Malaysian micro-brand Ming have been killing it recently. Not only was the 19.01 a seriously cool follow-up to their previously successful 17.01, but now they’ve hit the nail on the head once again with the worldtimer version, the 19.02. Visually, the new piece is pretty similar to the time only version of last year. It has the same beautifully rounded titanium case and the same black and transparent sapphire dial. In fact, it’s surprising just how well the worldtimer function has been integrated into the watch.

There are no 12-hour numerals, just a crosshair you can use to estimate the time more accurately than you might think. Around the edge of the smoked black section are the various timezones designated by airport codes, all 24 of them fit into a pretty small workspace, especially given the entire watch comes in at 39mm in diameter.

The contrast however, between the white letters and numbers and the black sapphire works flawlessly. It even serves as a day / night indicator on the central rotating ring of numbers. It’s good that it does, as it means the edges of the sapphire dial can be left see-through, allowing a glimpse of the rose gold-plated movement underneath.

That movement is stunning. Created by Scwarz-Etienne, the rose gold Ming ASE220.1 has an impressive 70-hour power reserve, skeletonised bridges and a sintered tungsten (for added weight) microrotor.

At the very edge dial side, invisible during the day, is a ring of high intensity lume that illuminates the case in the dark. It doesn’t particularly help with reading the worldtimer, but it looks phenomenal. Given that there are no numerals for local time anyway, it doesn’t change much if you’re checking the time where you are.

The price for Ming’s newest collector’s item starts at CHF 9,900 for now, though it will rise to CHF 10,900 at the end of March. In real money, that’s just over £7,700 rising to £8,500. For a watch that’ll be sought after more voraciously than the Maltese Falcon, that’s not bad at all.

Price & Specs:

Model Name: Ming 19.02 Worldtimer

Ref: 19.02 Dial/Case: 39mm diameter x 11.2mm thickness, grade 5 titanium polished and brushed grade 5 titanium case Movement: Schwarz-Etienne for MING Cal. ASE220.1, bidirectional automatic winding with high-mass tungsten micro-rotor Functions: Hours, minutes, world time Power Reserve: 70h

Water Resistance: 50m Price & Availability: CHF 10,900 or CHF 9,900 (if you pre-order before 31 March 2019)



Find out more at Ming’s website.