One year ago, Ming Watches debuted and has since become one of the most notable and ambitious microbrands in watchmaking. The company, formed by a group of watch enthusiasts and lead by noted photographer Ming Thein, positioned itself as a maker of accessibly priced mechanical watches with a bold and unique design language. Naturally, since a year has passed since its debut, the watchmaker is releasing two limited edition watches.
Dubbed the 17.03 Blue and 17.03 Ultra Blue, both watches indeed live up to their names by offering Eiffel 65-levels of blue. The former features a shimmer metallic blue dial while the later retains the dial and adds a blue case, achieved through heat-treatment, a practice common in watchmaking on small parts like hands and movement components, but not so common on cases.
Both watches are based upon the brand’s well-received 17.03 model, which is powered by a Sellita SW330-1, an automatic with a second time zone function. On the watch, this is displayed via a central disc on the dial, not an additional hand like on most other GMT watches. The Blue and Ultra Blue both also feature compact 38mm cases, just under 10mm thick, made from titanium and are rated water-resistant to 100 meters.
According to Ming’s press release, there is already a waitlist for the Ultra Blue (Ming only made 25 watches), but buyers still have a chance to snag one of the 125 Blue versions. Pre-ordering has just opened, and delivery of the watch will commence at the end of the month. The 17.03 Blue starts at $1,509 (1,500 CHF) on a leather strap while the bracelet version tacks on an extra $302.
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