Horological Meandering

WatchProSite Hands On Review of the MING 27.01

 

WatchProSite Moderator Patrick_y reviews the MING 27.01 and reflects on a new type of Independent watchmaker with its direct to consumer business model. 

 

Sometimes you have to give credit where credit is due.  MING Watch is a micro-brand that manufactures about 1000 watches a year.  While most of its watches are at lower pricepoints, they can offer a compelling value amongst independent watchmakers.  MING Watch is that rare success story of how a small group of passionate watch fans started their own watch brand and turned it into a success story. 

 

Introducing Ming Thein

Photo of Ming Thein, photo from MING website

 

I haven’t sat down with Ming Thein and spoken with him directly at length about MING, so I’m not qualified to say too much here.  Ming is a passionate individual with a professional photographer’s eye for aesthetics and he’s also a watch collector with eclectic tastes.  Ming was an early member on ThePuristS which later evolved into PuristSPro, and finally into WatchProSite, the site you see before you today.  Ming Thein is one of six co-founders of eponymous watch brand; another team member at MING is our former moderator Dr. Magnus Bosse!  It’s a small world and there are certainly a lot of WatchProSite alumni out in the watch world!   

Photo of Dr. Magnus Bosse, Photo From MING website

 

The Latest Watch: The MING 27.01

 

Understandably, you want to know about the watch.  The above is all fluff if the watch isn’t any good.  As many of you know me so well; I am a total movement finishing fanatic who abuses minute repeaters wearing them while piloting go-karts, I ask you to please continue reading as I truly do enjoy all watches, not just solid gold tourbillons! 

 

Secondly, these watches are incredibly rare.  Currently only a hundred units have been delivered worldwide.  I was very fortunate to accidentally borrow the latest MING watch from a friend and I enjoyed wearing it a couple weeks.  Thank you to my friend and my apologies for accidentally running away with your watch! 

 

EXTERIOR

 

To begin, the MING 27.01 is 38mm diameter and 6.9mm thick, and it offers a custom-made case that has pierced lugs and is overall an elegant and modern design.  The grey dial and polished silver skeleton hands are extremely handsome.  The shape of the lugs and the curved springbars will enable a wearer with a wrist as small as 6-inch or 15-cm circumference to comfortably wear this watch. 

 

The case is water resistant to 50 meters and has a pull-out crown.  It’s an extremely well finished case with a nice combination of polished edges, polished bezel, and polished lugs, and with a contrasting sandblasted case middle.  This case has so many great design details; refined lugs, pierced ‘flying’ lugs, the combination of polished and sandblasted mediums is a great detail that is somewhat similar to how case middles are brushed at A. Lange & Sohne.  I must give high praise for this case, as it’s truly well conceived, executed, and very refined.  Previous MING watches had thick tips at the end of the lugs signifying girth and strength, whereas the 27.01 has a more svelte lug profile that implies refinement. 

The dial continues this refinement; with two levels – a raised outer ring and a sunken middle.  The raised outer ring has stencil cutouts to mark the hours.  The MING logo is very discreetly placed (I enjoy watches with no immediately obvious branding) at the 3 o’clock.  When you see this dial, even before you see the branding, you immediately think “MING” as the MING DNA is very strong.  The hands are skeletonized and polished and have a beautiful contrast with the dial. 

 

The strap has a very cool skeletonized buckle that harmoniously matches the case design and the strap is by Jean Rousseau Paris.  The straps are made of leather and machine stitched rather than cous main (French for hand sewn), but done so with quality.  I highly recommend that you purchase extra straps in different colors; you’ll be delighted to know that all straps include quick release spring bars and even a spare buckle for only 200 CHF!  What a bargain!  I’d go for bright colors like a fun blue, orange, and maybe a hunter/military green.

 

Again, this watch is incredibly rich in details, the design and aesthetics are done incredibly well.  The refinement and prolific details really make this watch incredible and a joy to look at.  I almost didn’t want to give the watch back to my friend.  But the delight doesn’t end there, there’s something interesting and worthwhile in the engine room! 

 

THE MOVEMENT

 

The movement is a thin ETA 7001 base movement that’s been heavily modified.  Now, I know that doesn’t sound especially impressive, but upon closer inspection you’ll realize that they only used the architecture of the 7001.  To me, it looks like only the gears remained and even some of those were modified, all the top plates, bridges, and from what I can see even the baseplate were all thrown away and they were replaced by semi-skeletonized parts of MING’s own design.  Despite the mild skeletonization, I don’t see any major loss in rigidity, as all the same anchoring screws are present as in the original caliber.  Furthermore, the entire movement has been upgraded with a blacked-out finishing, which is really cool.  I want to stress here, this kind of very small volume (there’s only going to be a 475 units of the entire 27-series watch ever sold) and small batch parts production is very expensive and these custom made parts with the blackened finish significantly increase the cost of the movement.  Low volume products such as those from MB&F, Roland Iten, Urwerk, and other very low-volume independent brands are extremely costly to produce due to lack of scale. 

 Some earlier 27.01 models may have a slightly different back case ring than the one depicted.

SERVICING

 

While MING does strongly ask all servicing to be routed through them and their approved service partners, the fact that this watch is using an established ETA base movement is a good thing, as this means serviceability will be less of a problem in the future!  Lastly, I’m pleased to add, the crown is large, easy to wind, and the watch provides a nice haptics when winding and setting the time.  The MING feels almost as good to wind as a Vacheron Constantin 4400 caliber! 

 

HOW TO GET ONE

 

Okay, by now, some of you will want one.  How does one procure one?  This takes a little bit of work.  MING is a direct to consumer brand, they do not have retailers, one has to go to the MING website and see what is on offer.  The website will generally inform you of a date the watch will be available.  For instance, the last batch of 27.01 watches is available on 22-January-2021 at 3AM GMT.  If you’re successful in ordering one, you’ll have to wait until June 2021 to receive your watch! 

 

Be warned, there are only 50 watches of this model remaining (that’s not a typo, fifty watches for worldwide consumption) and MING watches are known to sell out in only a couple days of release (some watches can sell out even in a few minutes)!  Those who collect rare whiskeys can probably understand that there’s just a very limited pool of watches.  MING strongly discourages flippers as they want to share their creation with as many people as possible.  With their small runs sold out in days (sometimes less than two minutes), MING even has a formal rule against flipping that is mentioned on their website!  This is unprecedented in the industry; as Patek Philippe doesn’t even have a formal rule posted.  Considering how well executed the 27.01 is, the amazing level of detail in the case, dial, and the re-work of the movement, I would say this is one of the best values (i.e. fastest selling) from MING watches to date!  Their anti-flipping policy can be found on their website and below is a photo from MING Instagram... 

From MING Instagram

 

PRICING/AVAILABILITY

 

Value is always subjective and in the eye of the beholder, but consider me smitten.  At CHF 3950, there are certainly other options out there, but none with such beautifully executed details, thinness, and elegance for even a significant percentage more.  Furthermore, this watch also possesses its own design language that is very modern but not overdone, a radical departure from the very stoic and traditional watch industry in general; few brands have that modern but not overly modern look.  Lastly, I can’t stress how thin it is, the MING 27.01 is only 6.9mm thin; a Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Ultra-Thin Automatic is 8.1mm thin, the Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Ultra-Thin 38 manual wind (which is sold out in many markets) with its renowned 1.85mm thin 849-caliber movement is 6.3mm thick when cased! 

Comparison photo: MING 27.01 is 6.9mm thick; the JLC Reverso here is 7.2mm thick; and the JLC Master Ultra Thin 38 manual wind is 6.3mm thick

 

Also, exclusivity is definitely a given with a MING.  You’re buying into a very exclusive club where only about a thousand watches are made per year.  Only 275 units of the MING 27.01 will be made and the model will be retired permanently.  From an exclusivity standpoint, MING currently retails less units than F.P. Journe per annum!  The final opportunity to acquire this MING 27.01 is on 22-January-2021 at 3AM GMT! 

 

There is a 27.02 model which costs CHF 4950 (1000 Swiss Francs more expensive than the 27.01) which is very similar to the 27.01 model; with a glass dial (sapphire).  Only 200 units of these will be sold in total.  I haven’t had the pleasure of seeing the 27.02 model in person yet (none have been delivered to clients) but the photos seems promising!  Delivery for the 27.02 models will be Q4 2021.  Photo of the 27.02 below...

 

WHAT I EXPECT FROM MING IN THE FUTURE

 

I expect to see more high-quality projects from MING in the future.  The brand certainly has received many GPHG nominations and awards since its recent founding and short history.  Some of these models even have serious movement finishing and some even have complications.  Good stuff is coming in the product department. 

 

I’m definitely curious to see how a direct-to-consumer brand keeps in touch with their consumers and establishes that personal connection with their clients.  I live in Silicon Valley and am very familiar with customer-relationship-management and I have high expectations here.  I also know how the luxury watch industry is slow to adapt.  Hopefully MING will be able to keep their clients engaged and feeling like they’re a part of the family. 

 

Service is always a legitimate fear for any owner buying into an independent watch brand.  My friend who owns this watch does not have any service experience with MING, since all of the watches from MING are very new.  But considering that many of the founders of the brand are watch collectors and have suffered service mishaps before, I trust they will use their experience to establish high standards.     

 

Other thoughts on my mind…  What’s the five year plan?  As they get more and more customers over the next few years, how will they maintain those relationships?  What are the growing pains?  Will the partners ever consider selling to a big watch company or a luxury conglomerate? 

 

CONCLUSION

 

MING has made a winner here in the 27.01.  The price of CHF 3950 is definitely not low, but the aforementioned details are done so well that the price can be justified.  By the time you factor in exclusivity and rarity, it starts looking like a bargain!  The product quality and user experience seem to be so good that the watches are oversubscribed leading to quick sell-outs. 

 

The modern look also gives the watch a less dressy vibe and the grey dial gives the watch a very sporty vibe.  But the watch is also elegant enough that it becomes a chameleon; its sporty dial looks great for casual outings yet its elegance and thinness makes it passable as a dress watch.  Few paradoxes work out well, this one does.  There are very few elegant watches that are very modern, this is definitely one of them.  Over the past few years, MING has cultivated a strong design DNA for its products.  I like this design language and I can’t wait to see more of them! 

 

Thank you again for reading this very long review of this watch.  As always, I read all of your comments and I’ll do my best to answer your questions.  Special thanks to my friend for loaning me his watch and making this review possible! 

The MING would be popular among "Techies" in Silicon Valley, computer engineers love the simple yet modern aesthetic, and it seems to go well with the hoodie jackets that employees at Facebook and Google seem to like to wear.  

MING 27.01 Specifications

-       CHF 3950 Price (approximately $4500 USD at current exchange rates)

-       Limited, only 275 will be made for worldwide consumption; remaining units (approximately 50 units) to be sold 22-January-2021

-       Sister model, the 27.02 shares similar specifications as below; has a price of CHF 4950 and features a glass (sapphire) dial; limited to 200 units worldwide with remaining units (approximately 75 units) to be sold 22-January-2021 at 3AM GMT. 

-       38mm diameter, 6.9mm thick, stainless steel 316L

-       Case has a mix of polished, brushed, and blasted surfaces with ‘flying blade’ lugs

-       Sapphire crystal front and rear with double-sided anti-reflective coating

-       50mm water resistance

-       20mm lug width, 18mm buckle width

-       Tang buckle

-       MING 7001.M1: Heavily-modified ETA 7001 movement with new bridges and baseplate all plated in black chrome

-       42 Hours Power Reserve

-       Jean Rousseau Paris calfskin burgundy strap; 20mm at lugs, 18mm at buckle; 70/120mm length with ‘flying blade’ stainless steel buckle that continues the design of the watch

-       2 Year Limited Warranty

-       Swiss Made

Photo Credits: MING website, MING Instagram page, and Author's own photos

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