The team at Ming watches have a very keen eye for developing unique details, and nowhere is that more evident in the products that come from the Special Projects Cave. Ming has always been driven by innovation in mechanics and materials, developing new technologies along the way, and the Special Projects Cave, or SPC, launched in 2021, allowed customers access to the most cutting edge projects. This is a program that debuts new tech from the brand, and has given us things like sapphire mosaic dials, as well as entire watches like the LW.01, the world’s lightest production watch. This week, we’re getting a new 20.01 showcasing a stunning fused borosilicate dial within an 18k rose gold case.
This 20.01 represents a third series for the reference, and like the watches that came before it, uses a manually winding AgenGraphe chronograph movement by Agenhor. Here, the movement plates and bridges have been rendered in rose gold, matching the case. It’s a beautiful movement presented in unique fashion, but it’s not the star of the show here. The real fireworks are happening on the dial, and that’s not something you’ll hear often when it comes to watches equipped with this movement.
The 20.01 S3 features one of the most dynamic watches to ever grace a Ming watch, which is saying a lot if you pay attention to this brand. There are 600 unique voids arranged in a radially symmetrical pattern that change in size both on the horizontal and vertical planes. The cavities are created in a block of borosilicate by a company called Femtoprint SA, which, as the name implies, specializes in micro-fabrication. The company focuses a high powered laser on the material to render the small but highly precise cavities, which are then individually filled with lume by hand using a syringe.
The result is a pattern of blocks that appear to be held in suspension under the dial, and which provide a brilliant glow in low light. They are also highly dynamic, shifting in reflectivity with the slightest movement. The dial can take on different personalities, from subdued to star studded, at the slightest twist of the wrist. And when the lights go out, it’s a different show entirely. Yes, it still tells the time, and it even offers a centrally mounted chronograph as well, but the functionality takes a back seat here, and it’s a dial you’d almost like to see mated to a time only affair to appreciate the effect without the intrusion of scales.
This is a truly bonkers watch from front to back, and it’s exactly what makes Ming such a special brand. They know when and how to push the limits, and they seem to feel the most at home when operating at the edge. It is my hope that these technologies continue to trickle down into more accessible priced references from the brand, but at the very least these are truly inspiring watches to see produced by a brand of this size.
Ming will produce just 20 examples of the 20.01 S3, with deliveries expected to commence in October of 2024. The price is set at CHF 43,500, with a 30% deposit due upon pre-order. Ming
