Ming 37.02 Minimalist Watch Review

With all watches from Horloger Ming, there is an inevitable sense of taste and refined purity. A purity driven by the vision of founder and chief creative Ming Thein, who adores the visual and graphic shape-play of case and dial. Being aware of his background in photography you get the emphasis on strong graphic contrasts. That’s true of all their watches but is expressed with particular clarity in the new Ming 37.02 Minimalist, which has a balance between light and darkness on the dial that is quite spellbinding to be honest. And putting it on for the first time it feels compact, weighty and instantly at home.

You’ll have one of two reactions if you haven’t tried on a Ming watch before when you wear this watch. If you’re a small-cased watch aficionado like myself, you’ll nod approvingly as the short-lugged 38mm case settles on your wrist. Equally, if you’re part of the nouveau-large crowd rocking 43mm Breitlings, the combination of its compact design and big-presence charm will have you questioning your life choices. No kidding. This is only exacerbated by how the wrist-shape moulded FKM strap (the king of rubbers) embraces your forearm even before fastening the strap.

Let’s start by talking about the strap for a change. Ming equips their watches with a clasp that is so brilliant that it will make you question life itself. Sorry if this sounds dramatic, but it’s true. All Ming leather, or smooth FKM rubber, straps have an elongated clasp with twin openings. This allows the strap to return and tuck under the short clasp end. If this sounds bulky it isn’t, as all Ming straps are thin at this end, proof positive of an obsessive and fresh approach to watch design.

You’ll find no annoying keepers that slide up and no lengthy strap end poking out to catch your cuff. Should all brands implement this? Yes, and it would make the wrist world a better place. Like all other Ming straps, it also has a curved end and quick-release, which ensures a snug fit and easy changeability. On top of that, the leather straps from Ming are made by Jean Rousseau. They are usually priced at CHF 250, but they are worth every penny for sheer luxurious craftsmanship.

Moving to the Ming 37.02 Minimalist’s case, it’s the first to be designed, engineered, and managed internally by Horologer Ming SA, Ming’s new Swiss entity. The sides have distinct but soft brushing, while the slim rounded-top bezel compliments the sweeping lugs perfectly, as does the slight twinkle of the polished caseback. I love how the big crown juxtaposes the quite dressy size of the watch.

The dial of the Ming 37.02 Minimalist is deceptively simple, offering an industry first.. Ming Thein has been obsessively trying to make a luminescent compound that emanates a pure white glow, and this is the result. While it seems applied to the sapphire dial, that’s not the case. The proprietary white lume is liquid-filled into the triple laser-etched grooves encircling the dial. Each stop between the lumed semi-circles denotes the hour, so the charmingly expressive pattern is anything but random. Realizing this made me nod and grin widely in approval, making the intensely minimal 37.02 very legible.

The hands are instantly recognisable as a classic Ming design from 6 feet away. They are simple, softly rounded, and proportionate to a tee. At first glance, the minute hand looks almost skeletonised, but it has Super-LumiNova X1 lume carefully applied only to its edges. This makes it easily distinguishable from the hour hand with its full X1 Treatment.

The new 37.02 Minimalist has a 100m depth rating, so it’s a solid everyday watch. But in the same way that many Grand Seikos are technically tool watches, the suave execution might still relegate it to special occasions. Black goes with everything, which certainly applies to the Ming 37.02 Minimalist. But swap out the smooth FKM rubber for a colourful Jean Rousseau number from their in-house catalogue, and its personality will change. Just as fast and as surprising as the dial inverts from sleek black to a gloss silver-grey as you shift it in the light.

Powering the Ming 37.02 is a Sellita SW300, which might make you sceptical of its price. But have a closer look. It is a Sellita, but darkly different, as a “Sellita for Ming-creation.” The SW300.M1 automatic movement features anthracite skeletonised bridges and a customized rotor. These touches combined make for a big step up in refinement compared to the basic, proven, and solid Sellita movement.

This is one of Ming’s releases, in which movement is not the point. Ming’s latest releases are moving up the grail ladder, so in that respect, this is a welcome return to accessible purity. It is simply one of the best minimalist timepieces to emerge in 2024, full stop. At CHF 3,250 (approx. to £2,890), with stock available for the first time, the temptation will be strong for many.

More details at Ming Watch.