Ming 37.05 Moonphase

A little romantic whimsy

A moon-phase is an old complication, and perhaps one of the least useful for modern life, yet one that still holds a special place in the hearts of collectors for reasons we’re not quite sure of ourselves, despite owning several. A date is at least a bit more useful. We opted to combine the two and keep the old-school whimsy going by opting for a manual wind movement – once again, offering the enthusiast more opportunities to interact with their watch.

Integration, dynamism and inversion

Of course, being us, we scrutinized both moon and date to figure out a smoother presentation than the usual holes-in-a-dial style that was more suited to our design language. Our continuing use of multi-layered sapphire dials offered a solution: the apertures for date and moon lie in the lower layer dial, which is metal, textured and carries a midnight blue to black gradient reminiscent of the night sky, with a seamless sapphire dial above that carries the hour indices (laser etched, and filled with HyCeram) and a central mask for the moon to mirror our peripheral ring forms. A full moon thus forms a complete ring, which is luminous, with partial phases being portions thereof. The date window preserves symmetry at 6 o’clock, and is as subtle as possible with a background color-matched to the dial, and our usual font in light grey.

The net result can be seen in the accompanying images and is one of the most dynamic dials we have ever created: it inverts completely from a seamless silver mirror to a solid blue-black with moon and date displays. The transition is gradual and most of the time, the watch presents a bit of both: a calm, reflective serenity above and a lot more visual texture below. Naturally, there is also a lot of luminous material.

The right movement

We knew we didn’t want the semicircle moon aperture, but what we had in mind would require a centrally-driven moon disc to offer a sufficiently large display to allow the ring display to work. Only a custom module or the Sellita SW288 offered this possibility, and selection of the latter allowed us to improve overall accessibility of the watch. But to make it worthy of a display back, it was then further reworked in a similar style to the 7001.M1 used in the 27.01 and 27.02; it is skeletonized, matte-blasted and anthracite coated, with a contrasting portion on the main train bridge in circular-brushed rhodium.

Creating the next generation

The 37-series case family will form one of our core product lines, spanning from entry level to Special Projects and everything in between. It is a highly refined case design that has complex compound curves – such as the line from case side to lug tip – and multiple finishes. We have also increased the visual presence of the case with a significantly larger dial opening than the 17-series and domed front and rear crystals. However, wearability and comfort for a wide variety of wrist sizes is maintained with the same 38mm maximum diameter and 20mm lug width. In short: it looks bigger than a 17-series, but feels the same on the wrist.

Reference: 37.05

Limited: Limited number produced

Bracelet: Black barenia leather strap by Jean Rosseau Paris

Case: 38mm x 11.9mm Thickness - Stainless Steel

Lug Width: 20mm

Movement: Sellita for Ming 288.M1 - Manual

Functions: Hours, Minutes, moonphase

Box and Papers: Inner/outer boxes, and warranty papers

Crystal: Sapphire

Bracelet size: 7.5”

Case has no wear. Strap has minimal creasing/wear. Dial, hands, and crystal have no wear.

Horologer MING, founded in 2017 by photographer and watch enthusiast Ming Thein, has quickly become a notable player in the watch industry. Born from Thein's passion for horology and frustration with the industry's increasing prices and pretentiousness, MING was created alongside a group of like-minded enthusiasts. The brand's philosophy centers on delivering mechanical watches with distinctive designs, exceptional value, and integrity across all price points. MING's approach is characterized by its reductive design language, featuring strong symmetry, flared lugs, and visual layering that creates dynamic appearances under different lighting conditions.

Despite its young age, MING has garnered significant acclaim, including a GPHG shortlisting for its 19.01 model in 2018. The brand operates through collaborations with various partners, allowing it to produce a range of watches from entry-level to high-end pieces. MING's unique position in the market stems from its commitment to transparency, limited production runs, and a customer-centric approach. As the brand continues to evolve, it faces challenges due to its Malaysian base and lack of a local watchmaking ecosystem. However, MING remains focused on innovation, exploring new complications and designs while staying true to its founding principles of value, integrity, and coherent design.