How a Malaysian Startup Rose Through the Ranks of Independent Watchmaking

The luxury watch industry has a reputation for being a bit parochial and old-fashioned. That’s none too shocking considering its most prestigious brands hail from Europe’s glamorous watchmaking capital of Switzerland and have literally centuries of history to their names.

ILLUSTRATION BY ADAM CRUFT

So it’s stunning that one of today’s most in-demand watch brands isn’t a 200-year-old Swiss institution but rather a Malaysian company that’s less than a decade old. Horologer MING burst onto the scene in 2017 with the time-only 17.01.

With its flared lugs, layered dial and luminous ring etched into the underside of the sapphire crystal — all features that would become MING hallmarks — the 17.01 looked like nothing that had ever come before, and quickly charmed a corner of the enthusiast market. Since then, the brand has only strengthened, taken greater risks and added horological heft, winning over many entrenched traditionalists. That doesn’t mean it was easy.

“It’s definitely been a challenge for us coming from outside the industry and the ‘wrong’ part of the world — even the name has been a sticking point for a surprising number of people,” explains Ming Thein, the brand’s founder, namesake and chief creative driving force. “But we believe it’s more honest than hiding behind the ‘history’ of a defunct and subsequently revived brand.”

A Kuala Lumpur native and avid watch collector, Ming toted an absurdly impressive bio even before teaming up with five other enthusiasts to found MING in 2016.

He graduated with a master’s degree in theoretical physics from Balliol College, Oxford, when he was just 16, held several high-level executive positions — including a stint as McDonald’s Malaysia’s senior director of operations — and spent years as a professional photographer and ambassador for both Leica and Hasselblad. With such a resume, Ming could easily rest on his laurels, but the man seems to possess a preternatural desire to create.

“We’ve launched 50-plus references in five-plus years, and there are far more ideas on the board than we have immediate capacity to develop,” he says. “It’s probably the one thing we aren’t in short supply of.”

HOROLOGER MING

One thing MING is short of, somewhat notoriously, is watches to sell. The brand competes in the luxury tier, with retail prices ranging from around $3,500 for a three-hander to $40,000- plus for haute-horological “Special Projects Cave” releases. But MING doesn’t keep a roster of core models in its catalog, instead retiring references after their production runs. This practice effectively makes every MING release a limited edition and has led to some frustration among collectors who have to deal with inflated prices on the secondary market, but that wasn’t the brand’s intention.

“A strong secondary market is definitely a good thing, as it preserves value for everybody, but the extent to which we’ve seen this happen is unprecedented,” Ming concedes. “We’re trying hard to rectify the supply situation … We would love to do continuous production, but this simply isn’t possible if you don’t own your entire supply chain — something far beyond the reach of a small brand like us.”

While MING can’t control the market, it can control its designs, which are constantly evolving. The laser-etched sapphire mosaic dials on the MING 20.01 Mosaic are just one example of how the brand pushes the boundaries of what’s possible in watchmaking, keeping it at the top of collectors’ wishlists.

“Our position is probably because we have been asking the questions other brands either didn’t think of or don’t want to take the risk on,” Ming concludes. “Whether this makes us innovative or foolish, only history will tell.”

HOROLOGER MING

Sold Out

Ming 37.05 Series 2

• $5,735.00 at ming.watch

Editor’s note: MING’s always-limited releases sell out fast, but you can sign up on the site to get emails about new ones.

Related Topics