37.02 Minimalist Watch

Founded by renowned photographer Ming Thein in 2017, Ming has been an indie darling since day one. It’s not easy to succeed in the densely crowded "minimalist" space, let alone to successfully hone a distinct design language while doing so. Recently Ming has released some wildly ambitious and truly impressive pieces like the 20.01 Series 3 Chronograph and the remarkably light LW.01, which comes in at something like 10 grams including strap. It’s also worth noting that Ming joined up with recent startup Fleming and California-based guilloché master J.N. Shapiro to create the Alternative Horological Alliance, a group dedicated to fostering independent watchmaking outside of the typical industry structures. The first project from this group was an excellent tantalum bracelet designed by Ming and produced by Shapiro and engineered to fit all three AHA brands. But let’s get into the debut of the Ming 37.02 Minimalist, a new piece which gets back to basics and stands to be the brand’s first standard-production/core collection watch.

If you’re totally new to Ming, just one look at the dial should give you a pretty good idea of the brand’s design language as well as its reasoning in naming this the “Minimalist.” Those stylized hands and white hour/minutes track with small text reading “MING” at 6 o’clock are all you get on the dial. It’s clean and subdued but not boring. In fact, I’d call it dramatic due to the sapphire dial, which is laser-cut to create the track. The deep black of the dial lends an ethereal feel, which is heightened when looking at how the hands just appear to float over this sea of black.

Also, here’s where we get into something new and genuinely interesting. The cutout dial markers are filled with Ming’s new proprietary Polar White lume which is one of the few, if not the only, truly white lume that is not tinted. Somehow I forgot to take a photo of the lume, which is a shame because the white plays really well with the blue lume on the hands (press photo above for reference).

The Ming 37.02 Minimalist is done in a 38mm wide and 11mm thick stainless steel case with a 44.5mm lug-to-lug measurement  (100 meters of water resistance), boasting those special Ming touches that have emerged as the brand’s signature design language. While the lugs and case band are not hollowed out the way they are on pricier models, the “flying blade” design makes for some really nice wrist presence. These lugs also go a long way in giving the watch that distinctive silhouette, not just head-on but from the profile and sides, as well. Eagle-eyed Ming fans may recognize this case as it is a continuation of the 37 Series case, which excels in wearing comfort and actually has wrist presence that is more substantial than one would imagine from a 38mm case. 

Speaking of wearing comfort, I have to give props to the watch's FKM black rubber strap, which is 20mm wide and comes with a quick-change system that is fairly easy to operate. It is incredibly supple and very easily conformed to my wrist — which is a testament not just to the strap itself but to the curved spring bars. I remain a huge fan of Ming’s keeperless “tuck buckle” system which allows the long end of the strap to be neatly tucked under the short end. It just feels so much more secure and well thought-out than others that I’m puzzled as to why we don't see this more often.

The Ming 37.02 Minimalist uses a modified Sellita SW300.M1 movement that is quite thoroughly customized, with anthracite skeletonized bridges and a skeletonized rotor done in that recognizable Ming pattern that is echoed on the hour and minutes track on the dial. Fairly straightforward, this movement operates at 4 Hz and has a ~45-hour power reserve.

It’s worth noting that Ming goes out of its way to say that this new watch is the first to be “designed, engineered, and managed internally by Horologer Ming SA, our new Swiss entity.” This refers to the company's new facility in La Chaux de-Fonds, where the brand hopes to further centralize its operations moving forward.

As I said at the top of this article, the Ming 37.02 Minimalist is the brand’s first core collection piece that will remain in standard production. I love that the brand is making itself accessible and bringing independent watchmaking to consumers who would ordinarily write it off. The clean design, great proportions and quality build, and versatility of this watch certainly justifies the CHF 3,250 (approximately ~$3,750) price. You can learn more at ming.watch