New Ming 20.01 Series 3 Chronograph with Sensational Borosilicate Dial
by Nina Scally
There are some luxury watch brands out there that slap a hefty premium on their designs ‘just because’. You know the ones I mean.
And if you’re a stickler for wearing a world-renowned brand name on your wrist and you like owning watches with iconic status, you probably won’t agree with my point here. But I like value for money.
And I’m not ashamed to opt for a lesser-known brand, even when it comes to buying a pair of shades, some new sneakers, or something as inconsequential as a cleaning product.
But a lesser-known brand doesn’t always mean a cheaper investment. Sometimes you’re investing your money in specialist handcrafts and artisan techniques, not just a name.
It doesn’t matter what I’m spending my money on, my motto is always the same: If I’m buying a pricey product and my wallet has to stretch to afford it, it must offer a little je ne sais quois. If it’s a talking point and gets noticed, that’s a bonus, mainly because it makes me feel a little better after buying something on a bit of a whim.
Ming 20.01 Series 3 chronograph night and day
But spontaneous purchase or not, The new Ming 20.01 S3 is my idea of a guilt-free purchase. Not a necessity, since no watch ever is. Moreover, I submit that it’s a justified purchase and one representing some of the most unusual craftsmanship in watchmaking.
Ming 20.01 Series 3 chronograph lume shot
Ming Watches is steeped in layers of innovation and industry firsts that you’ll find yourself unpeeling and unpicking as you work your way through its catalog.
Part of that catalog is the company’s Special Projects Cave concept, where models like this new release belong. It’s also home to last year’s LW. 01 watch and is the birthplace of models that boast unconventional materials and quirky personalities.
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Innovations From the Cave
Rewind to 2023. To create the LW. 01 design, Ming drew expertise from the aerospace industry to create a case made from an AZ31 Magnesium-Aluminium-Zinc-Manganese alloy. The material was made by Smiths High Performance – an alloy and plastics engineering company, and was more efficient to produce than other solutions the brand had explored (namely hollow 3D printing). The material also proved to be lighter than carbon.
Ming LW.01 ultra light
Experts at the brand’s manufacturing facilities in La Chaux de Fonds topped the watch with Corning Gorilla glass – another lightweight material. They also hollowed out the bezel and fitted the watch with a lightweight Alcantara strap to achieve an overall weight of just 10.6g.
It quickly became one of the world’s lightest watches.
Aside from this horological feat, the LW. 01 watch itself has a very distinctive presence. It’s the result of years of experimental research and testing. Despite the brand’s use of ground-breaking materials and its unconventional approach to making lightweight designs, it wears and feels like any tactile, high-end watch should.
There is no dial per se. Moreover, the different layers of construction come together to house a crystal platform adorned with a printed gradient on its underside. This is what technically constitutes the dial.
But more importantly, the watch was developed under the manufacturer’s experimental arm – the Special Projects Cave. The project is where many of Ming’s left-field designs come into existence. The brand pushes the boundaries of technical capability and material development in ways that many rivals could only dream of.
Alas, this is the brand’s experimental side to watchmaking and not all models appeal to such niche watch-collecting circles. Some examples that do, however, include the 19.02 DLC, the 19.03 Monolith, the 19.03 Burgundy and the 20.01 Mosaic Chronograph. All watches that go against the grain.
Ming 20.01 Series 3 chronograph
The latest addition to join the family as part of the brand’s Special Projects Cave is the 20.01 Series 3. So, if you’re partial to one-off dials, this could be your ticket. Its USP is a dial made entirely from borosilicate crystal.
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A Dial with Glowing Cavities
Light, form and color are the elemental building blocks of this new 20. 01 Series 3 design, as they so often are with Ming watches. Even on paper, this watch sounds fascinating, let alone in the flesh.
Ming 20.01 Series 3 chronograph lume shot
Ming has facilities based in La Chaux de Fonds and Kuala Lumpur. While assembly and production happens in Switzerland, the engineering and quality control of some of the brand’s watches take place in Malaysia.
The independent watch brand debuted its first watch back in 2017 and is still considered a relatively new brand, pumping out what seems to be one exciting idea after the next.
This innovation continually flows on from Ming’s experimental pursuits in the realm of sapphire, mosaic dials, ceramic-fused luminous materials, and lightweight mechanical movements. By that, I mean that it appears to be another record-penning first.
It’s the first to feature a dial made entirely of borosilicate crystal.
Ming 20.01 Series 3 chronograph
The case of the new Ming 20. 01 S3, measuring 41.5mm, is crafted from a mix of grade 5 titanium and 18ct 5N red gold, comprising a total of 34 parts.
Boasting four different finishes (including polished and brushed “Flying Blade” lugs and DLC-coated titanium elements), the case is topped with a bezel framing the typographical borosilicate dial that, quite understandably, becomes the star of the show in this design.
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As impressive as the dial is, the movement is even better. The engine powering the watch is the is the AgenGraphe chronograph caliber by prestigious Swiss movement manufacturer, Agenhor.
The Agengraphe movement powers the Ming 20.01 Series 3 chronograph
The sophisticated chronograph movement is equipped with a chronograph core with backlash-free gears designed for a peerless, smooth performance. It also comprises a horizontal clutch mechanism, a regulation mechanism, and offers instantaneous jumping minutes.
Stunning Agengraphe chronograph movement visible through the display back of the Ming 20.01 Series 3
Through the back of a sapphire crystal glass, you get to admire rose gold bridges, decorated plates, and traditional Swiss finishes. The Calibre 6361 M1 is a manual winding movement benefiting from not one but two skeletonised barrels storing a total power reserve of 55 hours when fully wound.
Ming 20.01 Series 3 chronograph on the wrist
Above the movement is the unique dial – a canvas of voids that rewards those who pay close attention to its game of peek-a-boo. The more you play, the more you get out of it. There are around 600 of these voids, arranged in a radically symmetric circular pattern.
Upon this surface lie a set of tapering, faceted hands, and secondary scales on the underside of the crystal.
The dial also features a central chronograph seconds hand and a 60-minute counter for measuring elapsed time.
Ming 20.01 Series 3 chronograph lumes up at night
It is at night, however, when this display bursts into life. Specialists at Ming have syringe-filled each crevice with a generous amount of liquid Super-LumiNova. In dark environments, the captivating voids burst with luminescence alongside vivid hands of rich turquoise-blue emission.
To create the dial, Ming partnered with dial experts Femtoprint SA, creating the voids using a high-energy laser on the borosilicate’s surface. At night, the intensely glowing holes appear to float atop the dial.
Underneath the surface layer glimpses can be had of the beautifully performing movement. This is, quite possibly, one of Mings most fascinating dial designs to date. The watch is dynamic and shows off the breadth of the brand’s flair for “different”.
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Conclusion
The Ming 20.01 Series 3 is a timepiece of beautiful complexity. The hollowed-out dial is artistically expressed in a way that teases and delights the more time you spend with it. The more you see of that fused borosilicate dial, the more you fall in love with it.
To complete the design, Ming fits the new 20.01 Series 3 on a goat leather strap in anthracite grey, with a red gold, “Flying Blade” buckle and micro adjustment feature.
Ming 20.01 Series 3 chronograph
This probably isn’t the kind of watch you’d throw on every morning, regardless of what your day holds. It requires some level of contemplation and careful consideration. This is not your average, casual daily beater. It’s a special watch with a special talking point that you’re going to want to show off to other like-minded nerds.
Ming 20.01 Series 3 chronograph front and back
That said, time spent alone with this watch is just a special. Like gazing into a roaring fire, the nuances of the borosilicate dial and its capability to jump into luminous life by night give you a real chance to appreciate horology from another angle.
For more information, please visit www.ming.watch/products/ming-20-01-series-3
Quick facts: Ming 20.01 Series 3 Chronograph
Indications: Hours, instantaneous jumping minutes, central chronograph with seconds and 60-minute counter
Case: 18k red gold and grade 5 titanium, top crystal with etched and luminous indices and scales
Dial: 1.3mm thick fused topographical borosilicate dial, with 600 voids hand-filled with liquid Super-LumiNova X1
Dimensions: 41.5mm diameter, 14.2mm high
Movement: AgenGraphe chronograph Cal. 6361.M1, adjusted to six positions
Strap/buckle: Anthracite goat leather with Alcantara lining by Jean Rosseau Paris, 3rd generation ‘flying blade’ red gold buckle with micro-adjustment
Water resistance: 50 meters
Limitation: 20 pieces
Notable: one year of WAX Shield insurance coverage against theft, and a complimentary service within the first five years of ownership – in addition to a two-year warranty
Price: 43,500 Swiss francs (excluding taxes)
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