he 37.02 Minimalist is the first watch to be designed, engineered and managed internally by Horologer Ming SA, a new entity in Switzerland for the Malaysian brand. The work to internalise more of the engineering and production processes began nearly two years ago and is motivated by the company’s desire to continually innovate and deliver better value whilst asserting more control over the supply chain and achieving better lead times.

A bright luminous signature has always been a key feature for its watches, and the lume in the 37.02 Minimalist is a prime example of what the new Ming structure enables: for years and with external sources, the company has been trying to develop a luminous material that really glows white, but made little progress. Since moving efforts internally, it has finally managed to develop a proprietary luminous material – the Ming Polar White. Ming Polar White emits in all wavelengths and therefore is one of the very few (if not the only) luminous material to truly glow white instead of being tinted. The 37.02 Minimalist is the first watch to feature Ming Polar White.

The 37.02 Minimalist is the first model to develop under the new Ming as it is a philosophical successor to the 17.01 and 27.01, both of which marked previous milestones for us. It also represents the current distillation of what an essential, reductivist watch should be. It feels just as at home on a leather strap as it does on the moulded rubber straps, under a suit cuff or at the beach. It is self-winding, always ready to go, simple and quick to set and can be dressed up or down for any occasion. It carries the same identifiable design elements and visual impact of any of the watches in the lineup yet remains discreet enough to fly under the radar should the situation call for it.

The dial is luminous and stylized in the dynamic way only sapphire can do; it can invert, glow, reflect seemingly floating markers, or suck light into a black hole depending on the angle. It is legible but not uniformly boring; balanced but not symmetric. All dial markings are in fact laser cut channels in the sapphire dial that are then liquid filled with the proprietary Ming Polar White luminous material. It retained the blue emission Super-LumiNova X1 on the distinctive handset for visual contrast and increased legibility.

Playing off the gloss of the dial is the continually refined and improved 37-series case in stainless steel, sized at 38x11mm. It has a narrow bezel and mixed polished-brushed case finishes to make it visually larger and thinner than the dimensions suggest, yet remains comfortable to wear for a wide range of wrist sizes. An oversized crown and double gaskets make for easy winding and setting, as well as 100m of water resistance. It is completed by a new FKM rubber strap in black with tuck buckle, moulded curved to naturally follow the wrist for maximum comfort.

The 37.02 Minimalist is powered by the self-winding Sellita for Ming SW300.M1, with a unique execution of anthracite skeletonised bridges over a matte anthracite base and an open rotor.

It is worth noting that due to a regulation technicality, watches produced by Horologer Ming SA in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland are not eligible for a ‘Swiss Made’ mark. A qualifying requirement is that design and engineering be completed in Switzerland, but Ming Thein (MT) now leads this directly in Kuala Lumpur for greater agility and innovation. Nevertheless, component sourcing remains unchanged, and these watches are still assembled in Switzerland.

The final piece of good news: the Ming 37.02 Minimalist launches with watches in stock and ready to ship.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

Functions

• Hours and minutes
• Automatic winding

Case

• 38mm diameter, 11mm thickness, 44.5mm lug-to-lug
• 20mm lug width
• 316L stainless steel, with a polished-brushed finish
• Domed sapphire crystal front and rear, with double-sided antireflective coating
• 100m water resistance
• 20mm lug width

Dial & hands

• Sapphire dial inset with liquid filled Ming Polar White luminous indices
• Super-LumiNova X1 coated hands

Movement

• Sellita for Ming SW300.M1, anthracite skeletonised bridges and customised rotor
• Self-winding with 45h power reserve at full wind

Bracelet

• 20mm Ming FKM black rubber with tuck buckle system

Pricing and availability

• CHF 3,250, shipping immediately
• Available exclusively via www.ming.watch
• 2-year warranty against defects