I’ve Never Seen a Watch Combine These Features Before

Ever since Malaysian microbrand MING arrived on the scene in 2017, the brand has done things differently. With an entirely unique design language embodied by flying lugs, minimalist dials and innovative lume treatments, MING immediately carved out its own niche in the crowded luxury watch industry.

As the years progressed, MING’s offerings have only gotten more impressive as it’s leaned on technical innovation and higher-end movements. Last year, for instance, the brand released the lightest mechanical watch in history (to surprisingly little fanfare).

Now, MING has unveiled perhaps its greatest creation yet: the 20.01 Series 3. I spent a week with the watch prior to its release and found it to be perhaps the most unique watch I’ve ever handled … and one of the most impressive.

MING

Ming 20.01 Series 3

• $50,992 at MING

Dialed In

The first thing I noticed about the 20.01 Series 3 — the first thing anyone will notice — is its dial. MING has experimented with intricately patterned dials before through its Mosaic watches, but the dial on the new watch is something else entirely, as MING developed a brand-new process to create it.

The dial is made of 1.3mm-thick topographical borosilicate glass featuring a radial pattern of 600 “voids” of varying height and width that have been fused into the dial via a high-energy laser courtesy of MING’s partner Femtoprint SA.

Photo by Johnny Brayson for Gear Patrol

Each individual void is hand-filled with liquid Super-LumiNova via a syringe, creating a dial of immense depth with an incredibly powerful glow in low light. To describe it as hypnotic would be a massive understatement.

The dial’s combination of advanced laser technology and painstaking human craftsmanship represents what I believe to be the theme of the watch as a whole: the melding of the forward-thinking and the traditional in one cohesive package.

Something Old, Something New

The 20.01 Series 3 uses a bi-metal case with an outer shell made of solid 18k 5N rose gold, making this just the second MING watch ever with a precious metal case.

The bezel, caseback, lugs, chronograph pushers and crown are all gold, and they surround a “core” made from black DLC-treated Grade 5 titanium that houses the movement and dial. The core is visible through the sides of the case and again represents a mix of new and old, with the technical black titanium wonderfully contrasting with the traditional jewelry aesthetic of the gold. Altogether, the case is made up of 34 different parts.

Photo by Johnny Brayson for Gear Patrol

Then there’s the movement. It’s one of the most technologically advanced chronograph movements in existence, and versions of it have previously been used by such mega-high-end brands as H. Moser & Cie. and Singer Reimagined. I’m talking, of course, about the AgenGraphe by Swiss manufacture Agenhor.

The movement is a manual-wind chronograph that’s mounted on a central axis, so there’s no need for subdials. The chronograph seconds hand and jumping minute hand are both mounted in the center of the dial and are made of heat-treated blued steel, another element steeped in watchmaking tradition that contrasts with the futuristic luminous pulsometer scale etched into the underside of the sapphire crystal.

The unique chronograph, while old-school at heart, boasts a number of advanced innovations pioneered by Agenhor. The crown has a built-in hard stop that prevents you from overwinding the watch, there’s a proprietary clutch that combines only the best features of vertical and horizontal clutches, and there’s a custom regulation system that works differently from the regulator on every other movement for extra-precise adjustments.

Photo by Johnny Brayson for Gear Patrol

Even the strap of MING’s new watch represents a marriage of old and new. Made by MING’s longtime strap maker Jean Rosseau Paris, the strap boasts an exterior of traditional goat leather but is lined with supercar-inspired Alcantara artificial suede.

Finally, the strap is fitted with MING’s ingenious “flying blade” pin buckle in rose gold. The buckle has micro-adjustment capabilities and features a keeper-free system that allows you to tuck the excess strap underneath and against your wrist for a cleaner look.

Photo by Johnny Brayson for Gear Patrol

What a Watch

The 20.01 Series 3 was the first MING watch I’ve ever handled in person, and I feel like my experience with the brand can only go downhill from here. This watch is unbelievable.

The case is beautiful and eye-catching. I really loved the tone of the red gold, the distinct shape of the flying lugs and the way the outer case gave way to the black titanium core.

Photo by Johnny Brayson for Gear Patrol

The movement is beyond impressive and is literally one of the finest calibers in the world. I will not soon forget the joy I felt every time I watched the chronograph minute hand instantaneously jump or when the crown slammed on the brakes once the mainspring was fully wound.

The strap was extremely comfortable, even in the height of summer. I found the Alcantara to be buttery soft and completely free of any irritation I might feel from a leather-only or rubber strap. I also love MING’s keeper-free buckle system and believe every brand should employ something similar. It just looks and feels so much better than having the tip of a strap flopping around on the far side of my wrist.

Photo by Johnny Brayson for Gear Patrol

Then, of course, there’s the dial. This is easily the most impressive dial I’ve ever seen on a watch and will be tough for MING — or any brand — to top. 600 laser-fused lume-filled cavities? What? It’s an absurd concept that’s even more absurd on the wrist, but it sure was fun as hell to stare at; especially after coming in from the outdoors and receiving a blast of lume-activating sunlight.

I have just two gripes with the watch. First is the readability. The watch is quite difficult to read, as the minute scale is printed in white lume on the underside of the crystal. In daylight, the scale is hard to make out because the voids of the dial underneath are the same color. Lumed up, it’s even worse, as the voids glow far, far brighter than the printing on the crystal. The easiest way to read the watch is at a slight angle, which feels a bit odd.

Photo by Johnny Brayson for Gear Patrol

My other gripe is the pricing and exclusivity, though that’s not really a fair gripe. If this watch were cheaper, it would be made differently and with different materials. In other words, it would be a vastly different watch. Still, it costs around 50 grand and MING is only making 20 of them. For something so special — literally no one has ever made a watch quite like this — I’d love to see it be more accessible, but it is what it is.

If you’re one of the lucky few who can afford the watch’s SRP of CHF 43,500 (~$50,992), you can try your hand at scoring one on MING’s website.

MING

Ming 20.01 Series 3

Specs

Case Size	41.5mm
Movement	Agenhor for Ming AgenGraphe Cal. 6361.M1 manual-wind chronograph
Water Resistance	50m

• $50,992 at MING

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