I wish him well with the project
Finishing looks very nice on the cases, i wonder what will lurk within- sellita i guess?
For the oldies here Ming Thein is quite well known in the watch community having been involved here many years ago. Less so over the last 5 years unfortunately. Newbies may know him from his blogging exploits in the photography arena at http://blog.mingthein.com including his amazing watch photography.
He's now designing and making watches in his own name - you can check them out at http://ming.watch. And a few pics (couldn't copy the links from the straight on ones):
I've been following his progress last few months before launch and Ming's intention has been to create a watch that stays under the $1000 mark while also being Swiss Made and a good technical specification. I think it looks fantastic, with some classical design cues and a quite unique dial.
A good looking, well built and sensibly priced Swiss watch that isn't a generic diver is most certainly welcome. I had mine ordered already, alas my number means it won't be ready to ship till somewhere in Sept (all watches have been manufactured, just the way the shipping works).
The watches will be limited to 300 total (150 of anthracite and blue). I think the idea is to vary designs once the allocations are sold and not to repeat.
So what are are the group thoughts?
I wish him well with the project
Finishing looks very nice on the cases, i wonder what will lurk within- sellita i guess?
I remember Ming well - particularly his photos. It's a shame he's no longer active on the forum.
I really like the look of these.
Simon
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I think Ming has done a great job here, avoiding the usual diveresque clones which are in abundance from a wave of micro brands.
A very tempting prospect which I must resist.
Well done Ming
Very nice - finding the '9' difficult as all I'm seeing is a 6.
I've tried in the past to encourage him to get back on here, unfortunately he seems quite busy all the time. He's got this, his job at hasselblad and is still a commercial photographer to juggle.
I've already caved! And totally agree on avoiding the usual clones. I think its a lot of watch for $900. I'm interested in how he goes forward with this too in future watches to keep the variants fresh.
Above in blue and here in grey ...
Good luck to him. Really nice guy and nice to see something different.
Good luck everybody. Have a good one.
From Ming's website ... https://ming.watch/products/1701b
First batch in stock and ships from 14 August 2017
Deliberate to the last detail
The MING 17.01 reveals its personality over time. It rewards the wearer with each interaction – from the way the multi-layered dial interacts with light, to the curves of the case-lug interface, to the feel of the crown.
A classical case diameter of 38mm was chosen to suit a wide variety of attire and situations, with polished and finely brushed surfaces juxtaposed to accentuate the flowing lines of the case. Short lugs and a smooth, minimal bezel gives the 17.01 presence but maintains wearability.
Each watch includes a set of three calfskin straps in tan, dark blue and burgundy, curated to offer diverse personalities to the watch. Strap changes are effortless and require no tools as each strap has curved quick release pins and is fitted with its own buckle.
Each dial color is limited to 150 pieces (300 pieces total) and will not be reproduced.
Quality and Reliability
The case of the 17.01 is machined from grade 5 titanium for wearing comfort and lightness, and is certified to 100m water resistance for peace of mind. The 1.5mm thick sapphire crystal is treated with an internal anti-reflective coating for optimum visibility. The caseband is a single unit without spacer rings, to maximize rigidity. Finally, each watch is filled with nitrogen to minimize any potential detrimental effects of moisture.
The 17.01 is powered by the robust, reliable and easy-to-service Swiss Sellita SW210-1. A hand-wound movement was selected because it invites the owner to pause and interact with the watch daily. Even though the watch has no second hand or even minute markings, all movements are regulated in five positions and subjected to a 250 hour testing programme, further backed up with a 1-year warranty against manufacturing defects.
Specifications:
- Functions: time only, hours and minutes
- Case, dial & hands:
- 38x9.3mm, grade 5 titanium case with solid caseback
- Polished bezel and lugs; finely brushed caseband
- Sapphire crystal with internal antireflective coating
- Rigid case without spacer rings
- 100m water resistance with triple crown gaskets and nitrogen filling
- Composite, multi-layer, three-part sapphire dial
- Dial available in blue or anthracite colour; limited to 150 pieces each
- Straps with 20mm lug width and curved case attachment
- Movement:
- Hand-winding mechanical movement Sellita SW210-1
- 42 hour power reserve
- 28,800 bph (4Hz)
- Hacking function
- Movement adjusted to five positions with a 250-hour test program
- 1-year warranty against defects
- Made in Switzerland
- Delivery package includes three calf leather straps (tan/dark blue/burgundy colour, curved case attachment, quick release pins, buckles fitted), a presentation case and a leather travel pouch
Last edited by Tinker; 8th August 2017 at 11:22.
Blue for me - and ditto, shouldn't have either as also not working at the moment.....my G-shock collecting is taking a back seat and selling a Sinn and a few others to bolster the war chest.
The anthracite - but I lack a decent blue in the collection.
Also notice the strap changing system, quite nifty and the watch will come with 3 straps.
Very nice actually. Good for him.
I rather like it, but the warranty is a tad dissapointing for the price.
Highlights exactly why many watches have a marker rather than a numeral at 3 and 9. I am obsessed with thoughts about which way up they should be. I can't decide, but I have a nasty feeling it would now bother me whichever way they were. I shall simply return to my sterile dial watches, I think
A very attractive dial and I love the hands.
The inversion of the 3 and 9 looks a bit odd though and I would prefer if they were not inverted.
I would normally say this watch should have a seconds hand but perhaps it would detract from the nice aesthetics, not sure really.
I like the use of titanium and AR sapphire. Filling with nitrogen is an unusual step but will only delay the equalisation of water vapour in and out of the watch due to Vapour Pressure, how long will depend on the composition and size of the gaskets.
A well thought out watch overall.
Mitch
I've not seen the watch case either - a slight delay on arriving from the manufacturer so no pics yet. He's promising good things about it, one of the things he was super excited about.
Yea the 3/9 is something that has been discussed to death and tested both 'normal' and 'inverted'. The rationale with it inverted is it is easier to read when on the wrist. If left normal the 9 would be reading as a 6 which looks worse.
Also the flow of the dial works better like this. Between 10 and 2 its 'normal' and then inverted between 3 and 9. That flow around the dial would have looked odd otherwise.
Same goes with a second hand and before anyone mentions a date - just doesn't work with this dial.
Not surprised Ming has done this, a very clever chap indeed from his days on here.
Really nice designs too.
I'd wish him good luck but I don't think he needs it to be honest.
He was probably before my time but this looks very thought out and well done.
Props to him 👍
It must still be nerve wracking to unleash a new design and see what the world thinks. We can be a brutal bunch us WIS folk
My understanding is he has tried over 50+ designs over time. That has probably honed his own design philosophy. He's designed a few movements too (a few 'borrowed' by some prominent watch makers...)
I don't think he will be designing movements for the MING brand - there doesn't seem to be a point. So many good options out there already if you have the connections.
I really like them but... for me the 3 and 9 don't work. Personally I'd run them vertically. But I suspect that would annoy as many people as it placated.
Also I'd have a '12' in the '12' position.
Finally - another personal thing - I can't live without a watch without a second hand. I've liked them, bought them, couldn't get on with them and sold them all. It's not that I need to know the time to the second ever. I think I take a moving second hand as a subliminal reassurance that the watch is still running.
Apart from the above, I love the rest of the design and the finishing looks great. I look forward to future releases.
Echo the 3 & 9 comments, find it hard to believe a sample of buyers preferred them over vertical numbers but hey ho. It's a potential reason not to buy rather than to buy which when starting out seems an unnecessary risk. Then again it only needs enough buyers and I wish Ming luck (even though I now have Flash Gordon stuck in my head).
Just noticed that the numbers float above the dial, that's a lovely touch. Must avoid temptation!
I remember Ming well, a very intelligent and talented man as well as a fantastic photographer.
Cheers,
Gary
The size, dial and lugs are beautifully considered - nicest micro brand watch I seen in ages.
Look forward to seeing what else he produces.
I've been looking to see who else goes for numbers 'round the dial' as opposed to vertical numbers. And the most prominent one I can find is this one:
And the 3/9 facing inwards for me works in this watch, but I'm not sure it would have done in Ming's design. Thoughts?
All credit to him.
I think it looks original,the right size (for me anyway!) and just that bit different,even with,or perhaps because of,the inverted 9.
Normally,I go for the blue dials but,based on the photos here,I really much prefer the anthracite.
Hope they sell out fast and encourage the man to do more.
I remember Ming thein also from back in the day. God , glad to see he's done well
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I think he's done a very nice job with those. Like the grey one.
Dave E
Skating away on the thin ice of a new day
They look nice; a little different from the norm.
Looks okay but the strap looks of a low quality judging by the very generic buckle. I really think the "9" is a miss, and it says "MING" on the dial, which means something different in Manchester at least.
The Evant Tropic Diver I bought recently was around 55% the RRP of this and has an ETA inside so I feel it's pushing the price boundary for what is essentially a start-up brand.
I find this much more subtle and classier than the in your face Evant Blue which I could never bring myself to wear.
As far as I am concerned not much to choose between an ETA or a Sellita movement. The strap looks fine and the curved lug attachment makes it much better.
I do agree that the buckle looks rather flimsy.
Opinions are subjective by nature but I would rather pay the price for this than the much cheaper and cheaper looking ( strictly my opinion-not stating a fact) Evant.
Just a tad small for me.
It is indeed a shame Ming no longer visits. I think the watch is lovely, from case to the floating numbers, I just can't get myself to like the layout of the numbers though, I would like to have seen them as per the journe posted above.
however I think he has done a fabulous job getting these to production and I wish him all the very best.
mike
Well it's good to have differing opinions of course :-)
I've always preferred sports watches to watches like this anyway, but the Evant isn't in-your-face IMO. Not defending it as I own one, you know I give my honest opinion. I think most blue dials stand out over a black dial anyway, but in terms of Sellita, all I've heard is when TAG switched to those, they had no end of issues and still are according to the manager of a boutique I spoke to. At $900, I just hope the movement used is a good one, with good accuracy etc.
I agree on the numbers, the 9 definitely throws me off....
On the straps - found this that is worth reading: https://ming.watch/blogs/news/hide-and-seek
Sellita - pretty much most non Swatch companies are using them if they haven't got their own in-house variant. As an example IWC I think use them for all their basic pilot needs. My understanding is its as good as ETA and certainly almost as expensive as ETA. This has also been adjusted/tested to 5 positions. So I'm not really sure about the comment on the movement? What would you use if you couldn't use ETA?
The watch that won't appeal to everyone. And Ming isn't trying to sell this to the dive crowd for instance. I do feel the case and dial quality will be hands and shoulders above the normal run of the mill. Some may find the 3/9 too jarring for them and for some it may be too small. But I guess they're the small choices that the designers personality will shine through.
I like them, and am very tempted by this. Having had the 3 and 9 "issue" pointed out above, I am now stopping to have a second thought about buying though!
The ETA equivalent is the 2801 - which I believe is a robust movement? The downside is it's not exactly a pretty movement and is a little thick, but that's not so much of a concern for this watch.
And as I said it won't do it for a lot of people, especially the dive crowd. I'm sure at some point he'll attempt a diver....
Good decision to make it a hand cranker. Quite like it, probably too stylish for me but then again I buy all my clothes at Tesco.
A lot of comments about the 9 but maybe it works on the wrist? When you check the time from arms by your side it's more of a tilt the watch towards you and arm at maybe 45' rarely do I actually bring my arm up and hold it perfectly 90' and read the time. Might it make more sense then?
People obviously tend to take pictures of a watch dead upright and I guess it looks wrong in pics.
My only negative is the lack of a seconds hand but that's just my personal feel as I like to see my watches beating. I Like seeing that instant gratification of my watch starting up after a wind. I get that people may want a two hander but you may as well get a quartz watch.
I've just realised it's miles too small for me, too...
Simon
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It's a fair point Simon if you like big watches - i tend to feel size is all relative to the style of watch. So I'm happy enough with a more 'sensible' 38mm.
Look forward to your impressions! I think yours will definitely come before mine....