225 articles · 5 videos found · page 2 of 8
Monochrome
The audacity of Horologer Ming as a watch designer and an independent watchmaker isn’t to be demonstrated anymore… Over its short life, the brand has managed to create a strong identity, yet it never ceases to evolve. Since its debut in 2017, the collective led by designer and photographer Ming Thein has built an impressive […]
Time+Tide
"You can't make an integrated bracelet watch without doing something interesting with the bracelet," says Ming Thein... and that's what he's done.The post The 56.00 Starfield is exactly what you’d expect of MING’s first integrated bracelet piece appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Worn & Wound
Do you remember that scene in The Ten Commandments when Charlton Heston’s Moses walks down the mountain with those giant stone tablets? I’m pretty sure the first commandment on his list was “EVENTUALLY, ALL WATCH BRANDS MUST MAKE AN INTEGRATED BRACELET SPORTS WATCH!” Does that sound right? I could be misremembering some of the finer details of the film, but I’m pretty sure that’s a thing that happened. Because eventually, as we continue to discover month after month, year after year, all brands do try their hand at an integrated bracelet sports watch. Even the ones you might not expect. Like Ming. Today, Ming introduces the 56.00 Starfield, their first integrated bracelet sports watch. Perhaps it’s a little shortsighted of me to suggest that we couldn’t have expected something like this from Ming. In a lot of ways, it’s exactly the kind of watch we should expect, because one of the ideas that really seems to drive the brand is solving big design challenges. Integrated bracelet sports watches have a natural aesthetic appeal in the way form a continuous line all around the wrist. The challenge is in making them feel special and unique. The “good” integrated bracelet sports watches tend to all have a somewhat similar appearance simply because there are only so many ways you can accomplish the most basic goals of a watch like this without going completely off the rails. Ming’s stated goal with the Starfield was to make a watch more comfortable to we...
Monochrome
Independent watchmaking rarely stands still, but Horologer MING has made a habit of using evolution rather than repetition as its driving force. Since the brand’s founding in 2017, Ming Thein and his team have mastered light, form and restraint, while also pushing technical boundaries behind the scenes. With the recent launch of the fifth-generation design […]
Time+Tide
There's something refreshing about a brand that doesn't give a damn about pleasing everyone. MING Watches is that brand.The post MING Watches: the industry villain making uncompromising design appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Fratello
It’s hard to believe that we’re already looking back on the best watches of 2025. This year flew by! Still, there were a lot of releases, and, frankly, some were great. I stepped back from purchasing vintage watches this year and focused more on new pieces. The reason was clear: modern pieces made an impact […] Visit Fratello Favorites: The Best Watches Of 2025 - Mike’s Picks From Ming, Parmigiani Fleurier, Aquastar, And More to read the full article.
Worn & Wound
The latest from Ming is a continuation of their incredibly popular diver lineup, the current incarnation of which began with the 37.09 “Bluefin” and was later followed up with the 37.09 “Uni”. Both of those watches very effectively made use of a dual crown system (one for time setting, one for rotating an internal bezel that is not really a bezel at all), streamlined proportions, and Ming’s expertise in using sapphire and lume for both decorative and functional purposes. The new 37.11 Odyssey is an expansion of the ideas found in the Bluefin and Uni, with an added GMT feature and the option to spec the watch on the absolutely insane Polymesh bracelet. When we had our meeting with Ming earlier this year at Geneva Watch Days, this was the watch that brand founder Ming Thein was wearing on his wrist. I’ll be honest, the Polymesh bracelet kind of stole the show in that presentation, overshadowing the Odyssey just a little, but that’s simply because the Polymesh was a legitimately novel creation, while the Odyssey is something a little more familiar. That’s not a slight, of course. One of the things that makes Ming such an impressive brand is the way a clarity of design runs through each new watch they make, always in conversation with earlier pieces. That’s what helps you identify a watch as a Ming, but it can also mean that certain releases don’t create that vibrational spark of interest that really gets you excited. That said, the Odyssey is an objectiv...
Monochrome
Founded by Ming Thein in 2017 and based in Kuala Lumpur, MING is a design-led indie brand with a distinctive and recognisable aesthetic built on contemporary design, where minimalism, luminescence, layering and colour are key players. MING’s first dive watch surfaced in 2019 with the 18.01 Abyss Concept prototype, leading to the regular production model […]
Hodinkee
A successor to the GPHG-winning 37.09 'Bluefin,' a rugged but lightweight GMT, and a perfect match for Ming's growing ecosystem.
Fratello
The day has finally arrived when I get to write about a release that I’m extremely excited about. I’ve had to keep this one under my hat for over two months, but I’m finally able to share the new Ming 37.11 Odyssey. Spoiler alert: this one is likely to have me grabbing my wallet. At […] Visit Introducing: The New Ming 37.11 Odyssey - With Live Photos to read the full article.
SJX Watches
Ming’s latest release, the 37.11 Odyssey, builds on the brand’s reputation for luminous, multi-layered dials and inventive designs. The Odyssey takes the visual depth seen in the Bluefin and Uni to the next level with a smoked sapphire dial that reveals the movement beneath, paired with shark-tooth hands and a multi-coloured luminous display. Despite its futuristic appearance, the Odyssey remains a practical travel companion. The compact 38 mm titanium case weighs just 42 g and offers 300 m of water resistance, while the Sellita SW330.M2 movement inside provides caller GMT functionality (with a twist). Available on a rubber strap, a titanium bracelet, or the brand’s new 3D-printed Polymesh strap, the Odyssey showcases Ming’s evolution from a design-driven micro-brand to a mature independent watchmaker with its own distinct language and value proposition. Initial thoughts The Odyssey is appealing because it plays to the brand’s strengths with regard to multi-layered, semi-transparent luminous dials. Like many of Ming’s best watches, including the similarly constructed Bluefin and Uni, the Odyssey provides a pleasing parallax effect thanks to the presence of luminous material on both the dial itself, as well as the underside of the sapphire crystal. The Odyssey takes the layered look even further by revealing hints of the movement through a smoked sapphire crystal dial. The movement is a typical Sellita GMT calibre, customised for Ming with anthracite-coated plat...
Time+Tide
A successor to the GPHG-winning 37.09 Bluefin, the 37.11 Odyssey pairs dive watch functionality with a GMT complication.The post MING debuts its first sports GMT watch with the new 37.11 Odyssey appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Worn & Wound
The coolest thing I saw at Geneva Watch Days that I wasn’t allowed to talk about publicly is finally here. This week, Ming introduced a new bracelet concept they’re calling the Polymesh, and with its release it immediately became one of the most interesting products in a catalog full of boundary pushing designs. If you zoom out, what we have here is fairly easy to understand: it’s a 3D printed titanium bracelet. We’re pretty accustomed to 3D printing in watchmaking at this point, with recent releases from Holthinrichs and Apiar serving as recognizable touchpoints for what the technology is currently capable of. As with any other type of manufacturing, there are degrees to the level of quality and complexity depending on how the printing is done and what your goals are, more generally. Of course, in the case of Holtinrichs and Apiar, it’s the cases that are being created using a 3D printing process, and any watch you’d cite as an example has tell-tale signatures that it was made with additive manufacturing, whether that’s a rough finish or angles and shapes that would be otherwise impossible to achieve. A bracelet, though, is a whole other ball of wax. It’s worth pointing out that Holthinrichs has made a 3D printed titanium bracelet in the past, so the idea that Ming has here with the Polymesh isn’t unprecedented. The execution, though, is pretty original. The Polymesh is made up of 1,693 individual components, all held together without the aid of pins o...
SJX Watches
Ming has unveiled the Polymesh strap, described by the brand as the world’s first 3D-printed titanium watch bracelet. Blurring the line between bracelet and strap, it’s comprised of 1,693 articulating grade 5 titanium components. Designed to fit any Ming case with 20 mm lugs, the Polymesh strap reflects the brand’s growing ambitions. Initial thoughts The Polymesh strap illustrates the important function that independent brands like Ming play in the watchmaking ecosystem; they can explore concepts that big brands cannot. Large industrial brands are, to some extent, locked in a cage of their own making. On one hand, they have scale and distribution, but on the other, any innovation must be tested exhaustively to ensure it won’t complicate service channels. Ming exists in a sweet spot, with enough market traction to confidently invest in the development of new ideas, and the nimble size to take decisive action. In this context, it’s not surprising to see the first 3D-printed wristwatch bracelet come from a brand like Ming rather than an industrial powerhouse like Rolex or the Swatch Group. The concept itself is inherently interesting. It might be called a bracelet or a strap, but regardless of the nomenclature, it’s intended to offer both the dense, draping feel of a bracelet with the supple flexibility of a strap, made possible through additive manufacturing. As with any truly novel concept, the Polymesh strap likely needs to be experienced firsthand to be fully...
Time+Tide
Ultra-light, ultra-supple and ultra-flexible, it could be the most comfortable way to wear a watch ever devised.The post MING unveils the super-slinky Polymesh, the world’s first 3D-printed titanium watch bracelet-strap hybrid appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Worn & Wound
Late last month, ahead of Geneva Watch Days, Ming debuted the 57.04. It was a big moment for the brand, being not only a very cool release (who doesn’t love a destro monopusher chronograph), but also the first launch in a new generation of Ming watches, complete with a radically new design language. Still, just because the new is here doesn’t mean we’re quite done with the old, and as if to remind us of that, Ming is today announcing a new, slightly more familiar watch: the MING 37.05 Lunatic. This new watch is somewhat of a farewell from Ming. It’s the third iteration of the 37.05, and the brand promises that it will be the final version of the watch, which was first introduced back in November of 2021 and kicked off the 37-series of watches. Like the first two executions of the 37.05, the MING 37.05 Lunatic is a Moonphase and date watch housed in a stainless steel case. Like its predecessors, the watch measures 38mm across and 11.9mm thick - although 3mm of that height comes from the domed sapphire crystals found on both the front and back of the watch - and is powered by a Sellita for MING 288.M1, a hand-wound time, Moonphase, and date movement based on the Sellita SW288.1. While I haven’t had the good fortune to see the 37.05 Lunatic in person just yet, I have been lucky enough to encounter its older brothers, and - assuming no radical change unaccounted for by dimensions or specs - can attest that the 37.05 wears as one would expect from a Ming, part...
Monochrome
Frustrated by not finding a watch he liked at a price he could afford, multi-talented founder Ming Thein decided to create his own brand. Based in Kuala Lumpur, the design-led indie brand has a distinctive and recognisable aesthetic built on contemporary design, where minimalism, luminescence, layering and colour are key players. Ever-evolving, Ming’s discontinuation of its […]
Fratello
Ming is probably best known for its simple, time-only watches. After all, these are the types of pieces responsible for the small brand’s dramatic rise in popularity. However, the eight-year-old brand has offered chronographs, GMTs, worldtimers, and other complications. In 2021, the first Ming watch with a date indicator arrived. It also included a moonphase […] Visit Introducing: The Ming 37.05 Lunatic to read the full article.
Monochrome
Independent watchmaking thrives on daring ideas, and Ming is one of the few modern brands that embody this spirit vividly. Since its debut in 2017, the collective led by designer and photographer Ming Thein has built an impressive catalogue of over 75 references, each exploring a distinct facet of horology. The early 17-series brought the […]
Worn & Wound
It comes up, somehow, in almost every article you read about Ming: they have an incredibly distinct design language all their own. How many times have you read something like, “you can spot a Ming from across the room!” I admit, we’re as guilty as anyone. But it’s undeniable that the look of these watches defines them, and that they’ve landed on something with that flying blade lug design that is both easily identifiable and well suited to building a supremely comfortable case. It’s something that’s always been there, but has slowly evolved over the course of Ming’s still relatively short history. Today, the brand announces the new 57.04 Iris, the first watch in what the brand terms as their fifth generation design. It’s at once both a radical departure from previous Ming designs, and very much related to all that’s come before. The new 57.04 is influenced rather unapologetically by Art Deco design cues, particularly the dramatic stepped lugs, still with the same flared design. Ming says that the lugs make use of nine separate pieces in what has to be one of the most complex case designs the brand has attempted to date. The top of each step is polished and sides (which have very small surface areas by design) are brushed. It’s a bold design for sure, and makes an immediate impression, and strikes me as being quite a bit more ornate than the inherently minimalistic case designs Ming has produced in the past. Still, the shape is unmistakably Ming. T...
Fratello
The folks at Ming showed us a host of upcoming releases and conceptual drawings during our time with them at Time To Watches in Geneva. As the two biggest fans of the brand on the Fratello team, Balazs and I have had the difficult task of keeping our traps shut until these pieces are eventually […] Visit Hands-On With The New Ming 57.04 Iris Chronograph to read the full article.
Time+Tide
With a colour-shifting dial and monopusher chrono movement designed specifically for this watch, there is a lot to get into here.The post The MING 57.04 Iris brings technicolour to the wrist in a tasteful way appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Fratello
Even though it’s only July, it feels like it’s been summer for months here in the UK. It’s been hot and dry, two descriptors rarely used here in Blighty. So, I’ve had ample time to practice my summer watch game. So far, I’ve been away from the pool, so the choices may seem strange. I’ll […] Visit Fratello Summer Watch Picks 2025: Mike’s Favorites From G-Shock, Norqain, And Ming to read the full article.
Worn & Wound
Happy Saturday! Dive watch summer continues – we’ve noticed some fun new divers, all limited editions, come across the transom lately. New water ready releases from Doxa, Wren, and Doxa are profiled below. We’re also spotlight the latest from Ming – while not a diver, it has a stealthiness to it that feels appropriate for the season. Let us know in the comments what you think of these new releases, and what we might have missed. Wren Diver 38 Wren is back with their second watch, the all new Diver 38. The brand, founded by Wrist Enthusiast’s Craig Karger, launched last year with the Diver One, and the new piece is a scaled down, and perhaps more refined take on the original concept. The new version of the watch is smaller, coming in at, you guessed it, 38mm, and is just 10.7mm tall (the original was 41mm in diameter and over 13mm thick). The dial has a sandwich style design, in either a gradient seafoam green or aqua colorway. According to Karger, the goal here was to move Wren into a new category that “balances practicality, comfort, and refined execution.” The Wren Diver 38 is available in date and no-date versions for $1,595. It runs on a ETA 2892 automatic caliber, and has 200 meters of water resistance. It’s mounted to a flat-link, stainless steel bracelet, and the ceramic bezel insert is fully lumed. Another nice touch: the rotor is skeletonized in the shape of a wren. More information on the Wren Diver 38 can be found on the Wren website here. Mi...
Monochrome
When it was launched last year, MING’s 37.02 Minimalist represented several firsts for Ming Thein’s independent Malaysian brand. For starters, it was the brand’s first watch made at MING’s facility in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland. Ironically, though, the watch could not bear the “Swiss Made” label because the design and engineering were executed in Kuala Lumpur. […]
Time+Tide
MING has just thrown down the gauntlet for watch of the summer.The post The new MING 37.02 Monolith is stealthy yet summery appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Fratello
Today’s new Ming 37.02 Monolith is the latest variant using the brand’s popular case design. While the case coating is the big news here, it’s worth a closer look. After all, small changes sometimes lead to significant results. The 37-series of watches from Ming has stood as the more affordable range since 2021. During these […] Visit Back In Black: Ming Introduces The 37.02 Monolith to read the full article.
Time+Tide
The high-tech 20.01 is revised for the fifth series.The post Ming shows off the Series 5 of the complex, AgenGraphe-powered 20.01 chronograph appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Fratello
Until now, I’ve had to enjoy Ming’s 20.01 chronographs from afar. Finally, the good folks from the independent brand were able to send one of the flagship pieces to me for a hands-on review. I spent a week with the new 20.01 Series 5 and fell in love with this highly detailed, stunning watch. I’m […] Visit Hands-On With The New Ming 20.01 Series 5 to read the full article.
Worn & Wound
As we’ve discussed at length here recently, one of our favorite things about Ming is their ability to innovate across price points. Recent watches in the 37 series, like the Minimalist and Ghost, prove that thoughtful contemporary design and creative watchmaking and engineering do not have to approach five figures. But then, when the brand does cross that five figure mark, and creates something in the haute horlogery realm, we get things that are incredibly special and can kind of break your brain, making you wonder both how they did it and what is this anyway? That’s very much the vibe of last year’s solid gold 20.01 Series 3, which featured a fused borosilicate dial with 600 tiny holes cut into it that were then filled with lume (all on top of an AgenGraphe chronograph movement, naturally). At the time, I thought that watch was Ming’s most avant-garde creation, but the latest watch in the 20.01 Series might just top it. The centerpiece of the new 20.01 Series 5 is a science-fiction inspired dial that is laser milled from a single block of titanium. I was fortunate to be able to spend some time with this watch ahead of its release, and even though I had my chance to gaze at the dial, look at it under magnification, and consider it in all the ways we always evaluate something like this, I still have a hard time actually describing it. It is, effectively, a decorative sheet of titanium that has been cut to form a complex radial pattern emanating from the dial’s ce...
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